As marketers, we strive for “the big idea.” Sometimes, those big ideas get executed, but unfortunately they are often lost at the local level or at that last connection – the part where the customer is about to make their purchase.  How, then, do great programs get executed by the local retailer, the local dealer, or the branch manager?

Here are some tips on how to connect big ideas at the local level: 

Know your customer: 
A brand’s customer can vary from country to country, city to city, and even from store to store. Knowing the profile of your customer on the local level is the first step in putting together a program that will work. A favored profiling system of The EGC Groups is Prizm NE. The basis of the system is its ability to segment your customer households into one of 66 different categories based on a wide variety of main characteristics—income, age and household composition, home ownership, employment,  education, race and ethnicity—as well as a host of secondary data points.EGC recently completed a profile of an international consumer electronics manufacturer’s customer base.  With the profiling system, the agency was able to help this company define what their customers look like on a dealer-by-dealer basis. The information led to targeted campaigns using unique programming and direct mail to speak to the different groups of customers. Knowing the detailed differences and needs of your prospective customers leads to better programs that can connect with them.

Use the right media: A good media team knows how to cost effectively target the customer that is most likely to buy your product or service. The days of mass campaigns that you can only hope will reach your customer are over. Today, there are targeted media opportunities that allow you to be certain that your prospect sees your message. Google TV, for example, is a system The EGC Group uses to buy national TV time and select characteristics such as age, gender, household income, and more. However, the advertiser only pays for the impressions delivered. In addition, online media allows the agency to reach prospects via social networking and by tracking the community sites they chat in.

Plan in-store promotions: In-store promotions and events are the key to activating brands locally. However, this component tends to be the most overlooked aspect of a marketing program. One example of this is a campaign the agency recently put together for a national optical retailer, which was based on the retailer’s "family" positioning.  In order to support the campaign and give 250+ franchisees a way to support it in their stores, the agency developed "Family Eye Care Month," where all stores celebrated with interactive POP, free vision screenings, trunk shows, and sales events. The promotion was a way that a local franchisee could activate the larger brand message in their stores.

Tracking: At the end of the day, a campaign needs to make the phones ring, drive traffic, and boost sales. As a fact-based marketing company, EGC can deliver reports that show you how campaigns are working at each individual store level. We can also analyze customer shopping behavior via post-shopping research. 

Want to get a big idea connected locally? Call 516-935-4944 today