Clear, Important, Credible, Differentiating, Engaging & Memorable Message Communication.
Sales changes are a poor barometer for whether customer or employee communication is working. But several measurable factors can determine whether you are effectively communicating messages important to potential customers . . . and, if not, why not.
The most successful merchants in creating an effective Value appeal have developed a clear, important, credible, differentiating, engaging & memorable message known and understood by at least 40% of the targeted shoppers in their trade areas. This communication is consistently carried through their broad-based advertising from television to In-Store signage and support.
KEY QUESTIONS: Several of the best Value merchants regularly assess which specific communication factors need to be strengthened to better communicate Value from creative content to the entire communication plan. This is being done by all types of businesses…large and small.
The Measurable Diagnostic Attributes That Drive Communication Success:
- Awareness: Is the name recognized in the trade area for the business?
- Recall: What does the target customer remember?
- Engagement/Stopping Power: Do you engage the customer and provide a “wow” factor?
- Understanding: Is the communication easily absorbed by the consumer (KISS)?
- Memorability: Can the consumer remember what has ben said…positively?
- Believability: Is there “trust in what has been communicated?
- Impact on Shopping Behavior: Does the message generate consumer response?
Remember, shoppers are not the only key communication target for Value businesses. These messages are also understood, believed and supported by a majority of associates who come into contact with customers. Employees play a huge role in communicating value to shoppers. If your employees don’t believe in your Value proposition claims, consumers won’t either. The best businesses communicate effectively with their teams to insure that their value message is being supported. And it should be much easier and cheaper to convince your employees than shoppers.
For the retailer…Are your other employees – store associates in particular – aware of your goals & how they can better contribute to and reinforce them? How are they helping your stores communicate your Value Message to shoppers? All to often a business ignores the obvious, and history has shown that the employee is near the top of the list. Knowing the many dimensions of value is a vital part of communications with today’s consumer.
The guidelines are basic, but the importance of building a positive Value statement cannot be ignored in today’s economic environment.
ESA Graph of the Week
On a more nuts-and-bolts level, it’s amazing how often a business puts an offer on the air and doesn’t keep its employees informed about what’s being advertised.
Over the years, I’ve seen featured product not displayed, counter help who couldn’t answer simple questions about the sale, and call-center leads that were ignored for days.
In one memorable (to me, anyway) instance, I set up an ice cream promotion at a car dealership. The dealership was on a street full of competitors; the store was offering a free gallon of ice cream to anyone who took a test drive.
The idea here was that if someone was going up and down the block looking at cars, this store would be the last one the customers visited — they would have to go home and put the ice cream in the freezer.
I had a freezer delivered to the dealership. On the afternoon before the ad was scheduled to launch, I found out that nobody at the dealership had gone to get the ice cream, so I did that for them.
At the end of the weekend, only two gallons of ice cream had been given out. There had been lots of test drives, but the sales managers hadn’t explained the promotion to the salespeople, and the freezer had been hidden in a storeroom.
Since then, I’ve made a point of offering to attend sales meetings and play upcoming commercials for the staff.
good piece…makes sense to forward this to the station’s client base, in an email or letter from the station GM