Lead Generation, Unattended Leads and Follow Up at Dealer Level for Marketing Campaign Optimization

In the time we are living in, information is money and money is power. The same can be applied to a business; lead generation has become one of the most important parts of marketing.

What is lead generation?

Technically, lead generation is the initiation of consumer interest or inquiry into products or services of a business. Basically, a lead is a person or organization who has shown their interest in the product or services provided by the company in any way. So, lead generation, simplistically speaking is the process of creating such leads by attracting people towards the products or the services. Lead generation, however, is a long process and can be categorized as follows:-

The process of lead generation

Traditionally, this is the process of Lead generation but there is one step missing from the picture. Can you guess what?

Follow Up to be conducted after the process

Why is Follow up important?

The process described above seems like the complete solution to lead generation necessity of an organization and incorporated every step from identifying avenues for a generation to executing leads that qualify. In spite of the obvious fullness of the circle, the climax does not deal with one very important aspect – Unattended Leads (Leads that were generated but not dealt with during the process).

The secret behind managing the efficiency of any process is to concentrate on reasons for failure doesn’t matter how small. A campaign can be a huge success but still face the problem of some unattended leads, which might seem doable at the time but for the long term, it is another story altogether. In the rapid economy of this era, unattended leads turn cold in no matter of time and may result in ultimate loss of revenue due to negligence. As per a study was done by Harvard Business Review, almost 71 percent of leads are not followed up on, making the organization suffer in opportunity costs.

If the process of lead generation has to be optimized, the matter of unattended leads should be made part and parcel of the procedure.

How unattended can leads be followed up?

There are various ways of generating leads, one of which is executing campaigns at the dealer level. In spite of the traditional viewpoint, this can also be difficult. The constant problem of motivation and control arises in lead generation at the dealer level. This can result in greater unattended leads at dealer level which can turn the investment in the campaign, a less profitable one.

The best way to increase return on investment is to deal with unattended leads at dealer level with efficiency. Monitoring and Supervision of unattended leads at dealer level can be useful as:-

•  If unattended leads are taken care at the dealer level, loss of opportunity costs can be saved by the organization.

•  Unattended leads, if identified in time can be nurtured to create future customers.

• Dealers have the advantage of inherent networking channels that can be used to effectively generate leads. Therefore, if they are followed upon to prevent them from turning cold, it can potentially be very profitable for the organization.

Therefore, the way to ensure optimization of return on investment, unattended leads should be taken care at dealer level which should further be monitored at the organization level for campaign optimization and ROI control.

Ways to Grab a Rural Pocket Share

Countless headlines have been dedicated to the growth in rural markets and its potential; brands are warned against ignoring Rural India while the government rolls out policies with objectives to assist it. All said and done, in reality, brands still consider it a challenge to establish themselves in Rural India. Many brands struggle to see themselves making their way into the rural consumer’s heart but is it possible to be in India’s heart without winning over more than 60% of its population?

The answer is simple- No.

Therefore here are some advice that would help your company earns its due in the heart of the motherland.

Distribute the product before distributing the idea

Before anything else, a strategic decision regarding logistics should be made- Product distribution needs to be the focus. The logic of not marketing for a product that you cannot provide is flawless, imagine wasting time, energy and money to create demand for a market and not being able to deliver it. Something like that would not only create a bad name for the brand but also lead to a gradual decline in demand.

Hunt the treasure

Understanding the rural audience holds significance in the manner that it helps a brand to identify the target audience. This identification assists in better planning and preparation so that resources can be utilized and prioritized. Placing relevance to the correct set of customers can direct the brand’s strategy of a more suitable course of action.

Keep the treasure

Effective communication provokes emotion in consumers which is better for a stronger brand recall. To enable such communication, a relationship should be articulated with the customers that are full of trust and understanding.Successful companies concentrate on keeping the customers because retention keeps the demand of product alive. Forging a strong relationship with the customers helps with retaining them.

Unbreakable bonds

Never underestimate the power of a great reputation with a channel partner, Idea Cellular has proved this theory in India. Competition cannot be avoided but it can be managed through a good strategy and strong relations. Building valuable partnerships and retaining them can open doors to a successful future.

