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Marketing Continuing the Trend Toward the Internet
Record-breaking marketing dollars were spent in 2005 on on-line marketing methods such as web sites, banner ads, pop-ups, search engine submission/ management, advertising and the ever popular mass email marketing. Estimated revenues for 2005 are expected to exceed $120 billion dollars with totals by 2010 for on-line advertising budgets expected to be double the 2005 statistics. I hear more and more often from traditional telemarketing clients that they are turning their focus, and budgets, to on-line lead generation. This shift in spending concerns an all ready competitively tight call center market. It seems the internet is becoming another challenge to the call center space which already juggles legislation issues and mandates and increasing off-shore competition.
But I caution call centers from panicking just yet. Although some forms of internet marketing are effective in certain vertical spaces, there is a limit to active on-line uses for prospecting just as there are to call centers with DNC boundaries. Also, SPAM legislation may prove to be the start of a string of legislation, similar as DNC did with call centers.
Any one else see the parallels of the unregulated 1990’s when call centers and their large corporate clients called targeted lists as frequently as once a month? It was done under the observation of effectiveness. The return on investment (ROI) for the clients was strong, or they would not have invested into the medium. And the revenue for the call centers was strong or they surely would have logically regulated against what could only be an eventual consumer movement to put an end to the intrusion.
I’m proud of the call center space who today, for the most part, is learning to comply with a consumer and political mandates for responsible and targeted phone usage. Clearly, SPAM email is just the next generation of non-targeted, ineffective, intrusive mass marketing techniques. And although enforcement of initial SPAM laws seems clearly inadequate today, I believe consumers will eventually cry out “ENOUGH” and dramatically decrease its effectiveness.
Today the number of telemarketing calls I get at home has decreased dramatically. And, as a good industry loyalist, I am on no DNC lists. On the other hand, in the last nine months I have received an average of almost 100 SPAM emails a day! I find that completely ridiculous and irresponsible! I can only hope it is a short-lived method reserved for those that want to isolate their entire prospect base.
While targeted mass email marketing promises cheap deployment and as of yet, effective results, I prefer to stay on the side of the tried and true, finally matured call center industry. No technology will ever replace the human interaction and the targeted and personal approach an effective outbound or inbound call center application can bring.
I am by no means suggesting that business stop exploring effective email marketing as part of their over all marketing plan. We have only just realized the tip of the iceberg of on-line marketing tools and methods.
My own marketing mantra is one of integrated marketing: a multi-touch approach to effectively growing market share and revenue. After all, hasn’t it always been true that the integrated marketing plans that incorporate just the right amount of multiple mediums with a consistent method (email, phone, direct mail, advertising, etc) bring the best long-term vision of customer satisfaction, new business, loyalty and effectiveness? It’s an investment into something that that takes more thought then blasting out 1 million emails a day.
Christa Heibel is the CEO of CH Consulting, LLC. Still in her early thirties, Christa is regarded as an expert in the field of integrated marketing campaigns as well as effectively using technology for supporting sales and marketing efforts.
An accomplished speaker, writer and sales trainer, Christa is looking forward to leading her company into continued growth over the next few years. She continues her commitment to staying active in the political arena, and plans to expand CH Consulting to actively managing telemarketing and other outreach campaigns for public officials.
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