1) What exactly is an “affinity group”? - The dictionary defines affinity groups as “persons who share the same interests”. For marketing purposes, these groups generally fall into these categories:
a. Employee Groups – and employee associations or unions
b. Membership Organizations – trade associations, credit unions, chambers of commerce, religious groups, etc.
c. Customer Groups – sports fans, subscribers, listeners, viewers, shoppers, etc.
2) What makes affinity group marketing unique? Most marketing channels fall into one of two categories:
a. Business to Business (B2B)
b. Business to Consumer (B2C)
Affinity group marketing generally utilizes a unique “Business to Business to Consumer” or (B2B2C) strategy.
3) What is the advantage of using the B2B2C strategy? – With affinity group marketing, you can leverage the relationship that the consumer has with their group. This means that your products or services carry the implied endorsement of the group whose members you are accessing. It is essential that you positively “Influence the Influencers” to encourage these gatekeepers to actively promote your brand and distribute your offers.
4) What are some ways to positively influence the influencers? First it is essential to give their employees or members great deals. If the offers you are extending to these groups are the same or only slightly discounted from what the general public would receive, the gatekeepers at these organizations will not promote them to their employees or members. In fact, all access to the members can ultimately be denied as a result. You can also provide the organization with incentives, such as gift cards, tickets or other perks, to encourage them to actively promote your brand. Sweepstakes prizes are also effective tools to encourage promotion.
5) What is the strategy used for gaining access to members of these groups? Your products and services must first be presented to key people within the member groups who authorize access to the group. With employee groups, this person is most often a Human Resources professional who is in charge of employee benefits. With associations, it is most often the Membership Director who can allow access. A marketer must extend the members a legitimate discount or value-added offer that the general public would not receive.
6) How would my product offers reach the employees or members?
a. Email – now the preferred method of communication
b. Websites – special portals with discounts and member benefits available on the Internet or on corporate intranets
c. Newsletters – either electronic or printed
d. Posters – in high traffic areas like lunch rooms and HR offices
e. Flyers, Brochures and Handouts – distributed directly to interested employees or members, often in HR offices
f. Paycheck Stuffers – becoming less important as many employees no longer receive an actual paycheck but still utilized
7) What are some other effective tactics to get the most from my affinity marketing programs?
a. Change offers and discounts periodically – it is important to keep the information fresh with new artwork, banners and promotions.
b. Be creative - You can create “buzz” within these organizations with something new and creative that gets the people talking!
c. Offer incentives – offer organizations gift cards, tickets, room nights and sweepstakes prizes to encourage active promotion and to keep your brand “top of mind”. Remember, the contacts within the organizations are your sales agents. Reward them!
d. Provide tools – co-branded websites, banners and links they can place on their own websites, email updates that can easily be passed along to their employees or members. The easier you make it for the gatekeepers to promote your brand, the more likely they are to do it.
e. Make your offer available – Just because you might be able to get a slightly higher rate by closing out a promotional rate for member groups during a certain period, think twice. Do you really want an employee of a company with 100,000 employees telling their co-workers that you did not honor the advertised deal that was on their company website? Take care of these groups and they will take care of you!
f. Test and test again – try different offers, promotions, ad materials and copy. You will hit on the combination that consistently drives the most business for you.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Affinity Group Marketing – Consider the Source
Advertising is everywhere.
The average American is exposed to more than 3,000 ad messages each day. In fact, we see more ads in one year than a person living 50 years ago would see in an entire lifetime. Everyone is vying for our attention these days. Have you seen the ads in the bottom of golf holes? TV ads at the gas pump? Ads in bathroom stalls?
How can a consumer expect to sift through this clutter to determine what products and services he should buy? Who can he trust to give him unbiased input?
Today’s consumers are relying on advice from trusted sources for recommendations and referrals. This is the power of affinity marketing.
How do you know that the offer for cell phone service that is being extended to you by your employer is the best deal out there? If you are like most consumers, you think “it must be a good, legitimate deal or my company would not be offering it to me as a benefit”.
