Quick question - how much of your marketing material is wasted?
For clarity, I'm not referring to whether the reciprient reads (or even receives) it, or whether it is effective at a campaign level - I'm actually referring to the millions of brochures, pens, keyrings and even business cards that sit in a cupboard only to be binned when they are deemed out of date. Think about it - every single item that goes in the bin is actually a wasted opportunity and no-one will call you because you have a drawer full of keyrings.
I doubt even the most precise marketeer on here would have 100% control of their stocks of marketing materials, so everything left after the campaign sits in the cupboard - sort of 'saving it for best'.
Just to put this in perspective - instead of putting a box of brochures in a bin, what about if you simply spread them around the carriages of your morning train, or around the pubs in the town centre? What are the odds of someone picking one up and being interested (perhaps not today, but perhaps next year)? I've no idea - one in a thousand? OK, not terribly responsible but not bad odds for free marketing really.
A little story - this sounds unbelievable but I can assure you it is true (It can even be verified). One day, several years ago I had arranged to meet a girlfriend in central London after work. She was notoriously late but I, the consumate gent, felt I should arrive on time and be close to the arranged meeting place. To fill my time (and not be drunk when she arrived) I walked around offices stuffing brochures through doors. Several months later we received a phone call - it was from the managing agent of an office - it went something like this 'I've picked up your leaflet from one of our premises which is unoccupied. Funnily enough I was talking to another tenant who is actually looking to lease some equipment, should I put you in touch with them?'
Cut to the chase - this went on to be our first £1 million transaction and was for several years our largest client. Because I stuffed a brochure through the door of an empty office.
So, simple message - go to your stationery cupboard, pull out any marketing material - and do something with it!
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