Many of you met Joel Book at our Connections ‘07 User Conference. As ExactTarget’s beloved “email evangelist,” Joel exudes class and professionalism. He loves sailing and expensive seafood. He’s a world traveler and email marketing aficionado.

But he’s not a 13-year-old girl.

Why the clarification? Well, somehow Joel made it onto a direct mail prospecting list for a silver charm company (who will remain nameless) geared – it would seem – towards adolescent girls. Talk about missing your target audience. By a LOT.

As Joel showed me the direct mail package he received (size: department store shirt box), we both knew this company had severely missed their mark – and wasted their money.

The box was bright green and blue (think bad 80s eye shadow) with swirling flower patterns. I was initially struck by its sheer weight, instinctively supporting the underside of the box with my second hand. But nothing could have prepared me for the wonders within.

Maybe it was the Barbie pendant or the “My Buddy” two-piece necklace made for “BFFs” (“Best Friends Forever,” for you non-seventh-graders) that caught my eye. Or, perhaps, it was the bright pink catalog pages (my eyes are still bleeding) featuring the company’s complete set of princess charms and necklaces. Approximately 35 different trinkets and catalogs erupted from the box.

As I stared at the promotional carnage strewn across my desk, I couldn’t help but shed a figurative tear at the hundred of dollars they’d wasted on the wrong prospect. They clearly didn’t know Joel at all.

Whether you’re sending a direct mail piece, email, SMS, or voice message, your efforts are wasted if you target the wrong people. After all, can you really afford to waste $100 per head on a generic direct mail piece that ends up lining the hamster cage…? Or to waste your email marketing budget sending mass-messages to the wrong audience? Probably not.

Nicole
Marketing Communications Associate

Ps – if anyone wants a free “4 Best Friend” necklace, let me know…Joel won’t be using it.