Know Your Audience

The March edition of my e-newsletter is about segmentation and targeting and knowing your audience. (By the way, it comes out tomorrow ) Anyway, I was putting the finishing touches on my newsletter and took a break to get my postal mail. There was a glossy piece from a hotel chain with pictures of golfers on the outside of it and it opens with “We’d like to invite you, a select golf enthusiast, to indulge in an exceptional golf getaway.” Ok I’ve never played golf in my life. I don’t subscribe to Golf Digest magazine. There is no reason for them to think that this pitch will work for me. I do subscribe to “Skiing” magazine and I’m registered on a cruise vacation website as having an interest in cruises.

Would it really have been so hard for them to segment based on various vacation activities? It would boost response for sure. This is easy to do in direct mail and even easier in e-mail. Well, just thought I’d share. Don’t make the same mistake these folks made.