Are dimensional mailings the best way to break through to B2B decision makers? How do you get by the gatekeeper? These are common questions that marketers consider when considering how to best reach business-to-business decision makers. We’ve compiled 6 proven techniques for getting through to business-to-business gatekeepers and getting the attention of this critical segment.
1. Make it about them.
Over the last year, J&C has conducted several communication preference research studies. And we have universally found that customers prefer and have come to expect personalized communications.
In today’s world, there is a device at the end of our fingertips continuously, and as a result people are inundated with communications. This is especially true throughout the work day and in a business-to-business setting. Personally, I am almost embarrassed to admit how many emails I currently have in my inbox.
The reality is business-to-business decision makers are constantly wondering whether or not every email, phone call or direct mail contact is worth their time. Will this really help their business, or are there better avenues to consider?
Business-to-business decision makers exemplify the idea that if it doesn’t speak to them and their business, you’ll probably lose their attention quickly. Relevancy is a key strategy to improving your chances of getting business-to-business decision makers’ attention and driving them to action.
Make the communications about them. Leverage information and behavior to tailor the messaging and increase relevancy. Create variable fields that help the communications get even more specific.
Personalized URLs (PURLs) are another effective strategy at delivering personalized and customized information. PURLs can be particularly powerful in direct mail communications. PURLs play on a critical human curiosity, “What is on this page that they know about my business?” PURLs are a proven mechanism to increase engagement with the page and get users to the next step, ultimately increasing conversions.
2. Get through the gatekeeper.
One of the fundamental challenges of business-to-business decision makers is getting your message through the gatekeeper and into the hands of a decision maker. Sometimes the gatekeeper is a human, and sometimes the gatekeeper can be an overfilled inbox.
In business-to-business direct mail, we almost always recommend utilizing an oversized format.
Oversized direct mail formats include dimensional mailings, #11 envelopes, 9x12 envelopes and 6x9 mailings that are non-promotionally designed (see examples below).
The key to oversized direct mail is to look important enough to get past the gatekeeper, or get through the initial “sort test.” The “sort test” is of course the human behavior most readers go through when determining which mail they are going to read and which they classify as “junk” (cringe).
3. Give them an offer that they can’t refuse (but make it believable) and…
4. Give them a date to act by.
One of the core principles of direct marketing is provide a reason to act NOW. Many business-to-business marketers are not fully leveraging offers or incentives, which are a proven technique to increase response. Sending out general messages that don’t provide a reason to act now subliminally give decision makers a reason to deprioritize whatever you sent them. Utilizing offers that are time-sensitive and providing reasons to act now can drive response and deliver marketing channel effectiveness.
If your company is sending out email or direct mail that doesn’t include a specific offer and an expiration date, it is likely that your communications aren’t fully optimized. Human nature is to put off things that don’t have a definitive deadline. You can probably think of many examples in which someone procrastinated about the delivery of an item because they weren’t given a definitive deadline. That is the power of the expiration date—simple, but effective. Offers and incentives are one of the most critical levers that can impact click-through and conversion rates in email or response in direct mail.
5. Give them a solution to their problem.
According to MarketingSherpa, a whopping 68% of business-to-business organizations have not identified their funnel. That is an astounding revelation, considering that most leads aren’t ready to buy the first time they land on your website.
Content and inbound marketing provide a mechanism to be in the right place at right time. As business-to-business decision makers are looking for information, content marketing delivers solutions packaged in a customer-driven way.
Business-to-business decision makers often prefer having an opportunity to do their homework independently. Content marketing provides an opportunity for them to learn about your products and services, without the hard sell.
6. Give them a chance to learn more, on their terms
It’s important to realize that most channels seldom work as a stand-alone medium. For example, 2 out 3 people who receive direct mail make a purchase or also engage in a different marketing channel. This demonstrates the power that tactics like email and direct mail typically can play as part of a larger integrated strategy.
Most business-to-business decision-makers prefer to have an opportunity to do their homework before talking to a sales person. That makes integration with landing pages a must. Ensure your landing pages continue and expand on the storyline that you started in the outbound communications of email and direct mail.
Breaking through to business-to-business decision makers isn’t always easy. This article provides 6 techniques to getting business-to-business decision makers attention.
Topics: CMO
