A big mistake made by all rookies and small businesses who don’t understand marketing: they try to appeal to EVERYONE or to too broad an audience with their message.
When “everyone” is your customer, NOBODY is your customer; so, when MSPs tell me “everyone in Cleveland, Ohio, with at least 10 computers or more” is a “high probability” in terms of prospects, I know they’re in trouble. That blanket everyone approach to marketing is a surefire way to make sure ALL their ads, websites and other marketing materials underperform.
So, a marketing “trick” (not really a trick but a strategy) to lift response is to make sure you FLAG your ideal prospect in your headline. The postcard to the right is a good example of this. The “Attention” followed by a description of who you want to respond is a proven headline formula. The one problem on this postcard is the word “Any.” I would replace this with something more specific: Attention: Serious Guitar Players…or Semiprofessional Guitar Players…or FrustratedGuitar Players In Franklin Who Feel Stuck In A Rut. You get the idea. I DO like the fact they flagged “Franklin” in the headline and used a local phone number. I also really like the approach of flagging the problem/frustration of “stuck in a rut.” This sounds obvious, but they could have just said, “We do guitar lessons!” and left it at that, which is no different than you advertising “We fix computers.” It doesn’t pass the “So what?” test. By focusing on a specific PROBLEM, they will instantly attract more clients.
Example: “Attention: Small Business Owners In Franklin Who Can’t Get The IT Support They Need Because They’re Small,” or “Attention: Small Medical Practices That Are Constantly Frustrated With IT And Computer-Related Problems.”
Another problem: As you can see, it’s an “Every Door” direct mail campaign, which is a service offered by the post office that is exactly what it sounds like: everyone in a particular zip code or route gets the piece so you don’t have to have the list. I suspect they targeted higher-end neighborhoods, but I cannot know that for sure.
While this isn’t entirely a bad strategy, there is a LOT of waste in blanketing a neighborhood with a service that is only going to appeal to a very small percentage of the population.
I would hope they would have attempted to collaborate with every local guitar or music shop to target their customers, or bought a list of subscribers from one of the various music or guitar magazines. If someone subscribes to Guitarist magazine, there’s a very high probability they play guitar and therefore would be interested in lessons to improve. Now, a short list of ways to FLAG a prospect that can be used as a single flag or a combination in a marketing campaign.
By location: Here, “Franklin Guitar Players.” Can be city, state, country.
By situation: New start-up businesses, companies that have an expanding remote workforce…
By problem: Frustrated with nonstop IT issues, were recently ransomed, needing to migrate away from an on-premise server, worried about cyber security and ransomware, that needs to upgrade their outdated phone system…
By need or goal: MSPs that want to blow past the $1 million mark in 2022, that want to allow all employees to work remote without security and IT-related issues, fast-growing companies that find themselves in need of a more professional IT department…
By demographics: Women-owned businesses, by niche (dentists, CPAs, law firms, etc.), companies with over 100 employees, multi-location businesses, SaaS companies…
