GhostMarketer – Getting started
Now that we’ve put together our marketing plan (see our previous article on Shoestring Marketing), we need to get to the nitty-gritty stuff of actually using the GhostMarketer platform to its maximum potential. There are loads of features, but do bear in mind that you only want to use the ones that suit your firm and target audience. The last thing any professional firm wants is bad marketing, or even worse to be seen as a spammer. That’s why it’s so important to keep your content relevant to your audience, and by drawing on the information already stored in your GhostConvey platform, GhostMarketer is able to make sure that your marketing messages go to the right people at the right time.
Accessing your GhostMarketer Platform
GhostMarketer is a free platform that comes as part and parcel of your GhostConvey package. Accessing it is easy – either you can access directly from GhostConvey via the AppLinks menu, or you can go online to https://propertyhub.property24.com/. Just type in your username and password and you’re in!
The Core Features
• Segmentation
The real power behind GhostMarketer is its ability to access your database within GhostConvey, with the details of all your contacts including their role, email address, phone numbers, identity numbers and the details of their last transaction. By being able to filter your contacts using these parameters, you are able to make sure your content is going to the right person/s or demographic.
• Email and SMS
Most communications and marketing messages can be sent either by email or SMS. Sending emails is completely free, but SMSs are charged at 69c each; so be sure you know how big your recipient list is before sending out. Both emails and SMSs automatically have the option to unsubscribe, emails by unsubscribing and SMS’s by replying “Stop” in compliance with the Electronic Communications Act.
• Branding your Messages
Every email that you send out from GhostMarketer allows for a header and a footer to be inserted, ideal for getting your corporate branding in place. This functionality extends into your GhostConvey platform as well, allowing for the transactional updates your contacts receive to be branded in a similar fashion.
• Scheduled Marketing
Scheduled marketing messages are a great way to get GhostMarketer to automatically send out messages, with you only setting up the initial template. A typical usage case for this would be birthday messages. Since GhostMarketer knows all of your contacts’ ID numbers, it knows when their birthdays are. So you can create a message that is automatically sent out on contacts’ birthdays which greets them personally by name and gives them birthday wishes.
• Reminders
Sometimes there are those special contacts that you might want to call in person rather than sending emails or SMSs. Say a key estate agent has a birthday or you would like to make courtesy calls to recent buyers a month after their last transaction. With the reminder functionality, GhostMarketer sends you an automated reminder email with a list of all your contacts who fulfil whatever criteria you have specified, leaving you to make the decision whether to call them or not.
• Once-off bulk messages
Whilst automated communication is great in that it is low effort, sometimes you will want to communicate something special to a specified key segment of your contacts. Say for example a new piece of legislation is passed which affects estate agents. Through GhostMarketer you can easily filter out only your estate agents and create an email specifically for that purpose. Although it requires a little more effort to set up, sending a message with really valuable information like this ensures high engagement and generates a lot of goodwill from the recipients. Remember that we at LawDotNews can assist you here with interesting, useful articles and with the creation, management and transmission of client newsletters and the like.
Segmented, Targeted Communication
These are just some of the key ways in which you can use GhostMarketer – bear in mind that GhostMarketer is only the tool with which you communicate to your clients. In order to truly take advantage of it, you need to identify the opportunities and the correct marketing messages you want to convey.
For a more detailed Step-by-Step guide on using the GhostMarketer platform, you can access the full PDF manual here. Users can also access eLearning Resources via the Support link in GhostConvey.
In our next article “Client newsletters: A practical guide” we’ll be talking about the importance of client newsletters and how to use them to best effect.
More articles in the GhostMarketer series by LawDotNews -
Article 1: Are you using GhostMarketer yet?
Article 2: Six reasons to market your firm
Article 3: Shoestring marketing
Article 4: Targeted Marketing: Choosing your tools
Article 6: Client newsletters
Article 7: Branding: The basics
Article 8: Marketing mistakes
Article 9: The proof of the pudding
Contact us on 086 110 5904 (or email info@dotnews.co.za) for more on your free set up on the GhostMarketer platform and other LawDotNews services.
Paddy Crook, Digital Marketing Manager at DotNews, completed his BSc at Rhodes University and has specialised in email marketing, social media, ppc, ad-serving and other online marketing mediums. This has given him a broad knowledge of the channels and techniques used within the digital space and how best to apply them to professional practices for maximum results at minimum cost.
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