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Greg Elsberry, Vice President of Business Development for Cole Information, is an expert when it comes to data and marketing strategies. Greg has been working with Cole Information for five and a half years but prior to that, he spent his time in the home care industry. Greg is also married with four children all under five years old, who never fail to keep him busy! He is deeply passionate about his company and the information they provide. At the core, Cole Information supplies data to help customers make better decisions about their audience from a prospecting, marketing, and sales perspective. This gives customers the ability to run outreach programs and effectively reach target audiences. Although labeled simply as a ‘data provider,’ Cole Information provides much more than just data.
Some of the biggest mistakes Greg has noticed during his time in the industry include having too wide of a target market and only focusing on one outreach channel. Customers tend to try and reach as many people as possible with their campaigns, not knowing how poor that strategy is. The goal of Cole Information is to define your target audience and market segment, so that you have a better chance to get the audience you really want, rather than trying to pick people out of a giant pool. Along with this, customers also tend to stick to one channel of outreach, focusing all their resources in one single spot. The best way to create brand recognition and form relationships with consumers is to get in touch with your prospects. Sending mailers, creating Facebook posts, and starting phone calls engaging in educational conversations will lead to success. If you get an early start sharing stories and building relationships, then when the time comes for a buying decision to be made, you are there for them, and they will recognize you as an ally.
Here at HCAN, we have been able to take enormous strides forward due to Greg and Cole Information’s efforts. They have helped us study the markets we serve and aided in tapping us into our specific target audience. Going forward, Greg leaves us with some key advice. First, he wants companies to set clear objectives for the rest of the year regarding marketing and advertising efforts. Asking important questions about target markets, channels of communication, and execution. Second, he advises not to bite off more than you can chew. Dial in and be specific, build relationships, and form community. At the end of the day, it all boils down to getting the attention of consumers you can actually make a difference with; the rest will flow from there.
