Microsoft Small Business Resource

http://www.microsoft.com/smallbiz/communicate/target.htm (PC Press Internet CD, 03/1996)

Attract Customers Through Targeted Communications

Here You'll Find

Communicate With Anyone Instantly
Target Messages To Your Customers
Generate Your Own Publicity

Communicate With Anyone Instantly
For some communications tasks, nothing beats a telephone call. Other times, you just need to pass a piece of information on to someone. And in today's mobile world, it isn't always possible to get the person you need to speak with on the telephone. Sending an e-mail message or a fax may be the perfect answer for the busy small business owner or manager who's trying to keep pace in today's connected world.

Electronic mail and desktop fax let small businesses communicate with customers, suppliers and partners almost instantly at any time. Microsoft® Windows® 95 makes this easier than ever because it brings all your communications together in one place on your desktop.

TheMicrosoft Exchange Inbox universal information client is built into the Windows 95 operating system and gives users an easy-to-understand and use interface for e-mail as well as the ability to send and receive faxes independently or from applications such as Microsoft Word for Windows 95 or Microsoft Excel for Windows 95.

E-mail is no longer merely a tool for large businesses with in-house networks. Anyone anywhere can be connected to the world via e-mail by using public online services such as MSN(tm) (The Microsoft Network). The universal inbox means that all communications, e-mail or fax are consolidated in one place.

E-mail and fax let you get more work done faster and more conveniently from your desktop. And, they are among the most efficient forms of communications, something that's critical to small businesses where leveraging technology means getting the job done as simply and productively as possible.

Target Messages To Your Customers
Few tools are more powerful in today's sophisticated world of marketing than a well-maintained database. Simply put, this means the ability of a business to target its customers based on pre-established criteria. You can make special offers to your best customers. Or maybe you want to aim certain products or offers at customers who have unique demographics or purchasing patterns.

The use of a well-maintained customer database can be the answer. By taking the time to gather specific information about your customers, whether through questionnaires or telephone surveys, you can build an incredible marketing source. Sophisticated, yet easy to use databases such as Microsoft Access or even Microsoft Excel are all you need to start gathering and storing information.

Once you gather this information on your customer base, you can then create specific communications that target their potential buying habits. As we enter an era of one-to-one marketing, you can communicate with customers in special ways about products and offers. This is the sort of sophisticated marketing that once was available only to large corporations with mainframe computers and teams of computer experts.

The actual communications can take a number of forms, including e-mail, faxes, newsletters, direct mail, or letters. By using the mail merge capabilities of programs such as Microsoft Word, you can create a completely customized letter that takes into account the unique characteristics and buying habits of your target customers. The same practice can apply to e-mail messages, faxes and newsletters.

Tracking even a little information on your customers can pay off in big ways by allowing you to create communications that make them feel special and strengthen their relationship with your company.

Generate Your Own Publicity

Who said you have to be a public relations expert to generate visibility for your small business? Gaining positive mentions or press coverage is nothing more than providing the right information to the right person at the right time.

Start by identifying what's newsworthy - interesting or unique - about your business. Then determine where you'd gain the most advantage by having people read or hear about your company. Maybe it's not important for your business to have people read about it in the local newspaper, but it's very important to gain a mention in an industry trade or association publication. Determine who your ultimate audience is and then identify the publications or other communications vehicle that reach that audience.

Granted, this will take some work, but in the end it can be highly worthwhile. News coverage is viewed by the public as more credible than advertising and is definitely less expensive, even if you're paying an expert to assist you.

Create a list or database of the publications that are important to your business. Then identify the person or persons at those publications who seem to write the most articles about your business or industry. This could be the small business reporter at the local daily or business weekly or a specialty reporter at a trade publication. Next, inform them about what's happening at your company and keep them informed on a regular basis.

These communications can be in a number of forms, but it helps to find out what works best for the reporter or editor. It's probably not the telephone, however. Most will prefer some form of short, factual written piece though it doesn't need to be a formal news release. A well-written letter will work fine. Inform the reporter or editor about what's happening at your company - new hires, significant new business, changes in direction, partnerships. Use the Business Press Release template in the Small Business Pack for Microsoft Office to formulate your press releases easily and in a consistent format.

Use the form of communications that the reporter prefers, but most likely it'll be e-mail, fax, a letter or a news release. Provide the facts and a phone number for follow-up. That's all there is to it. You'll be amazed by how a regular routine of communicating news about your company to the right people in the right form can pay off in increased credibility and additional business.