Change the way you go about it

Marketing in rural areas is very different than in rural areas because finding a direct channel to communicate with the customers is very difficult in rural areas. When a brand enters a new market, consumers might be wary of its arrival but if it is warranted by someone they are familiar with, the transition becomes easier. Engaging Influencers such as Sarpanchs, local leaders etc. can make a big change.

Leave it to the experts

Rural marketing shouldn’t be left to chance, involving rural marketing agencies can bring in the necessary element of success. Experience in the field and longer relationship with influencers, local authorities and customers can all play in the favor of the brand. Grabbing a substantial pocket share in the rural market can be achieved through careful observation and strategic planning.

Community Radio Is Underutilized In Rural India

The allure of familiarity beats the monotony of the famed. We connect to content that is surrounded with local references instantly and often reacts promptly to it. Brands are walking on this path by opting to use home-grown native citations to engage their customers in a more effective manner. Localized content development and distribution are becoming a significant part of rural marketing strategy. One of the many ways for brands to integrate themselves into the lives of their target customers is through community radio for specified target groups!

What is community radio?

Community radio is a type of radio that serves to a particular geographic region or a group, as the name suggests they cater to a specific audience and often use content that is popular amongst the natives. While it provides them with entertainment, it also acts an information portal of sorts.

 

Why rural audiences love community radio?

Community Radios are a big hit in rural areas where people are not seen glued to their smartphones, rural audiences are still more inclined towards the vintage source of entertainment. They are the antidote to a boring afternoon or a lonely drive for some people and for some, it is a trusted companion through tough days. Isn’t it wonderful to hear what we see around us, to know that people are worried about?

One of the reasons for being loved so much is its local appeal. The content is curated based on the preferences and likes of a specific community living in a specified region. Every listener feels like it is for them and can establish a connection with the brand.

How community radio can do wonders in rural areas?

Here and there too- Massive reach and brand awareness

The reach of brand activation campaigns determine the impact of it but being able to reach cable dark areas is challenging for the rural marketers. However, radio is the simply wonderful device that it is, is present in most villages and in most houses. This provides a massive reach as compared to any other medium such as TV or mobile.

Those recognizable elements

For any brand to connect to its customers on a personal level is important to be able to have a loyal customer base. Rural audiences are glued to radios and thus they have a familiar feel to it. So when they hear about the brand through a source that they are acquainted with. This gives the brand a chance to create that personal connection with their target audience and in turn, provides them with a competitive advantage.

Be good and get stuck on their minds

The high brand recall is difficult to achieve but if you can get your audience to remember the brand message, then there is nothing like it. That is when your brand finds its way to the customer’s mind then it allows them to make a way into their homes.

Another way to look at it

Think of influencer marketing for the digitally challenged areas, like the urban clan seems to follow their online idols; rural audiences find solace in community radio. They relate to the RJs and often look up to them for advice.

The only question is, why are brands not still utilizing community radios in rural areas?

Boosting Up the Morale of Trade Partners Has Become Routine Feature of Retail Marketing Program

The use of retail outlets to spread awareness about the product and services by the company is termed as retail marketing. Retail marketing is one of the most powerful disciplines in which prominence is placed on usage of consumer channels as opposed to direct or trade marketing. Whilst this concept is trending and has proven it effectiveness in most industries, it does not come without its cons.

The success of the theory depends on various factors but one specific addition to the list when retail marketing programs are implemented is the interference of the trade partners in the utility of the program. In simpler words, if the sales have to be increased through the use of platforms provided at the consumer level, the direct link between the final consumer and the brand goes through the trade partners. This unavoidable and significant bridge needs strengthening and maintenance on a regular basis to keep up with the changing market conditions.

Role of Trade Partners in Retail Marketing

Data is collected first hand by trade partners and thus is comparatively more accurate as they are aware of the actual scenario based on facts and not fiction. Even though our technology has enabled us to do the math easily, we still need the correct numbers to input. A product sells better if it is tailor-made to the feedbacks of the customers and the easiest and most cost-efficient way to get these feedbacks is through trade partners who get it through the grapevine. Price determination in a competitive market is based on the demand and supply pull which cannot be measured without on ground eyes and ears. It is important to know what the customer wants but it is also equally important to know how much they are willing to pay for it.

