Dear CMO:
Just a “post-it” today, but an important one. Here’s 10 plus 1 on how to maximize your returns on integrated marketing campaigns by working smarter.
1. Gifts are always more valuable than rewards. Ask yourself what you can do for your target before you look for ways to profit from them. Can you give them something that may cost you very little (or nothing!) but that is valuable to them? Reports, analyses, and tools all fit the bill.
2. Can you save them time by bringing their attention to something they might have missed?
3. We do business with people like us: ask yourself, do you speak their language? Do you understand their vocabulary? Do you act like they do?
4. We don’t like being interrupted: ask yourself, do you understand their timing – when they make decisions, how they make decisions, when they set their planogram, and when they’re extremely busy and don’t want to talk to you?
5. How can you help prospects understand that they’d be in good company by choosing you? How many testimonials – case studies on paper, current clients willing to act as live references, or opportunities to mix current and prospective customers in one place – do you have?
6. Who is willing to speak on your behalf? How can you use – and re-use – public relations, analyst reports, editorials, or other authoritative opportunities?
7. You get the respect you demand, so in the absence of thought leadership, provide thought leadership. Someone’s got to do it.
8. Small steps lead to great things. You don’t need to land them in one fell swoop. Each step builds a consistent pattern of behavior. Once they download your white paper, attend your webinar, or wear your T-shirt, they’ve made a commitment. Maybe a small one, but one you can build on.
9. If an ignoramus is someone who didn’t know what you learned five minutes ago, tell them something their friends won’t learn for another five minutes. Information is not like wine. It’s like caviar. Great when fresh, not so great when aged.
10. Competition makes people sharp, so let them know that your offer, the seats at your event, and the number of free subscriptions is not limited by time, but by action. While nobody likes to be pressured, they like being out-hustled even less.
11. An extra: you can control how anyone perceives anything, so long as you control what they hear first. So set your frame of reference up front. Is a yearly subscription to a partial ownership of a Falcon jet expensive? Not compared to the cost of two dozen first class tickets, plus hotels, plus airport time, plus plus plus. Is your solution expensive? Compared to what?
Regards.
Stephen, as I read this post, it made me realize that many of these tenets are also applicable to job seekers. OK, maybe it’s not a good idea to offer a prospective employer a gift per se, but something valuable such as a thought leadership piece geared towards a business challenge they are facing might go a long way. Job seekers must also contend with discerning buying cycles, the right messaging, and putting forward the best references and recommendations.
It’s not a 1:1 fit, but I think there are many similarities.
Paul: there’s no question that these universal principles fit in different scenarios. These principles form the nucleus of the Principles of Persuasion Workshop I discuss up on the home page tab and work in any area where we need to influence others.
Reciprocity says we give before we expect to receive – how many ways can a job seeker give something of value to a potential employer without it being misunderstood? Preparation, respect, timeliness and other personal “gifts” all matter – what about your thought leadership question, where an interviewee can have current examples of industry or functional knowledge that the interviewer might find helpful? Understanding the language and cultural touch points, using consensus (endorsements from current employees at the company), as well as other applications all make sense.
Glad this struck a positive note with you –
Regards,
S. Denny
[…] Ten Ways to Optimize Returns on Integrated Marketing Campaigns Using the Social Psychology of Influe… Note to CMO […]