Relational vs. Transactional Shoppers - Who do your ads attract?

Roy Williams, for Entrepreneur.com, wrote an article about ads and how there are basically two different types of ads:
1.) Ads that attract transactional shoppers
Transactional Shoppers:
A. Thinks short term.
B. Cares only about today's transaction.
C. Enjoys the process of shopping and negotiating.
D. Fears only paying more than he had to pay.
E. Is willing to spend lots of time investigating.
F. Considers himself an expert.
G. Hinges every transaction on price.

2.) Ads that attract relational shoppers
Relational Shoppers:
A. Thinks long term.
B. Considers today's transaction to be one in a series of many.
C. Doesn't enjoy comparison shopping or negotiating.
D. Fears only making a poor choice.
E. Hopes to find an expert he or she can trust.
F. Considers her time spent shopping to be part of the purchase price.
G. Is likely to become a repeat customer.

He then explains how to design ads to appeal to each. He cautions that attracting transactional shoppers is dangerous because they only care about price and discounts. If you design too many ads or promotions that attract this type of customer, they will eventually become conditioned to only purchase from you when you are having a sale or discount offer.

Though transactional customers are easy to attract immediately, there is value in being patient and designing a brand/ad campaign that builds relationships and makes your product or service desirable at the normal price. When you aren't desperate for sales, which customer will you want more of?

This article is a MUST read for any small business marketer.

Ready? Aim. FIRE! Direct Mail that Works

Direct Mail
When Targeted, An Excellent Way To Reach Your Customer and Gain Sales!

Often scorned as junk mail or spam, direct mail is actually a very effective marketing tool. The most effective types of direct mail are postcards and direct e-mail. According to the USPS, an impressive 94% of postcards are read.

Effective direct marketing depends on three things:
Attention grabbing creative,
A high-impact message, and
A targeted list.

The real “catch” to direct marketing is a highly targeted, research-based list of recipients. When targeted, direct mail is an excellent way to reach your customers and increase sales.

If you don’t have a snail mail list, they are available for purchase from a host of companies. E-mail lists, however, must be permission-based to be legal and require a direct opt-in from the recipient and should never be purchased.

You may think – “I don’t know if I can afford a direct mail campaign.”

The real question is (as with any marketing medium you use) – can you afford not to?

Ask yourself how many customers you need in order to pay for a direct mail campaign? Chances are that number is lower than you think. And suddenly you are thinking strategically - the way people who run major corporations do - that marketing is an investment, one that will continue to net returns long after the initial implementation.

The Marketing Time Machine!

Many start-up companies plan for everything... except marketing. They get their loans and get their business started and then sit back and wonder, "where are my customers?" So, they start networking! If you have ever owned a business, then you know about the "underground" networking circles that exist in every city across the country. Now that they are networking and have a modest customer base, they think they don't need marketing because they "grow their business from referrals."

The referral growth philosophy is fine... if you have 10 years to reach your revenue goal! Very few businesses will grow fast enough on referrals alone. Do you really want to be at the mercy of your customers in determining how successful your business will be?

If your business is not where you want it to be, develop a marketing plan!

A good marketing plan is like a time machine for small businesses.

It will absolutely, without a doubt, get you to your revenue goal much faster. The faster you reach your goals, the sooner you'll be able to set new goals and take your business beyond your wildest expectations!

To get started on your small business marketing plan, sit down and write down the following:

1.) Who is my customer?
2.) What do they need that I have to offer?
3.) What should I tell them that demonstrates how I solve that need?
4.) How can I reach them most efficiently? What advertising outlets or non-traditional strategies can I deploy to let them know that I am here.
5.) How much can I afford to invest.

Once you have determined these five things, get started and stick to it for at least three months. Marketing is all about repetition and it doesn't always work instantaneously. However, if you stay the course and let all of your activities in your plan work together, you'll notice results.

Go build your time machine! If you need any assistance or have any questions, please let me know. You can email me at jspring@prstore.com. I'd be happy to help.