The 80/20 Rule

Every Sunday, I receive the newspaper filled with circulars and advertisements. This section immediately goes into the recycle bin unread. However, I occasionally glance at an advertisement that appears amongst interesting articles in the sections of the paper that I do read. Why do I read those advertisements and not the circulars? Those advertisers understand the 80/20 rule and so should you. Follow the 80 percent interesting/relevant content in exchange for 20 percent advertising when you are marketing to your customer - regardless of which medium you choose to reach them.

The average reader will accept about 20 percent advertisements mixed in with 80 percent interesting content. Are you willing to watch on average 8 minutes of commercials in exchange for 22 minutes of "Family Guy or Desperate Housewives?" Most of us are. At the same time, few of us are willing to watch an infomercial, because it just a sales pitch similar to the circular.

So when you reach out to your customers - be it a mailer, an email or a blog - is it an infomercial? Or have you taken the time to provide interesting content they can use? Perfect example, I receive a mailer from a local real estate agent. It talks about the local housing market, it talks about the economy, and it offers advice on staging and other tips. And yes of course - ultimately it has a pitch - but if the information is valuable I read the mailer and so will your customers.