By Paul Schindel

The marketplace is like a parade of customers and prospects passing in front of your business. If your face isn’t in the window when they pass by, it’s like you don’t exist.

That’s why frequent messaging is mandatory for every brand.

Whether you’re selling something customers and prospects need once every few years, or on an constant basis, your communications must reach them at the times when they (not you) are in need. And it takes multiple exposures to your message to effectively convey the value of your offerings to the audience. Some say as few as three contacts, others say as many as nine.

There’s a good chance you can target your audience pretty accurately if you research category insights, think strategically, and use a data-driven approach. Social media targeting is extremely data-rich. Purchasing email and direct mail lists can be valuable if you can verify that they are extremely current. For vertical B-to-B categories and local/regional B-to-C brands, the online and print publications for your market can deliver strong impressions on your target audience; get their research and leverage it for your brand communications.

When the parade passes your window — and remember, that’s happening on a constant basis — hit your audience with messages that do three things:

  1. STOP THEM. Use strong words and visuals to inform them that something’s happening here and they should give you a few moments of their precious attention.
  2. REWARD THEM. Give them information they can use. “Here’s why …” “Did you know …” “Save more with …” Respect their time by delivering valuable knowledge in a fast way that’s easily-understood.
  3. DIRECT THEM. Tell them to click, call, visit, or whatever the appropriate action step may be. Make it easy for them to take the next step toward purchasing from you.

Then, repeat as necessary. Which, in most cases, means several times a week, for most weeks of the year. As long your audience perceives your messaging as informative, valuable, and not overbearing, they’ll stay with you. Keep your messages fresh, tell your story, build your community, and ask for the business.

Do that, and you’ll discover that everyone loves a parade.

Paul Schindel is President and Chief Creative Officer at Three Bears LLC in Princeton NJ – serving small business with a comprehensive array of marketing communications services. He can be reached at 609-688-1400 or Paul@ThreeBears.com. www.ThreeBears.com

Want to know more? Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this blog series.