Target Marketing A Case Study in Identifying Your Best Prospects Talking Directly to Them and Sealing the Deal
Target Marketing A Case Study in Identifying Your Best Prospects Talking Directly to Them and Sealing the Deal
There was a great lesson to be learned for small business marketers in this story.
Year 1 - A Miserable Failure
The Links at Shirley in Shirley, New York opened its Junior Golf Academy last year. The golf course had used local advertising and community outreach events to try and sign up new students. Unfortunately, it could only muster up only 10 students.
Year 2 - A Shining Success
In the following year, The Links at Shirley decided to hire a professional marketing firm to help them. This year, the Junior Golf Academy is on track to sign up more than 100 students. Each student represents $400 in revenue and when you throw in referrals and renewals, that figure goes up to well over $1,000 per student.
How They Did It...
The Links at Shirley simply sent out postcards to a targeted list of potential prospects. The postcard was mailed to 4,500 homes near the golf course. They rented a list of people who had a demonstrated interest in golf. They made sure the list included families that...
1. Had at least one golf enthusiast.
2. Had at least one child who was in the age group that he academy catered to.
3. Lived within a 25 mile radius of the golf course.
4. People who lived in zip codes where affluent people lived (within the 25 mile radius).
5. Had an average annual income above $60,000 (golf is not a cheap sport).
In addition, they mailed the postcards in late April, which is the prime season for getting parents to sign their kids up into summer programs. The postcard itself wasn't very flashy. It had a picture of a golf instructor watching a young golfer make a putt. It had another photo of a group of young golfers walking down the golf course and the headline read, "Junior Golf Academy."
The postcard talked about having a very high instructor to student ratio and that it would include semi-private lessons. The offer included a discount for responding by a certain date.
The Marketing Lesson Learned
In year one all they did was brand advertising and some outreach activities. Basically, they "sprayed and prayed." In year two, they got smart and engaged in target marketing. They found a list of prospects that matched the perfect profile for a family that had a very high probability of enrolling.
The response was excellent -- even with a mediocre postcard. This proves that a good offer sent to the right person at the right time can produce outstanding results.
Questions You Should Be Asking Yourself
The following are a few questions to help you evaluate your own marketing activities.
1. Do you know the profile of your perfect prospect?
2. Do you know where to get lists of your prospects?
3. Are you actively targeting those prospects with direct offers?
4. Are you measuring your results so that you can intelligently allocate your marketing dollars?
The Links at Shirley is just another small business. If they can target their market and get outstanding results -- so can you!
Target Marketing A Case Study in Identifying Your Best Prospects Talking Directly to Them and Sealing the Deal - To learn more about this author, visit David Frey's Website.
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The other day I was reading the DM News magazine and it profiled a golf course that was trying to sign up local youth into its golf academy.
There was a great lesson to be learned for small business marketers in this story.
Year 1 - A Miserable Failure
The Links at Shirley in Shirley, New York opened its Junior Golf Academy last year. The golf course had used local advertising and community outreach events to try and sign up new students. Unfortunately, it could only muster up only 10 students.
Year 2 - A Shining Success
In the following year, The Links at Shirley decided to hire a professional marketing firm to help them. This year, the Junior Golf Academy is on track to sign up more than 100 students. Each student represents $400 in revenue and when you throw in referrals and renewals, that figure goes up to well over $1,000 per student.
How They Did It...
The Links at Shirley simply sent out postcards to a targeted list of potential prospects. The postcard was mailed to 4,500 homes near the golf course. They rented a list of people who had a demonstrated interest in golf. They made sure the list included families that...
1. Had at least one golf enthusiast.
2. Had at least one child who was in the age group that he academy catered to.
3. Lived within a 25 mile radius of the golf course.
4. People who lived in zip codes where affluent people lived (within the 25 mile radius).
5. Had an average annual income above $60,000 (golf is not a cheap sport).
In addition, they mailed the postcards in late April, which is the prime season for getting parents to sign their kids up into summer programs. The postcard itself wasn't very flashy. It had a picture of a golf instructor watching a young golfer make a putt. It had another photo of a group of young golfers walking down the golf course and the headline read, "Junior Golf Academy."
The postcard talked about having a very high instructor to student ratio and that it would include semi-private lessons. The offer included a discount for responding by a certain date.
The Marketing Lesson Learned
In year one all they did was brand advertising and some outreach activities. Basically, they "sprayed and prayed." In year two, they got smart and engaged in target marketing. They found a list of prospects that matched the perfect profile for a family that had a very high probability of enrolling.
The response was excellent -- even with a mediocre postcard. This proves that a good offer sent to the right person at the right time can produce outstanding results.
Questions You Should Be Asking Yourself
The following are a few questions to help you evaluate your own marketing activities.
1. Do you know the profile of your perfect prospect?
2. Do you know where to get lists of your prospects?
3. Are you actively targeting those prospects with direct offers?
4. Are you measuring your results so that you can intelligently allocate your marketing dollars?
The Links at Shirley is just another small business. If they can target their market and get outstanding results -- so can you!
Target Marketing A Case Study in Identifying Your Best Prospects Talking Directly to Them and Sealing the Deal - To learn more about this author, visit David Frey's Website.
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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For an online Car Loan Calculator and finance for a cheap car loan. Get approved on car loans or car finance in Australia with cheap bank car loans and finding a car finance broker. Commercial car loans including business car finance and car lease. Car Loan Calculator has information on finance companies and getting the right cheap car loan from banks at best car loan rates and a online car loan calculator for all finance in Australia. Get the best car finance with our help at Car Loan Calculator and Finance Ezi. - Visit Richard Jefferies's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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