Julie received e-mails, postcards, letters, faxes, and phone calls from us over a five-year period of time. What were we telling her? Buy our product? Give us your money? No. She received our technical e-mail newsletter, which is primarily targeted to clients. The newsletter has about a dozen tips for using our products more efficiently. It’s purely informational. Our other communications to her were in the same vein. Julie knew on her own she could significantly improve her sales and marketing database, but she wasn’t quite sure of the specifics. The purpose of our drip marketing materials was to educate her, not jam a sales request down her throat.
Your prospective foxes, intelligent as they are, will not know all that they really should know before they buy your product. Unlike their corporate counterparts, they’re not going to have the kind of resources at their disposal to do the necessary research prior to making a decision. Big companies can take it upon themselves to get the education they need. Mom-and-pops will rely on you to educate them. Make sure your marketing campaign educates the fox. Provide useful information, not commercials. Include white papers, case studies, customer references, outside reading materials, videos, and Web conferences along with your standard product literature. But don’t forget to Keep It Short and Simple! You want your fox to be a smarter fox who knows what they’re buying. This will make a happier and more trusting customer, and it will help minimize your product returns.