The same influence can be found within trade associations, professional groups, unions and other organizations. As a marketer, the challenge is to “influence the influencer.”
Almost every consumer belongs to at least one affinity group. Whether it is the company he works for, his church, his bowling team or his professional association, he belongs to some kind of organization. And that organization has some level of influence over his purchases.
The key to affinity group marketing is to position your offering as a group benefit.
Benefits can be as simple as offering a member discount. Everyone likes to save money and everyone understands discounts.
Another type of offer is a "value-added" benefit. This type of offer is limited only by the marketer's creativity. Value-added offers include "gift with purchase", "exclusive sales", upgrades and other perks. Consumers like to feel special and any offer that gets them past "the velvet rope" will be received well.
The important thing to remember is that you must offer legitmate value that the member can understand and appreciate.
Find out what groups your customers and prospects belong to and integrate your products and services into their member benefit programs. And then, take care of the members...and they will take care of you.
The average American is exposed to more than 3,000 ad messages each day. In fact, we see more ads in one year than a person living 50 years ago would see in an entire lifetime. Everyone is vying for our attention these days. Have you seen the ads in the bottom of golf holes? TV ads at the gas pump? Ads in bathroom stalls?
How can a consumer expect to sift through this clutter to determine what products and services he should buy? Who can he trust to give him unbiased input?
Today’s consumers are relying on advice from trusted sources for recommendations and referrals. This is the power of affinity marketing.
How do you know that the offer for cell phone service that is being extended to you by your employer is the best deal out there? If you are like most consumers, you think “it must be a good, legitimate deal or my company would not be offering it to me as a benefit”.
The same influence can be found within trade associations, professional groups, unions and other organizations. As a marketer, the challenge is to “influence the influencer.”
Almost every consumer belongs to at least one affinity group. Whether it is the company he works for, his church, his bowling team or his professional association, he belongs to some kind of organization. And that organization has some level of influence over his purchases.
The key to affinity group marketing is to position your offering as a group benefit.
Benefits can be as simple as offering a member discount. Everyone likes to save money and everyone understands discounts.
Another type of offer is a "value-added" benefit. This type of offer is limited only by the marketer's creativity. Value-added offers include "gift with purchase", "exclusive sales", upgrades and other perks. Consumers like to feel special and any offer that gets them past "the velvet rope" will be received well.
The important thing to remember is that you must offer legitmate value that the member can understand and appreciate.
Find out what groups your customers and prospects belong to and integrate your products and services into their member benefit programs. And then, take care of the members...and they will take care of you.
Affinity Group Marketing – Consider the Source
The average American is exposed to more than 3,000 ad messages each day. In fact, we see more ads in one year than a person living 50 years ago would see in an entire lifetime. Everyone is vying for our attention these days. Have you seen the ads in the bottom of golf holes? TV ads at the gas pump? Text ads on your cell phone?
How can you expect to cut through this clutter to determine what products and services you should buy? Who can you trust to give you unbiased input?
Today’s consumers are relying on advice from trusted sources for their recommendations. This is the power of affinity marketing.
How do you know that the offer for cell phone service that is being extended to you by your employer is the best deal out there? If you are like most consumers, you think “it must be a good, legitimate deal or my company would not be offering it to me as a benefit”.
The same influence can be found within trade associations, professional groups, unions and other organizations. As a marketer, the challenge is to “influence the influencer.”
How can you expect to cut through this clutter to determine what products and services you should buy? Who can you trust to give you unbiased input?
Today’s consumers are relying on advice from trusted sources for their recommendations. This is the power of affinity marketing.
How do you know that the offer for cell phone service that is being extended to you by your employer is the best deal out there? If you are like most consumers, you think “it must be a good, legitimate deal or my company would not be offering it to me as a benefit”.
The same influence can be found within trade associations, professional groups, unions and other organizations. As a marketer, the challenge is to “influence the influencer.”
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