Focusing the marketing strategy on occasional customers is a mistake frequently made by marketers. It looks attractive because there are lot of them. Be careful. It’s a fool’s errand. These customers are moderate and light users for reasons that your marketing strategy won’t change.
Step outside your bubble for a moment and consider what the category offers from their point of view. The elderly couple down the street buys fruit juice occasionally because that’s how often their grand kids visit – occasionally. Your marketing strategy won’t change this behavior. The female twenty something, who’s watching her weight, buys fast food occasionally when pressed for time, and as a guilty pleasure, but she has never done this more than once or twice a month and your marketing strategy won’t change this behavior. The farmer in Iowa will purchase a few bottles of wine for the occasional family get together. The farmer and all the other examples won’t change their behavior because of an ad campaign?
Best customers are probably significant contributors to volume. Dig deep into why and how they need and use what the category offers and focus your marketing strategy on them. Don’t throw a lot of fluffy image advertising at this group. They won’t be swayed. They know what they need and what products best satisfy this need. Give them tangible reasons why your solution is better.
Find your most loyal customers, the consumers for whom you satisfy the majority of their requirements, and protect this group by following the 5 relationship marketing principles. Determine the heavy category consumers who only use your product occasionally and give them some great reasons to try you more often.
Don’t focus your marketing strategy on occasional customers. You will be wasting your money and their time. And the message that’s appropriate for these customers may well confuse heavy users. You don’t want to do this. Companies with a disproportionate share of these key consumers are leading companies. Companies that focus on moderate and light users, with the misguided hope that marketing will change their behavior, aren’t.
Hip Shots
- Focus your marketing strategy on heavy category users. Understand why they’re that way and how they use what the category offers.
- Give heavy category users who are light and moderate users of your products tangible reasons why they should try you more often.
- Understand who your best customers are and treat them well. They are everybody else’s Prime Prospect. Follow the 5 relationship marketing principles.
- Look for moderate category users who are relatively loyal to your products and give them more reasons to use the category.
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