Maybe you’ve thought about trying new channels to expand your marketing, but then the Naysayer’s Chorus begins inside your head. “It’s too expensive.” “It’s unproven.” Or, “That’s just for the big guys.”
Maybe you do business in “flyover country,” not on a coast or in a metropolis, and you think your customers just won’t get it. You have a tried-and-true marketing approach, so why take a chance?
Maybe because you’ll be missing out on a great opportunity to connect with new customers, improve sales with existing customers and increase your ROI. Just ask Eric Anderson.
He’s the Chief Marketing Officer and Co-President of Fresh Encounter, Inc. Based in Findlay, Ohio, Fresh Encounter operates a chain of some three dozen community grocery stores in Ohio and Indiana. No superstores here; floor space is usually just a quarter of the size of competitors like Kroger or Wal Mart. And Fresh Encounter’s ideal location is in a city with a population of about 10,000.
But being small doesn’t mean you have to think small. When it comes to marketing, Anderson prides himself at having a full arsenal with some of the newest tools of the trade.
“My goal is to make sure I’m in tune with the latest ways to communicate with our customers,” Anderson says. “I’ve got to make sure I’m using all the right technology, avenues, and touch points to get to my end-user.”
In addition to using print, radio, television, point-of-purchase audio marketing, on hold messaging, web site and email campaigns, Anderson employs “mobile marketing” with a system that uses text messages to deliver news of discounts and free offers to customers.
More than 2,000 customers signed up during the first weekend of the launch of their “Text-N-$ave” program last year. At last count, nearly 4,000 customers were enrolled and the number continues to grow.
New offers sent to Text-N-$ave customers each week range from free, seasonally appropriate items to 10% off total purchase offers. Each Text-N-$ave includes a unique PLU number that the cashier enters at the register. The customer shows their cell phone screen to the cashier to take advantage of the offer. And because each Text-N-$ave customer account is attached to a specific store, Fresh Encounter can send specific offers for each store.
“The results have been outstanding,” Anderson says. “Our customers love it. Redemptions are running at 20% or more, and the cost is a fraction of direct mail.”
New technology? Yes. New idea? No. It’s simply a new way to cut through the noise and market directly to your customer quickly, conveniently and affordably. Is there a new kind of marketing opportunity that could pay off for you?
