Rented Space

In this day and age, it seems oh so exciting as there are so many marketing channels that appear to be “free”. Social Media has changed the face of marketing for many companies, particularly those which are retail and lifestyle based. A photo with over 200 likes on Instagram? Big tick!

Now, not to be a party pooper – because social media is valuable and is a great support mechanism for your other marketing activities – but have you ever considered what would happen if Facebook decided to shut its doors tomorrow? If Mark Zuckerberg finally decided he’d had enough and deleted the whole medium, never to be seen again?

Your brand would have no audience and your product or service would have little value left.

This brings me to a very important piece of advice that all businesses, no matter how large or small, should put time and effort into. Perhaps it’s the most valuable thing you can do: building a database.

At Jack in the box, you will often hear us say, “He who has the biggest database, wins”. Why? Because you have a group of people who have already engaged with your organisation, understand the offerings and are likely to have purchased from you before. This takes all the sweat, tears and hard work out of having to tell these customers who you are and educate them about your product or service, because they already know and are already sold.

If you’re a small business, collecting first and last names, in addition to an email address and mobile number is a great start. This allows you to engage in cost-effective marketing channels such as EDM’s (Electronic Direct Mail or eNewsletters) and SMS Marketing (let me know if you need some stats – it will surprise you at how effective SMS is!)

Once you start marketing to this database, you can segment them into the products they’re interested in to avoid sending them unnecessary information. Have you ever had a personalised email from Coles which happens to promote just the groceries you like? I rest my case. To Coles, their database is as valuable as current gold prices.

There’s no better time to start building a database you actually own. Jump in today and start collecting information. If you would like ideas as to the best, non-invasive ways to do this, come in for a confidential chat.

Don’t rely on rented space any longer – own your own database and use it to your advantage!