As a small business owner, does it matter what channels you use to market to other small businesses? And how often should you contact other small business owners who might be viable prospects for your products or services? You might think that because you are a small business owner yourself, you have a good handle on the contact methods of choice and what drives the best result for you.
As a highly diverse group, small business owners vary a great deal in their contact preferences. A retailer may not wish to be contacted while they are operating during core business hours, for example. Similarly, an older, more established small business owner might prefer direct telephone contact over email contact. It all makes a difference, and understanding how different small business groups behave helps you better target your offers to the most receptive decisions makers. You seldom get a chance to make the same mistake twice in the unforgiving world of email and telemarketing, so take the time to get it right the first time.
Let’s take a quick look at the issue of contact frequency. According to a survey of small business owners by Connect1 Corporation, 43% of 500 small business owners surveyed prefer quarterly contact when being approached by a supplier for a new product or service. While you might think that quarterly contact is infrequent, respecting the declared preferences of your targets will pay off.
Here are several ways to structure your outbound campaigns around preferences for contact frequency:
- Make Your Offer Count – Because you plan to respect quarterly contact preferences, you’ll be more motivated to put energy into your outbound marketing offers. Instead of more frequent specials or discounts, ensure your quarterly offer is hard-hitting enough to capture the attention of your target customers. Because you’re dealing with fewer opportunities for contact on a quarterly cycle, it’s important that your targets find your communication memorable and valuable.
- Less is Often More – Everyone understands what it’s like to receive constant emails or telephone calls from a supplier trying to sell something. After a while, that company name in your inbox becomes invisible – you simply stop paying attention to it and open rates start to plummet. If telephone is the contact method, harassing phone calls are an even greater annoyance that erodes good will and credibility. Quarterly contact frequency helps you avoid these traps: you’ll be conspicuous in your selective communications, and your brand will retain its integrity and vitality.
- Connecting the Dots – If you offer a more complicated product or service offering that really can’t be sold by email alone, consider using your quarterly contact opportunity more strategically. Use a first email communication to introduce your solution on a high level, and to build the basis for an ongoing relationship. Indicate that you plan to have a representative contact the prospect by telephone in a certain period of time to set up a meeting. As long as you use your contact opportunity to put the wheels in motion and initiate a more direct follow-up opportunity (i.e. a face to face or telephone meeting), your prospects won’t feel harassed. Connect the dots for them and ensure that continuity takes center stage – that will help you get more life out of a less frequent contact cycle.
- Give Them Something Unique – As BizAssist has indicated, less frequent contact is all about being memorable. Instead of focusing solely on a sales pitch, uses quarterly communications to offer valuable content that the prospect can’t get elsewhere. White papers, articles, industry analysis, current trends, policy or compliance information – all of these are types of content that you can provide that demonstrate you place building relationships over making the quick sale. A quarterly frequency for this type of communication is ideal: small business owners often find it challenging to stay abreast of more frequent weekly or monthly newsletters and updates.