Speak To Your Customers in the “Language” They Hear
You've probably played "Telephone" before. That's the game in which player #1 whispers a short story to player #2, who then whispers the information as completely and accurately to player #3, and so on and so on. This continues until the last player hears the story and then repeats it out loud. Invariably, the story changes as it works its way down the line, sometimes dramatically. While this game is always good for a laugh, it should also demonstrate one very important point: different people receive, process, retain and transmit information differently.
Just as people communicate differently, they learn differently as well. Some people learn more effectively by reading; some from hearing; and some need a hands-on experience in order for the lesson to stick.
As marketers, we sometimes fall into a rut of plying our trade in a certain way because "that's how it's always been done." Or maybe you've found yourself thinking, "I'm a member of our target audience and I learn best by reading, so the rest of our audience probably does too."
Sending your company's message based on how you, alone, or a few others in your marketing department best receive messages can be a costly mistake. Remember the lesson from the Telephone game: what works for some, won't necessarily work for others.
The term Primary Sensory Dominance, or PSD, refers to how we perceive or "take in" the world around us, including marketing messages. As someone at least partly responsible for how the world thinks about your company, you should be aware that people receive and process your marketing messages differently based largely on their PSD. Your new brochure may help boost sales. Your Web site may be effective at enhancing awareness of your company. But, alone, these or any of the other tools we use to disseminate information won't be nearly as effective as an approach that addresses each of the three ways people learn: visually, kinesthetically and aurally.
Some people learn best by reading about your company, its products and services. For those visually-oriented people, a detailed, four-color brochure might be just the ticket. Then there are those who prefer a hands-on approach. These kinesthetics benefit most from an interactive experience; the kind your website provides.
But how do you communicate most effectively with people who learn best through the spoken word? By its very nature, radio is somewhat wasteful. Spending money to broadcast to thousands of potential audience members, most of whom have no immediate interest in your product, can hardly be considered a "focused" approach. So, instead, why not target the people who already have an interest in what you're selling? The people who are already on your phone lines. The people already visiting your website. The people already shopping in your store.
On Hold Messaging (which provides information to your callers on hold), Web Audio Messaging (which speaks to your website visitors), and Point-Of-Purchase Audio (which reaches customers in your store, office or other facility) are all versatile, cost-effective forms of Point-Of-Entry Marketing that allow you to communicate with your most important audience - your current customers and interested prospects.
How effective is On Hold Messaging? The Automotive Glass Replacement division of Pilkington reported that sales of their non-glass products increased 100% within 30 days of implementing a national On Hold Messaging program from BusinessVoice. That's pretty effective.
Why do you need Web Audio Messaging? Experts have shown that about 30% of the population learns or retains information best when it's communicated aurally. In other words, if your website isn't talking, it's not effectively communicating with nearly one-third of all visitors.
And what about Point-Of-Purchase Audio? According to various surveys, 66% of all purchasing decisions are made on impulse at the point-of-sale. And Point-Of-Purchase advertising influences nearly 81% of all buying decisions that are made in-store.
Those numbers are hard to ignore. So don't ignore them. Call BusinessVoice today for more details on how we can design and implement a Point-Of-Entry Marketing program for your company. Our toll-free number is 866/473-9000. Our web address is www.businessvoice.com.
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