Connect the Dots
Just like my sons’ dot-to-dot activities, marketers are increasingly called upon to connect the dots for their customers. “If I have to jump through too many hoops, I’m moving on,” thinks Joe Customer. In today’s insta-info world, information needs to be delivered quickly, clearly and succinctly, or we’ve lost the window of opportunity. It’s actually just a peephole of opportunity if you think about it.
Connecting the dots for your customers can look many ways. Here are some of them:
- Do you have a limit on how many times a call may be forwarded to a new person? If not, you should consider it. By the second person, if the answer is not, “absolutely, I can help you with that,” then the answer must be, “I don’t have that information, but I will find it for you.”
- Does your internet marketing send users to a landing page that makes sense? That is, if the user clicked a keyword purchase for Affordable Family Fun, the best landing page may not be the home page, but an internal page that delivers on those specific keywords.
- Do your e-mail blasts contain content-specific links? Much too often, I have received e-mail blasts that are one, big link to the sponsor’s home page. This requires that I hunt for the content that led me to click through to the Web site.
- Is there a clear, compelling call to action in your marketing? Unless your goal is image and awareness alone, be sure to give your audience step two.
Don’t frustrate your customers by leading them to dead ends. Connect the dots and make your content delivery as hassle-free as you can. Your customers will thank you by closing the sale.