Effective communication techniques require strong communicators and this responsibility falls in the hands of the retail partners. One thing that is common to the achievement of the above is the attitude of the partners, if retail marketing was a complicated dish with numerous ingredients, trade partners would be the salt adding the flavor and bringing out the taste overall. Therefore, it is very important that a relationship is established with them that go beyond professional exchanges and occasional chit-chat. A regular routine should be adopted to keep the partners motivated.

Why is motivation important?

Since the involvement of trade partners in marketing programs makes their contribution significant to the achievement of ultimate marketing objectives, the quality of their work reflects that of the organizations. Their continuous allegiance and support should be reciprocated. If the increase in sales and revenue is to be ensured, a lasting relationship with every part of the chain should be encouraged. Few are the reasons why boosting the morale of trade partners should be considered a part and parcel of the program:-

• Highly motivated partners are more likely to be innovative and give better results.

• An energized environment gives more chances to produce pure genius.

• Hard work should not be forced but encouraged and motivation achieves just that.

• Breeding loyalty in this competitive era gives you a competitive edge

There are many reasons why boosting the morale of the trade partner is considered a regular feature of marketing trade programs and there are many ways to do it. Both monetary incentives such as gifts, trips etc. or non-monetary ones such as awards and recognition are regularly used to encourage trade partners.

A wise man once said,

“For every sale, you miss because you’re too enthusiastic, you will miss a hundred because you’re not enthusiastic enough.”

Ad-Hoc Planning Cannot Be Relied For Rural Marketing in India, It Requires Nothing Less Than Conscientious Planning

There are two types of plans, one that was and one that becomes. Naturally, the latter is the one that comes together as a result of the combination of the real plan and a pinch of improvisation. However, the rural marketing agencies in India have concluded that even the improvisations need to be premeditated in case of rural marketing. When strategizing for rural market penetration, every move of the brand activation activity should be deliberate and well thought out.

Why the fuss?

Rural marketing in India is no cakewalk; the size of the market alone can be intimidating. More than half of Indian population (approximately 59%) resides in rural areas. It also presents the challenges that brands in urban areas are not used to tackling.

The Foreign Land

Villages and small towns in India differ in culture and living standards. At times, the cultural difference is so vast that brand managers might not be able to accurately predict the customer’s needs. This lack of understanding and difference in culture can often lead to ineffective communication strategies being adopted.

Resources or their lack thereof

Truth be told, every campaign brings unique challenges with it. The blow can come in unexpected ways and often rattle the brand before or during the campaign. These challenges can gain prominence when the accesses to resources are cut off or are way too expensive.

The Scarcity of Information

Market researches done in rural markets of India are scarce and rather undependable. Either they paint a rosy picture of accepting markets or they scare the brands with stories of rejection by the common folks. Statistics that would help the brand formulate a policy is not found easily.

Innovation: Demand vs. Supply

Rural audiences are always looking for magic and attach to the sentiment of the brand more dearly than their urban counterpart. This puts up the question of bringing something new to the table, new products and newer ways to launch them. When you venture into “new”, you are standing at the starting point.

Ad-hoc planning does not work in rural India

Impromptu solutions and makeshift campaigns don’t get results in rural areas, what it needs is a considerable amount of planning and strategizing to win the hearts of consumers in villages and small towns.

What goes into such extensive planning?

In a word, efforts but most of all it is about taking all the right decisions at the right time.

Do Your Homework

Do not underestimate the power of rural India and how easily it can overwhelm anyone. Therefore, knowing what you are getting yourself in is necessary.

Strategize and Then Strategize For When That Strategy Does Not Work

Assuming that a strategy or a plan would go as planned is naive. So plan for success and also for failure, a common mistake that ends up costing the brand is when it is not prepared to handle the leads that are generated from a successful brand campaign. So, the lesson is, stand in the middle of the crossroads and be ready for whatever comes from whichever side.

Get Professional Help

An experienced rural marketing company or brand activation agency can elevate the brand using their understanding of the markets, familiarity with it and years of hard work.

Bike Campaign over Age-Old Van Campaign Is New and Cost-Effective Solution in Rural Marketing Campaigns for Marketers

Rural marketing is known to create opportunities for innovation in product promotion and branding, this may be the result of the hardships faced by rural marketing agencies in implementing campaigns with such scarce availability of resources. Nevertheless, difficult circumstances often yield developments that change the direction of winds to pave a path for success. As Jamie Notter has wisely put into words,

“Innovation is the change that unlocks new value.”

