How Do You Drip Your Marketing?

I’m not a big shopper. 

Truth be told, I hate shopping except for food and wine. I don’t find myself in the mall or online looking for stuff so I don’t profess to be an expert in this arena. But I do know brilliant marketing when I see it.

Every week or 10 days, I receive in my mail, a reminder about a store that sells a range of household goods. And that drip, drip, drip is a trigger that if I need something, I should keep them in mind.

I don’t read the postcard which is in fact a coupon, but I notice it. My wife saves them in an envelope in her car so she has them with her in case we need towels or spatulas or various home goods.

Products aren't typically discounted in the store. Instead, they give me a weekly reminder to come in and save 20% off the list price of any article they sell. The store is Bed, Bath & Beyond. And the frequency of their direct mail keeps me aware of them with a subtle reminder that isn’t intrusive. Drip, drip, drip. 

How do you drip your marketing?

What are the creative ways that you stay in front of your audience with a gentle reminder to keep top of mind? Here is a tactic to consider that might help you stand out.

A firm in New Jersey called BoxPilot has the capability to record your message and to leave it on your customer’s voice mail.  Everyone checks their voice mail and imagine being able to scale delivering a message to 10,000 people in one day or 100 people on the 15th of every month. What an unusual way to stay in touch with a communication that will break through the clutter of email. 

This is a great technique if you are hoping to reach thousands of customers to stay in touch with them. This is particularly effective in B2B settings but can also work, with some limitations, with consumers too.

A sample script from a professional photographer sent to 100 small businesses in his area: 

"Hey, this is Jeff from Small Business Photography on Main Street. I have a free class I'm offering this Saturday at my studio for small business owners to help them take better pictures for their business. No charge for the class and you'll learn 10 things to help you save some money on photography. Go to www.JeffPhoto.com to sign up before Friday at noon. The class has limited space. Talk to you soon." 

So 100 businesses in the area instantly learn about your class for about $150. And when 25 small business owners show up at your studio, they get to meet you, see what you do and connect. I bet you earn several thousand dollars from this effort in a few jobs that come your way. 

Imagine telling 100 patrons of your restaurant about the specials on Valentine's Day, or sharing with 100 clients of your yoga studio that you have a special event occurring on Saturday morning at sunrise. The reach is quick and the cost is reasonable. 

Marketers need to keep finding ways to remind audiences about their products and services. These messages don’t need to be push or be overly commercial. They might just share news of value to an audience or offers something special. And its testable so if it works, you can drip it out each month. 

What would you like to tell 10,000 people on their voice mail tomorrow?

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Could you use help dripping your marketing message to customers? Perhaps instead of a plumber, you should connect with me on Clarity. I also fix leaky brands in my spare time.