by johnt
2. February 2011 11:00
Consumer attitudes towards unsolicited marketing via their landline telephones has improved - but only if the caller is a company already known to the consumer, hence the call is lukewarm. In twelve months the acceptability level has risen from 7% to 11%, it was as low as 5% in 2008.
The results come from the annual fast.MAP Marketing-GAP study carried out in the fourth quarter of 2010 among 1,430 consumers.
After the abuse of the medium and the introduction of the Telephone Preference Service, customers are now experiencing fewer nuisance calls and are therefore more open to listening to offers.
Despite frequent press suggestions that the days of direct mail and landline telemarketing are numbered, consumers do not agree. Year-on-year since 2005, people have been increasingly happy to receive more marketing information through the post. Direct mail has re-gained its position as the consumer’s favourite promotion route – it was email in 2007 and 2008.
Eight out of ten adults open and read promotional mail. What consumers do not want is badly-targeted information that wastes their time – be it junk mail, silent calls or spam. It is all about the old marketing cliché of making a relevant offer at the appropriate time.
To catch this tide it is important that the customer is not annoyed, therefore do the basics right, carry out regular data cleansing, ensure any lists are TPS screened, maintain stop files. As telephone contact is gaining popularity with consumers it is essential to maintain an accurate record of landline numbers and add to them by using teleappending if any are missing.
It is now up to the marketer to produce a relevant offer and get the timing right. Simple.