Have you heard of “the buying spectrum?” At one end of it, a prospect has a faint understanding that they will need to make a purchase. At the other end, they are ready to lay down their money.
Not all prospects enter the spectrum at the very beginning. Sometimes they’ll become aware of a product and have a strong desire for it. They might buy now or shop around a bit first, but they’ve entered spectrum much closer to the end.
Major life changes put consumers into the buying spectrum. These can include the following:
- becoming a new parent
- becoming a newlywed
- buying or selling a home
- becoming single
- reaching a particular age
(Businesses also undergo major changes [of interest to B2B companies] but this article is going to focus on consumers.)
Marketers refer to these changes as “triggers” or “life event triggers,” which necessitate certain new purchases or changes in purchasing habits.
Right Offer, Right Time
Marketing and advertising work because the world is already full of people with needs and desires. It’s a fact of life. Trigger events are just specialized instances of need and want.
By using the trigger events that apply to your business, you can deliver the right offer at the right time and produce a whole new level of response and new customers.
(You’re probably wondering where to find this trigger data, right? That info is coming, shortly.)
How Businesses Can Use Trigger Data
For marketing purposes, trigger events are those major life occurrences which end up recorded in public records.
These major life changes bring about new needs:
- A new homeowner may need a gardener, a pool cleaner, a cable provider, an exterminator, a new doctor and/or dentist.
- New parents are going to need diapers, baby clothes, nursery items, and day care services.
- A newly-single person may be in need of a dating service, a make-over, or professional counseling.
- People who’ve come through a bankruptcy may need ways to re-establish their credit (such as a secured credit card).
- People nearing retirement may be in need of financial planning services, various types of insurance, or maybe a travel agent.
With a bit of thought and research, you can figure out which triggers to market to. Then work out your offer to correspond to the trigger. Then prepare to start counting the money.
ProspectsPLUS! gives you access to a whole new pool of prospects, according to trigger event, through the Nielsen PRIZM database. Log on to www.prospectsplus.com/pei where you can design a beautiful postcard, print it, and mail it, all from your computer.
Or, you can contact Opportunity Knocks at 1 (866) 319-7109 and we’ll save you the time and take care of it for you. (We do this stuff all day long.)