Make Sure Your Communications are Relevant

posted by Ted on November 6, 2011

Worrying about the relevance of your communications? You should! Relevance is crucial in all forms of online and offline communications. And it has nothing to do with your company. It has everything to do with your customer, the content of your communications and individualization.

The question you should always ask yourself is: ‘is this relevant for the people I try to reach?’.

Without a relevant story there is no word of mouth or viral affect. Without relevant content that is targeted to the recipient of your email newsletter people will unsubscribe. Without relevant content on your website it won’t gain repeat visitors. Without relevant content no one will read your printed postal mail. Shall we continue?

But why should you worry?

Because we see that often relevance does not receive the attention it should. But also because it is a proven fact as we read in the results of a poll by CMO Council and InfoPrint Solutions Company. According to the poll – and as you probably know – consumers are taking control of in-bound communication channels, unsubscribing to irrelevant email, and defecting from brands that continue to deliver irrelevant content and random mass mailings.

The report found that, while 64 percent of consumers say promotional offers dominate both the email and traditional mail they receive, only 41 percent view these as must-read communications. Of the 91 percent of consumers who opt out or unsubscribe to emails, 46 percent are driven to brand defection because the messages are simply not relevant.

The threat of customer churn and disconnection intensifies as 41 percent of consumers say they would consider ending a brand relationship due to irrelevant promotions, and an additional 22 percent say they would definitely defect from the brand.

Yet, while marketers continue to weigh the pros and cons of email versus printed postal mail, consumers are much more concerned about the level of individualization and understanding of their needs and relationship with the brand.

Tags:business,communication,effective marketing,marketing,marketing tips,targeted marketing