In Marketing, Zig When Everyone Else Zags

You are hyper-focused on your business and to some extent, what your competitors are doing. This is a good thing.  While staying abreast of new trends and tactics is certainly beneficial, don’t overlook opportunities to zig when everyone else zags.

Here’s an example:  Everyone knows that a lot of people are still working at home.  This means they are typically getting much more “screen time”.  The masses (your competitors) quickly realize this and push a large amount of email and digital marketing items to their targets.  This is the “zag”

So what is the “zig”?

These targets are already facing fatigue for the thousands of emails they receive each week.  Some are beginning to tune out retargeted digital ads and can even begin to view them as intrusive.  How can you capitalize?  Our clients have had great success with direct contact programs to stay in front of customers and non-customers alike.

For customer contact, we have developed fulfillment programs that send a dimensional item on a set schedule (once per quarter etc) to their established customer lists.

Benefits:

• Gives them a break from the relentless digital messages being pounded into their heads.
• The customer feels important when they receive a box or package in the mail.
• A program like this gives them an “in” to follow up with customers that they may not have communicated with in some time – twice.
  
  • In the beginning, when planning, sales teams can contact these customers to confirm mailing addresses and tease that there is a package coming their way from your company.
  • Then later, they are justified in following up with those customers to confirm they received it.

For non-customers, the “zig” is to revisit flat direct mail pieces.  Obviously you wouldn’t send a gift items to an unlimited number of “prospects” initially, but you can still stand out with direct mail.  Why?  Because your competition is in their inbox, not their mailbox.    

Keep in mind, digital tactics should still be in your mix.  But maybe, just maybe there is an opportunity somewhere to “zig” when everyone else “zags” that will set you apart.