BUSINESS INSIGHT: MARKETING


resurgence. Consumers are picking up neglected renovation projects, creating home offices or even buying new properties. As they cope with this increased demand, home improvement businesses must continue to keep a finger on the pulse and anticipate upcoming trends in their customer base. Marketing budgets must be used intelligently to ensure that new and emerging opportunities


W are


maximised. As circumstances continue


to evolve, the support of expert marketing agencies and service providers is invaluable to remain agile and adapt to new requirements. However, businesses must be discerning when selecting their partners. To build a picture of what an ‘ideal’ marketing services partner looks like, we aggregated recent intelligence from our wide client base at Go Inspire Group, encapsulating the qualities UK businesses are looking for. Based on these findings, we’ve


put


together eight strategic questions companies should be asking when reviewing their suppliers or appraising potential new partners to help navigate these unusual times...


Can the partner identify emerging behavioural segments? Customers are shopping differently, and businesses need to know if their existing customers have changed habits, who their best customers are, and how to hold on to valuable new customers in the long-term. A savvy marketing partner makes smart use of customer data, and will help to identify and understand new customer segments. Without this knowledge, businesses will be in the dark when customer needs change, and fail to respond accordingly.


Can the partner link offline and online behaviour for a 360-degree customer view? Without a complete view of the physical and virtual channels leading to a purchase, many organisations waste or misdirect their promotional spending. Since the pandemic has pushed more transactions online – whether permanently or temporarily – it is even more critical to properly understand how customers are shopping, and frequently monitor patterns.


10 DIY WEEK NOVEMBER 2020


hile many sectors have been hard hit by the pandemic, DIY


the sector is experiencing a


IDENTIFY YOUR IDEAL MARKETING PARTNER


Ben Snutch, Group Sales & Commercial Director, Go Inspire


Group offers advice on what to look for when you want to take your business to the next level by investing in a marketing partner.


Is the partner media-neutral? As most consumers receive messaging across multiple platforms, marketing strategies must not exclude any communication channels. Having a discussion with partners about their approach, and whether they have previously delivered a mix of digital- first or physical-first campaigns for their clients, will reveal any channel bias. Good marketing advice is objectively based on analytical evidence, ensuring that campaigns make optimal use of both digital and physical channels.


Can the partner offer industrial capacity with boutique service? Delivering the optimal mix of virtual and physical marketing has cost implications. However, a partner that produces mailing on a large scale will be able to offer optimal pricing. One sophisticated offering from large-scale producers is hybrid mail; small volumes of mail from many organisations are aggregated and can therefore benefit from postal discounts available for large volumes only. However, the service provided must be tailored, rather than working around the partner’s schedule,


so that, for


production instance,


mailings can be triggered by specific customer behaviours.


Will the partner share risk with gainshare arrangements? A partner that is confident in their own service will have no qualms in


offering some form of risk sharing. This is an indication that they will work towards hard performance measures and focus on producing optimal results. Of course, this means the partner will also receive additional reward where they meet or exceed their brief.


Does the partner offer a proper transition de-risking methodology?


Changing supplier may entail commercial loss


if there is a


considerable impact on operations. As a standard, a partner should offer a methodology that reduces risk during the transition. Ideally, they will able to provide endorsements from existing clients who have been reassured by that methodology working in practice.


Can the partner offer future- proofed, best-in-class technology? Do they offer a contractual commitment to deliver innovation and continuous improvement? These are questions that are starting to


Can the partner offer economy without loss of quality? Is this strategy backed by award- winning examples? A new partner worth their salt will identify cost-cutting opportunities for quick wins in the short term, but also keep an eye on how this impacts communications quality and customer relationships in the long-term. Warning signs are poor targeting and segmentation, or substandard messaging, which is unacceptable on any channel. Immediate savings should not be at the expense of future revenue. Suppliers that have already won external awards for high-performing campaigns are less likely to fall into this trap.


appear on tenders. Leading marketing services providers often have technology partnerships behind the scenes, making sure they gain early access to the latest developments. Not only should a partner offer immediate access to useful digital tools, they should clearly demonstrate an on-going commitment to innovation and continually enhancing their service.


Selecting a marketing services partner based on these criteria is crucial for cleverly managing the unexpected influx of demand for DIY products and household goods. An effective partner will help to navigate this current disruption, while proactively planning for success over the next months and years. Most importantly, they will base their activities on intelligent data analysis, and provide clear and measurable performance outcomes.


Find further resources and insight on data-driven marketing here: https://www.goinspire.co.uk/ think/whitepapers-guides


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