Sandra Holtzman, today’s guest blogger and president of Holtzman Communications, has over 20 years experience as a marketing strategist and writer/creative director working across a spectrum of sectors including consumer products. She’s the author of “Lies Startups Tell Themselves to Avoid Marketing.”
Many companies give lip service to customer-focused communications. Think – when was the last time you actually sat in a market research session (not behind the two-way mirror or sending one of your minions) with your customers – face-to-face – and listened to them? And when was the last time they had a chance to help you with your marketing? Most companies would answer never, or worse we do that all the time.
It’s likely that neither response is true.
In traditional market research you usually ask for their response to your already-created materials. So you’re communicating to them that you’re not asking what they think, you just want to know what they think about your ideas.
If that’s what you do, be prepared to learn next to nothing about how they really feel.
True customer-focused communications does not resemble what most companies are used to calling marketing. To resonate with your customers, you need to communicate with each person in a way that is compelling to them, based on their needs. Given the chance, they will give you the information you need to make your marketing more effective. But you have to be humble enough and listen enough to learn from them about how they want to be “told and sold”.
There are multiple benefits to using this kind of communications:
- You’re speaking to customers in their language
- Your customers are getting your messages quicker
- Your message is consistent and recognizable across all customer groups
- You’re giving customers assurance that you will meet their needs
This type of research is more efficient and effective-you do the research once, and you execute the right message once, saving you time and money. And finally, by using actual customer-focused communications, you are separating yourself from the usual clutter, which strengthens your brand. For a comparison of traditional market research vs. customer-focused research see www.holtzmancom.com/teamwork_openmind.php.
Example: Stiefel Laboratories wanted a direct-to-consumer website created to launch their new Rx acne medicine. The primary audience for this launch was teenagers with active acne. In a customer-focused research session, the kids shared with us not only what they wanted to see on a website, but also their concerns about acne – for instance, they were concerned about what to do when they had a breakout on a date night.
They helped us create a website. It was truly unique. Not something that appeals to brand managers or adults, but to the target audience. Scripts for the medication jumped from 100,000 to over a million.
Some of their competitor’s tried to imitate their site (see the case history) but they never caught on to why the Stiefel website was so successful. It’s simple.
If you listen to your customers, they will end up listening to you, seriously.
The point Ms. Holtzman is making is a valid and important variant on one of the most important principles of relationship sales.
As a life-long salesman, I have learned that my success correlates directly to how well I listen to my customers needs, wants and goals.
Using that concept in market research makes perfect sense. My grandfather taught me, as a small child, that I have two ears and one mouth. Therefore, I should listen twice as much as I talk.
direct response marketing
Good post. I am looking into these issues on my blog.