Target 1 Prospect

The idea of creating a door hanger that is targeted at only one prospect is hard to accept; yet it is the best way to create a good response.

Every business wants to get the most from their advertising dollars. Advertising can be expensive, especially if no one responds. So it’s natural to want to include as much information as possible on a door hanger. Fill in all the “white space” and get your money’s worth. That strategy rarely works.

Let’s take a look at America’s most successful retailer: Wal-Mart. When Wal-Mart advertises, do they list every item that they sell? With literally hundreds of thousands of items that would be impossible. Well how about if they listed every department or even one department with all related products. You would still require a very big ad and few prospects would take the time to read it.

This week one Wal-Mart ad featured a 42” Toshiba LED 1080P TV for $649.98. You could say that ad was targeted at only one prospect: one that needs a new TV, has room for a 42” model, and has $650 in his wallet or available on his credit card. That’s pretty specific targeting and a whole lot of prospects will simply not be interested and ignore the ad. The good news for Wal-Mart is that there are a lot of prospects that fit the target profile, and as a result, they will probably sell a lot of those TV’s.

Do you think Wal-Mart was worried that if they advertised a specific TV model, that the rest of their inventory would not move? Hardly. In fact, they will be tickled pink if prospects just come to a store to look at the Toshiba TV on sale. Even if they don’t buy that model, perhaps they will buy a different TV or at least buy something before they leave the store. Most visitors will.

They succeeded. They generated a lead. Once they have a prospect in the store, chances are they are going to sell him something.

You can do the same thing. Think of the door hanger as a way to generate a lead, not a sale. Remember, leads turn into sales. Tantalize prospects with a single offer and be prepared to sell that offer or something else when they respond. Don’t be afraid to feature a low price. Most shoppers start off looking for the lowest price. Once they respond you can justify higher prices by demonstrating value.

So there you have it. Don’t try and speak to everyone when creating your door hanger. Target one prospect and you will find there are many who fit the same profile. Even if you are speaking to only 5% of the prospects who receive your door hanger, make sure your ad is strong enough to get noticed by 95% of the 5%