Getting the List Wrong: A Lesson in Targeting

A few days ago, I pulled a postcard out of my mailbox. It was one of those Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) pieces—you know, the ones that get sent to every household in a specific area.

This one had a bold headline promising a high-tech way to fertilize my fields... by drone.

There was just one problem.

I don’t have any fields.

I live in a residential neighborhood. And while there are open fields in the general area, the people who own that land don’t live here.

This was a classic case of getting the list wrong.

In direct marketing, we talk about the 40/40/20 rule—40% of your success comes from your audience, 40% from your offer, and 20% from your creative. No matter how compelling the offer or eye-catching the design, if you're speaking to the wrong people, you’re wasting time and money.

Yes, EDDM is affordable. But if your message lands in the wrong hands, it’s just another piece of junk mail.

There are better ways to find and reach your ideal audience. One tool I often use for clients is SparkToro, which helps uncover where your audience spends time online, so you can reach them more effectively.

I’ve linked to an article about it below, but if you want to shortcut the process, reach out to yours truly. 😀 

Bill

913.962.9261

How to Find and Reach Your Audience Using Data

In this article (and podcast), Rand Fishkin of SparkToro explains how to leverage the power of data to find and reach your target audiences. P.S. - I’ve been a big fan and user of SparkToro for a couple of years now - highly recommend it. Link →

Can LinkedIn Talk to Your CRM?

LinkedIn’s Conversions API lets many popular CRMs send and receive data to help measure the performance of your LinkedIn ad campaigns. You can learn more and see if your CRM is on the list here. Link →

Scheduling DMs on Instagram

Instagram announced several new features related to messaging this week. Updates include message translations, music sharing, scheduled messages, pinned content, and group chat QR codes for connecting with people over DMs. Link →

AI Adoption Playbook

Feeling overwhelmed by the onslaught of AI tools and advice? Hubspot’s Adoption Playbook for Business Leaders may help. You can grab a free copy here. Link →

And this…

Polka dots have a weird past. Read on… Link →

Featured Picks

📚️ Featured Book - Huckleberry Finn

This week, Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn celebrated its 140th birthday. This version on Amazon features the first edition cover. Link →

🛠️ Featured Tool - Napkin.AI

Napkin turns your text into visuals. It’s a handy tool for creating info graphics, presentation decks, and marketing materials.effective Link →

📷️ Featured Image - Blackbird SR-71

Got to do a little local sightseeing with visiting family yesterday.

Like this newsletter?

Let me know. Just hit reply (I read every reply), I’d love to know what you think.

Thanks for reading.

Bill

913.962.9261

P.S. Whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways I can help you grow your business.

1) Connect with me on LinkedIn

I'm on LinkedIn primarily to grow and support my network. Connect with me and let me know who makes a good connection for you.

2) Get a Second Pair of Eyes

If you have a piece of copy (email, ad, webpage, etc.) that isn’t performing as well as you’d like, I can help. To learn more, reply with “Improve It.”

3) Work with me One-on-One

Want to work with me to build out the assets in your Core 4 Sales & Marketing Toolkit? Just reply, “Let’s Talk,” and I’ll send you the details.