Lessons in Pull Marketing from Weekend Edition
Posted by Dan Ronken
Today, I happened to catch a great example of pull marketing by NPR's Weekend Edition. They are successfully using their Facebook Page as a medium to engage with their loyal audience and offered a most recent social media report which explains why it's working well--this is true pull marketing. I'd like to offer a few quotes from the article.
"For the past year, we have been experimenting and tearing down traditional barriers and building new virtual platforms. We have enjoyed having a more personalized experience with you."
Although NPR is not responsible for 'tearing down traditional barriers,' they are reacting to market forces that drives a demolition team demanding more transparency. The future of marketing will involve a more personalized experience with your audience, be it from a news radio program, or simply because you are a customer of wire mesh fence company. The key is to keep the content interesting so your visitors will have a reason for coming back.
"We now know that radio alone is not enough - we need to continue fostering the new media paradigm."
It's natural for us humans to have a fear of the unknown. We cannot predict the future. Regardless of which social media software is used (currently Facebook leads the way with 350,000,000 registered users), businesses must start to experiment with new communication tools that allow for their fans, customers, and potential customers to see what the heck the company is up to in 'real time' data. As a business owner, you need to build up a presence online even if it's simply to learn a quick trick to link your Facebook Business Page from your profile.
"And we learned that over time, the longer listeners follow Weekend Edition on Facebook and/or Twitter, the more positive their opinions of the show (Weekend Saturday and Sunday) and NPR become and they listen more."
If you're a business owner, and you substitute the word 'listeners' with 'customers,' you'll understand the power you have at your disposal to continue to reinforce a positive brand experience. Not only will they help your marketing efforts by having a presence on your pages, but your company will be on the forefront of your customer's mind when they are in the market to make a purchase.
Lessons: Adapt and become closer to your customers. Don't be afraid to experiment. Retain customers and gain new ones by continuously proving your business cares and is willing to take time to listen.