Companies are increasingly sophisticated with their direct marketing. Personalised letters and emails arrive, the contents of which are often tailored based on some sort of segmentation. Then the message is ruined as someone you’ve never heard of, with a job title like ‘Head of Acquisition Marketing’ or ‘Senior Customer Retention Manager’, signs it off.
Now, these people are senior marketers within their organisations. They’ve worked hard, they’ve helped to create an advanced direct marketing programme. Why then, do they undermine their sophisticated marketing structure by signing it off themselves? Why not the ‘Head of Customer Service’ or someone else who’s actually customer facing?
No one wants to be marketed to, still less do they wish to be acquired. So build the systems, develop the segments, come up with really creative content, but then take a step back. Stand in the background and let client facing people step to the front. You’ll acquire more customers from the shadows.