Recently, I’ve explained how providers of radio frequency identification hardware, software and services can market cost-effectively in this slowing economy (see How to Market RFID Products and Services in a Slowing Economy and How to Market RFID Products, Part 2).
My final piece of advice on this matter is for companies that market niche products or services: narrowcast instead of broadcast. For instance, if you sell a solution for tracking evidence in a crime lab, target the specific person who is educated about RFID and interested in using the technology to track evidence.
If you sell products or services within a defined geography, it’s also more cost-effective to narrowcast. If you’re a systems integrator in Germany, for example, you don’t want to pay to advertise to companies in the United States or China. And if you’re a consultant in Texas, you’re probably better off advertising within that state rather than nationally.
At RFID Journal, we strive to use our marketing budget more efficiently. We have some products—premium memberships, RFID Journal LIVE! and so forth—that appeal to everyone in the RFID market. We also have special events for companies in health-care and the apparel, footwear and accessories business, and we have preconference seminars for folks in government, and for IT professionals.
We market our products with broad appeal to all of our readers, but we also try to convert readers in special niches into attendees, by sending them e-mails regarding content geared toward their specific needs.
This isn’t easy. We spend a lot of time cleaning up our very large list to ensure that only customers who choose to receive our promotions and actively read RFID Journal receive e-mails, and to make sure each customer’s information accurately reflects their industry, geographical location, functional area and so forth. This is an ongoing effort, but it’s worth it because it enables us to target more effectively.
Providers of RFID hardware, software and services aimed at specific market segments can take advantage of this by working with us to reach the people most interested in their products. We can, for instance, send an invitation to a webinar about tracking hazardous materials only to those in the chemical industry. Or we can serve ads on our Web site to visitors from only Germany, or from the state of Wyoming.
We plan to take this effort a step further early next year, when we launch a new version of our Web site. Our aim will be to enable advertisers to display ads on specific areas of our site, such as the section on health care or supply chain management. We also plan to enable vendors to advertise based on specific key words. So, for instance, if you have a solution for tracking blood, your ad can appear in any story where “blood tracking” appears—or “tool tracking,” “compliance” or any other word or phrase.
For those selling RFID tags, interrogators and software that can be used for many applications, broadcasting is still very effective. But for small companies with products or services aimed at niches, it’s more cost-effective to focus only on those most likely to be interested in purchasing those particular products or services.