Q: My
business repairs Lexus, Mercedes, BMW and Land Rover cars. I have
been using direct mail for five years and want to cross over to
cable. What networks, times slots and frequency should I buy so
that I can reach my audience?
A: You
might think that drivers of Lexus, Mercedes, BMW and Land Rover
automobiles can be successfully targeted through a careful
selection of cable networks and time slots. However, this isn't
really the case. Much like ZIP code-targeted direct mail and
location-specific billboards, zoned cable is wonderful for
targeting a specific geographic area, but psychographic targeting
through channel selection is mostly an overrated myth.
How many different channels do you watch in a week? Which one
"targets" you? Likewise, how would you categorize a
person who owns these three vehicles: a new Mercedes sedan, a
late-model Dodge pickup and an old Corvette? Is he a refined
Mercedes customer, a green-teeth pickup driver or a romantic who
lives in the past? Believe it or not, this is not a hypothetical
example--I speak of a real person. My point is, your customers are
much more complex than you might have realized.
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The idea of targeting a certain type of car buyer through mass
media is largely a pipe dream perpetuated by sales reps who want
you to believe they have an efficient and cost-effective way of
reaching your perfect customer. Generally speaking, mass media (TV,
cable, radio and newspaper) should be used for building a
reputation since they'll reach not only your customers, but
also those people who influence your customers. The truth is,
decisions are rarely made in a vacuum, but emerge far more often
from word-of-mouth recommendations that come from friends,
neighbors, co-workers and family members whom you reached with a
memorable message. Unless you can get a printout from the DMV that
lists everyone who has registered a Lexus, Mercedes, BMW or Land
Rover, I'd suggest against trying to target through mass media.
Concentrate instead on creating a powerful message that will be
remembered by everyone who hears it. I've never seen a business
fail due to reaching the wrong people, but I've seen hundreds
fail because they were saying the wrong thing.
Having set aside mass media, is there a way to target customers
who live in your town, drive the cars you prefer to repair and are
currently in need of your service? Actually, there is. Allow me to
share the story of Russell Taylor, a real-life example of how our
society is quietly going digital. Taylor is a university-degreed
geographer, a husband and a homeowner:
"I can't believe that a city the size of Austin
doesn't have a carpet-cleaning company or a lawn-care
service," he said to his mother one day.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I just spent 30 minutes on the Internet trying to find a
carpet-cleaning company," Taylor replied. "Evidently,
Austin doesn't have one."
Russell's mother, who's from a different generation--one
that doesn't immediately think of searching the Internet when
they have questions about a product or service--reached inside her
kitchen cabinet and quietly handed her son a telephone book.
"I think this might solve your problem."
Staring at it, Russell replied, "Gee, that never crossed my
mind."
The Internet is no longer a new and strange phenomenon. America
has grown accustomed to it, and we're turning to it for
information with increasing regularity. According to Google.com,
more than 55 billion searches were conducted on their search engine
alone last year, and nearly 80 million searches of a commercial
nature are conducted each day. That's a number equal to about
one-third of the total U.S. population. And that's per
day. Your customers are among those conducting commercial
searches. Is your information online for them to find?
My advice: Buy mass media--radio from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and/or
cable from 7 p.m. to midnight--to reach the baby boomers. And use
dirt-cheap, pay-per-click Internet ads tied to specific keyword
strings (such as "Lexus repair Austin") to reach the Gen
X customer who's using the Internet like a phonebook. As time
passes, you'll see your Internet ads begin to outperform the
much more expensive traditional media because, day after day,
boomers get older and the Xers become a little more in charge of
America. Remember, those Xers are already 27 to 38 years old.
Good luck!
Nicknamed "the Wizard of Ads" by an early client,
Roy H.
Williams and his staff have often been the unseen, pivotal
force in amazing come-from-behind victories in the worlds of
business, politics, and finance. Williams is the author of The Wizard of Ads, Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads, Magical Worlds of the Wizard of Ads, Accidental Magicand Free the Beagle.
The opinions expressed in this column are those
of the author, not of Entrepreneur.com. All answers are intended to
be general in nature, without regard to specific geographical areas
or circumstances, and should only be relied upon after consulting
an appropriate expert, such as an attorney or
accountant.