Is innovation time bound?

The most alluring thing about change is that it is constant, which means that what seems like a creative solution right now, may need refinement few years down the line. This is best explained through the age-old Van campaigns used to promote products, majorly in small towns and rural areas. Simplistically speaking, the use of a van by a marketing agency in order to undertake promotional activities and enhance branding efforts is referred to as van campaigns. The concept was born years ago as a solution to the problem of a decent movable stage to promote the product in the rural areas as well as small towns. This introduction might have been speculated at its inception but the concept has seen much success since then, however, as time has changed its viability has transformed too.

Is it time for something new?

One of the many reasons for the triumph of the van campaign as an effective tool of brand communication in rural areas and small towns was the fact that it swept the audience with something new, something they were not expecting, an element it seems to have lost now. In order to replace it with a suitable alternative, bike campaigns are being launched by rural marketing agencies. It is the usage of one or a group of bikes that roam around the villages and small towns making appropriate stops. This is done in order to interact with the public with the aim of dispensing information about the product or the brand.

However, bikes are under tremendous pressure to deliver value to the rural marketing agency in order to replace the age-old van campaigns. There are several benefits that it provides over its ancestral counterpart, such as:-

Cost Efficient

It is no surprise to anyone that running a bike campaign is cheaper compared to running a van campaign. The fuel charges, rental as well as maintenance totals up to a sum lower than what would have been required if a van campaign was being run.

Better Reach

India has reported a substantial amount of development in rural areas, especially in the construction of roads. There are still areas that face the problem of establishing a comfortable connection in and out of the villages. In such cases, a bike campaign can foster more reach than a van campaign due to easy accessibility.

Attracting attention

The creative manner of advertising is sure to get the attention of more people as compared to ways they have already seen and appreciated. Curiosity is the mother of all reasons and the same can be used by rural marketing agencies to attract more people during their attractions or presentations.

Therefore, bike campaign should be selected over age-old van campaign as a more cost-effective solution for rural marketing campaigns.

10 Commandments of Rural Marketing

1. Listen and understand

This golden rule will not only assist you in attracting clients but also retain them. As Dalai Lama has wisely quoted, “When you talk, you are only repeating what you know but when you listen, you learn something new.” Listening to the client helps a marketer understand the product,
the brand ambitions, and requirements. Simultaneously, listening to the audiences can help develop the connection with the target audience which creates a room for personalized connection.

2. Research

Never assume a perception to be a fact, always support your theory with statistics that provide credibility to your ideas. Knowledge can only help you build a better campaign and help you in identifying the unexplored avenues.

3. Selection of Relevant Marketing Channels

Selection of online or offline medium to promote the product can be a tricky question but letting your judgment take a hit and selecting every possible channel can be more complex. Avoid selecting all the channels together as it might just drag their effectiveness and value down the
impact.

4. The Thumb Rule

Collection of information is essential but at the same time, the theory can only take you so far and therefore a marketing agency should know when to start acting upon the strategies into action.

5. Walk the talk

Anyone can be attracted to a product, if and only if, a marketer can establish a link between them and the product. The same should be done by concentrating on the audiences and letting the product impress them, rather than take a basic sales techniques.

6. The more the merrier

Never ever restrict the number of audiences – add volume, diversity, and quality in deliverance in order to ensure effective and smooth functionality.

7. Achieve and Inform

For a marketer, achieving results is the final destination, however sharing these results with the client is perhaps even more important;
therefore there should be real-time reporting and proper information channels to keep the client in the loop.

8. Be Innovative

Always find innovative ways to achieve the goals and objectives, as a marketer, never limit you and stay well equipped for taking risks and trying hands on something new. Talk to your client about ideas and ways to add value to their brand.

9. Leave no stone unturned

Do not allow yourself to be distracted by the external forces and never leave any lead unattended. Set your own targets and see them through.

10. Keep it up and don’t let it go

Change is constant and so is learning, never back down from an opportunity to learn new things about rural areas and small towns as the trends here keep fluctuating.

Therefore, the only way to stay on top is to stay updated and notified.