A Salad Shop Spoils a Segmentation Opportunity

Have We Met Before?
The quick-service sandwich and salad restaurant near my office launched two new salads several weeks ago. I have ordered both new salads via the restaurant's online ordering system several times since the salads debuted. So why did I receive an email just yesterday that introduced me to their new salads? I've already met them — many times — and I like them a lot. The store should know this since my online ordering account uses my email address as my username and stores all of my previous orders.

I know exactly how this happened: The marketing team at this restaurant decided that it would be a good idea to announce to their customers the arrival of their new salads. So, they whipped up a nice email, gathered all of their email addresses, and clicked "send." Nobody stopped for a minute and asked, "but what if someone regularly orders our new salads? Shouldn't we send that person a different email?"

This restaurant should have sent me an email thanking me for ordering the new salads, inviting me to submit a testimonial about the salads for their website, and given me some salad coupons to share with my friends.

Data-Driven Segmentation
If businesses are going to collect information about their customers — even the most basic information like their first and last names — they must use it to their advantage. There's simply no excuse for sending marketing communications that aren't personalized or targeted based on demographic data or purchase behavior. Consumers are bombarded by hundreds of marketing messages a day. They need to feel that your company understands them and has a relationship with them. One way to do this through marketing communications is to use the data that you have about each customer to segment them in a way that makes your message to each group highly relevant and lets customers know that you are paying attention to them.

Add This To Your To-Do List
If you're not customizing your marketing messages, start simply -- just use a personalized greeting. Include the name of your customer in your emails and letters. If you work in a restaurant and don't know the first names of your regular customers, it's time to learn them and greet them by name. If you are able to collect more information about your customers, use it wisely. Based on what you know about your customers, about what would they be interested in hearing from you? Can you group customers by their purchase behavior or demographic information? Would men like a different message than women? Test different messages and see if you can improve your response rate. With just a little effort, you'll be well on your way to an advanced segmentation strategy.

There's never a lack of ideas.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Porta Potties: Hilarious Product Names

Image
I think the most entertaining product names in any one industry belong to the portable toilet industry. Porta potty names are hilarious! Here are eleven real portable toilet companies I found: The Honey Bucket Johnny on the Spot A Royal Flush Honey Do's Gotta Go Don John's Super Loo Pit Stop Pot-O-Gold Oui Oui (my favorite name) Floaters (slogan: "You Float 'm, We Tote 'm") See how much I love my readers? I researched porta potties for a long time to find these companies. You're welcome! Add This To Your To-Do List Am I right? Are porta potty names the most entertaining? Or is there another industry with even better names? It just goes to show you — sometimes the stinkier the industry, the better you'll stand out with a clever name. There's never a lack of ideas. PS If you're in the mood to see some hilarious slogans from septic tank businesses, check out this Reddit .
Read more

Only Old People Choose Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Image
Adapt or Die   Those who know me best often hear me proclaim my theory that only old people choose to eat butter pecan ice cream. Oh sure, some younger people enjoy its taste, but nobody under the age of 55 ever goes to the grocery store or Baskin Robins and buys butter pecan ice cream. The flavor is simply outdated. What does this mean for ice cream manufacturers? It means they should keep producing the flavor to satisfy current demand, but they had better create new flavors to adapt to changing tastes. That’s why they’ve created flavors like French silk and cookie dough — flavors that didn’t exist 15 years ago. In short, they adapt or die. Add This To Your To-Do List Have you taken a good look at your products or services lately? Are you still investing heavily in butter pecan ice cream and counting on it being your best seller for years to come? If so, you need to invest in innovation as quickly as possible. It could be as simple as offering new items on your menu, new servi
Read more

My TEDx Talk: Hey Marketers, Get Your Priorities Straight

Image
18 Minutes of Fame On April 12, 2013, I fulfilled a longtime goal: I gave a TEDx talk. I was honored to be one of six speakers at TEDx UofI Chicago. Everyone at the event was a pleasure to work with. It would be very difficult to add up all of the hours that went into preparing for my short, 18-minute talk. I think I practiced it enough to remember large parts of it for the rest of my life. I tried to bring my passion for the subject to the stage — along with a little humor and a little know-how. There's always room for improvement, but I think I did pretty well. I'd love to hear your thoughts. I must admit that I had so much fun doing the talk that I just may have to try and do another one someday. I guess we'll have to see if I have any more ideas worth spreading in the future. Add This To Your To-Do List Enjoy my talk! And let m e know what you th ought of it. There's never a lack of ideas.
Read more