Despite social media being hailed as the ideal platform for one-to-one communication, it is only just becoming valid for innovative direct marketing.
This week, mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Giffgaff and its agency Albion are testing the use of Facebook as a direct marketing channel. The brand has almost 80,000 Likes on the social network but has learned that there is a large proportion of fans that are not customers. Teaming this with the knowledge that the main reasons people had not yet switched to Giffgaff, despite knowing about the brand, were issues to do with contracts and unlocking phones, it took to directly messaging this segment of its Facebook fans with relevant messages.The evolution of direct marketing channels seems to have stopped short at email, having passed via post, telephone and text messaging on the way. Social media, with its wealth of data and ability to have one-to-one conversations, seems perfect for smart direct marketing, but there are very few examples of campaigns that are truly innovative.
Giffgaff’s idea is to send timed, personal messages to those who are interested in switching, helping them at each stage of the process – for example, finding out their PUC code so they can retain their phone number. It is a brilliantly useful idea.
The main restraint for brands is fear of getting it wrong. All the channels ahead of social media associated used for direct marketing have been used and abused by spammers, giving the discipline an unjust reputation for junk mail, and marketers need to be very wary of turning social media the same way.
Sue MacLure, data and insights director at Albion Cell, the agency’s direct marketing arm, told me that she believed that the generation of marketers coming into direct marketing understand the mistakes of the past but are excited about the opportunities still ahead.
And there are real opportunities here. Unlike all the other channels, social media has a wealth of very actionable, real-time data. If used properly, this can be really effective and genuinely useful for consumers.
The key will be to respect the open, social nature of the channel by being honest about why you are contacting people and giving them very clear routes to opt out of the communication.
