WHO are you Selling To?

To have a high conversion rate with your marketing efforts you need to get close to your target market. Knowing the demographics that fit your ideal customers will go a long way in aiding that process.

Here’s a crash course on demographics. Demographics include characteristics such as age, race, gender, income, and education level.

Whatever media you decide to try (television, print, radio) the outlet will have a demographic profile of their audience. You need to find the means that mostly closely matches your target.

Finding Demographics

Many companies have demographics in their own database, whether they realize it or not. Point of Sale systems make it easy to capture age, zip code, and more. Simply asking your customers how they heard about you will help you measure your marketing return on investment (ROI).

If you’re looking to get a picture of a geographic area try City-data.com. The insights on your Facebook business page are - well - insightful. Use your website’s Google Analytics to learn how your website was found and by whom. A phone call or visit to your local convention and visitors’ bureau may reap demographic rewards.

Sample of Facebook Demographic Insights

Find customers by demographics and psychographics.

Who are your customers? Share the demographic profile in the comments below.

What Makes you so Special? Craft your USP

Before you can get someone to buy from you you need to answer the question, “What’s in it for me?” your potential clients need to know what makes you so special. Crafting a strong USP or Unique Selling Proposition will go a long way in differentiating your company, product or service.

In order to craft your USP get out several index cards. Write down your three biggest benefits on the first three cards. Use another card or two to list the point of pain or performance gaps in your industry that you hope to overcome.

Next, list any specifics or proof. Do you have testimonials, studies, or statistics that will support your claims? Once you have each of your cards filled out shuffle them around. Look at them. Put them away. Get them out and look at them again. Eventually you’ll be able to craft a brief and catchy slogan or USP that will show why you’re so special. Deliver on your promises for strong word of mouth marketing.

*Use your USP in video marketing.

Battle of the Big Birds, Airline’s Ads Reviewed

All three of these airlines use appeals to prestige and target frequent business travelers, upper middle class and higher income levels. They’re targeting not your family-vacation-occasional-flyers, but those who need and expect a comfortable experience when traveling regularly.

Delta

Delta’s ad features its Business Elite cabins. The main copy is enticing, “Choose between an aisle seat and an aisle seat.” This quickly conjures up those times when I’ve flown and gotten “stuck” next to people I never would’ve chosen as a seat mate. The copy goes on to explain how sleeping on a plane can and has been improved so business travelers are more rested when they arrive on the other side of the world.

Korean Air

The image is the focus on this ad for Korean Air. An attractive woman sits on a floating feather. The actual seat is smaller and lower on the page. Korean Air promises the Prestige Sleeper Seat will have you never wanting to leave. I like the image, but this seems slightly unrealistic to expect business travelers to believe.

British Airways

When I speak to marketing classes one thing that I try to impress upon my audience is the fact that their unique selling proposition need not deal directly with the product/service. There is no plane or seat in this British Airways ad. What you see is a precariously stacked tower of wine glasses arranged to resemble the plane’s tail. The content discusses how wine tastes different at high elevation. Sell by highlighting what makes you different.

Thoughts? Are you a business traveler? What airline do you prefer? Why?

My Second Favorite Jimmy and Men Who Clean: Ads Reviewed by Terra L. Fletcher

Jimmy John’s

I finally tried Jimmy John’s a few months ago. (I don't eat out much. I like to cook.) I picked up a couple pieces of swag while at the restaurant. I don’t know if I’d put this bumper sticker on my car. (Ok, I know I won’t.) But I do believe in stickers as marketing tools.

I love the button. I’ll surely wear this next time I’m in New York City. (Last time I was there I didn’t get to see my favorite Jimmy, Jimmy Fallon. Next time I’ll be sure to get in for a taping of his late night show.) I like that the Jimmy John’s gets the marketing concept of highlighting a strong USP. They highlight the speed of service. Remember, your USP does NOT have to deal directly with your product. Your differentiation can be service-oriented.

Mr. Clean

 

What woman wouldn’t notice this ad? I just wonder if it appears in men’s interest magazines as well (probably not). But the bright color and brilliant copy work! “The only thing better than a man who cleans is a man who smells great doing it.” Amen.

Have an ad you’d like reviewed? Please email it to terra@fletcherfreelance.com.

Should you use HootSuite’s AutoSchedule?

In July HootSuite updated their services. HootSuite AutoSchedule is “a powerful new link share tool that determines the optimal time to schedule social media messaging. Now you can automatically queue messages throughout the day to maintain a consistent social media presence.”

Here are the questions: How does it work? “Optimal” by whose timing standards?  What is the definition of a “consistent” presence?

Finding little info on the algorithms of HootSuite’s tools, this may be a risky idea. Other marketers have expressed similar concerns. HootSuite is not yet sharing if it looks to see when followers are online. The tool has limited the days/times that some users can post – even when these have been historically good times for said marketers to reach their audience.

Also, each social network has its own unique audience, rhythm, and flow. There are still lingering questions if marketers should use a separate channel for each of their networks or if they combine to one HootSuite AutoSchedule, which has priority? Although a HootSuite rep does say that, “The timing takes into account the different social networks, so different networks will have different times.” The timing is also related to the time zone of the computer where the account originated from.

With so many unknowns it isn’t known if this tool will help or harm your social media efforts. If you’re already using a similar tool and/or don’t care what times/days your posts go out, go ahead and try it.

From my personal experience, scheduled posts and posts from third parties are often penalized by the algorithms of social networks. Your best bet is still to post individually one each network, speaking to that specific audience when and how they’d like to be communicated with.

If you’re looking for tools to assist you in choosing times to post consider Buffer or SocialBro and be sure to check the insights on your business accounts. Also, correlate your social media updates with your website analytics.

Confused? Stuck? Need someone to take the temperature of your social media campaign? Call me! 715-584-6773