Consumers Actually Love Pro-Active Marketing, if it’s Done Right

Consumer expectation has never been higher. Cross-channel interactions have enabled the public to engage directly with businesses, and if they don’t like what they see, they will look elsewhere very quickly. 

Such a wide array of choices has changed consumer attitudes to the way information is received. With targeted digital marketing and mobile marketing tactics, companies can take a pro-active approach to advertising - and people are actually happy about it. 

According to a 2013 survey from Harris Interactive, 87% of American adults want to be contacted about the products or services offered by an organization. The same percentage of respondents to a Frost & Sullivan report said they had a positive image of companies who made follow-up calls after initial contact. 

What does this mean for companies who, traditionally, have avoided pro-active marketing strategies? It would be jarring and counterproductive if they suddenly began calling all their customers in an attempt to be ‘pro-active.’ Businesses must transition gradually, adopting a blended approach, and training staff who are used to providing reactive service. 

Once that element of pro-active marketing has been introduced, the benefits to the customer follow closely behind. Technologies like cloud call center are allowing businesses accustomed to reactive marketing to adapt to pro-active marketing methods. Outbound dialers, automated voice messages and SMS messaging allow businesses to reach out to consumers in a no-pressure, respond-at-leisure manner.

As powerful as these tools are, they need to be wielded in the right way to ensure pro-active marketing does it’s thing. A major issue uncovered by the Harris Interactive research is the delays and pauses inherent to most outbound dialing solutions. Half the respondents said their reaction when answering an unfamiliar number to a delay is to just hang up. If the pause could be eliminated, 55% said they would be more receptive to the information they’re given. 

Voice broadcasting technology is now being used across a wide spectrum of industries. An unfamiliar caller is no longer necessarily taken to be an irritant. Banks, for example, use automated messages to alert customers to potentially fraudulent activity on their account. The ‘opt-in’ culture of modern mobile marketing has done away with indiscriminate auto dialers working through lists of numbers obtained without the recipient’s consent. This has naturally made consumers more receptive to the idea of being contacted by businesses.

As long as your message is offering something of value to the customer, and they have at some stage consented to be contacted, pro-active marketing is an effective way to grow your businesses. With 62% of people taking action after a positive incoming call, pro-active outreach as part of your overall strategy is well worth the investment.