Consistency is the hallmark of an effective marketing campaign.

In the ever-present advertising blizzard that is modern life, a single ad needs to be spectacular enough to grab attention. Even the best, Super Bowl champions of ads have little staying power. How many can you remember from the last Super Bowl? Three, two, one, none?

Most companies can’t afford super bowl-sized advertising budgets. So how can we compete? Can we compete?

The answer is clearly yes. As evidenced by the billions spent on advertising. You must be doing someone some good. But is most of it profitable? That may be less clear.

The key to a good marketing campaign is having a clear target audience. Finding that audition is the first hurdle.

There are two main segments for the audience. Those you have a relationship with and those you don’t.

This establishes the need for two marketing approaches. One approach builds relationships with new people, the second maintains and nurtures relationships with those you already have.

Each approach has its own obstacles and goals. Some companies often confuse the two. And this can be expensive.

Proselytizing unknown crowds is expensive. For starters, there are many more. Second, you don’t know much about them. Third, they are already doing business with one or another of your competitors. You usually have to use the media to reach them in significant numbers. Advertising in newspapers, television and radio is expensive. Direct mail and coupon programs can often be better suited to the needs of smaller businesses, but they are also expensive.

Marketing to those you already have a relationship with should be easier. First, they are fewer in number, and you have a better understanding of who they are. More importantly, they have an idea of ​​who you are. (For better or worse). This is your main target market. The key to business success is to focus your marketing on your target market.

Too many companies rely on traditional and expensive media tools targeting the vast market of unknowns when the primary respondents to their efforts are their own customers. Instead, they should use non-traditional economic tactics aimed exclusively at existing customers and friends.

Many small business owners know their customers by name, but lack an effective list and the means to communicate with them. This is unfortunate… and expensive.

Instead of spending thousands of dollars a month on the occasional print or multimedia piece, they could reach a large percentage of their existing customers for virtually nothing. These communications could be more consistent and nuanced. And as a result be much more productive.

The trick is to get people on the list. That should be pretty easy for most companies. A hairdresser might offer each client a business card, inviting them to sign up for their email system for a chance to enter a monthly drawing for a free haircut. A grocer might offer a deal on $50 worth of groceries. A tax preparer might offer a free tax return. A lawyer maybe a “get out of jail free” or a free will.

The goal is to turn that mass of people you have an established relationship with into a list of people you can reach out to via email who you can communicate with on a regular basis.

This offers many additional ways to market.

For example, a barber who is taking a few days off to go fishing may let his clients know that he is coming a few days earlier than normal. Every week or so, he could post the best jokes from the week before and make sure that most of his emails got read.

A grocer, instead of focusing on pennies off ads, could spend some time talking about new products and perhaps even offer meal prep ideas by pushing a basket of goods.

The attorney may wish to fill slower periods with will work or other matters that people tend to defer, and when he is busier, may want to pass on some useful general legal knowledge.

A restaurant might offer a special to fill seats on slow days, perhaps combined with a weekly or monthly cooking tips feature.

The key to all of this is a good, reliable autoresponder system.

Once a business has migrated their customer base to their autoresponder list, they can communicate on a regular basis. Now you don’t want to overwhelm people with emails. A consistent regular pattern appropriate for your type of business will solidify customer relationships.

While you may still want to offer discounts and coupons if your competitors do, you can also focus on other things. Give your customers an inside look at you and your business. This will result in more repeat visits and, if you use a little imagination, higher total sales per visit.