Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Market To Administrative Assistants

Posted by Anonymous on 3/9/2009 at 11:53 PM ET 50 Points
My company, OnlineLabels.com, sells blank labels for printing in laser and inkjet printers.

I am looking for a way to specifically target market to administrative assistants / secretaries.

Does anybody have any thoughts on how to go about this? Is there a site / forum on the web that administrative assistants frequent? What about list purchasing or emails?

Thanks.

Dave Carmany
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by michael on 3/10/2009 at 9:34 AM Member
    Dave
    There are different interpretations of what actually constitutes SPAM.
    It's funny, we also target the largest law firms in the country and have never been told it is SPAM. Just has to be done properly


    Most e-mail addresses can be found in your state's manufacturer's directory or services directory. Harris has a good one too.

    We do lots of this...creating our own lists in-house.

    Michael
  • Posted by Carrie Fricker on 3/10/2009 at 9:49 AM Member
    This is a challenging group to identify. I have a mailer/client who uses traditional direct mail to target administrative assistants/office managers, and we have been quite successful at this. The best approach we’ve found is renting direct response lists by vertical market. For instance, reach law firm AAs with Ioma’s Law Office Management (updated quarterly), use the PDR Office Manager (updated monthly) file for medical offices, etc. One key to tackling the turnover issue is to use direct response lists that are frequently updated, either monthly or quarterly at least.

    For smaller businesses, there are plenty of great lists, and in smaller companies you may be successful targeting a Manager/Director as opposed to the AAs.

    Ideally you would have the budget to test different files and see what works and what doesn’t. Many postal files have email components available for list rental as well. These files are Opt-In, and your message is not legally considered SPAM, though it may end up in the recipient's junkbox depending on settings.

    Feel free to contact me if you’d like to discuss further. Good luck!

  • Posted on 3/10/2009 at 3:13 PM Accepted
    Hi Dave,

    A thing to watch out for is the fact that NOT all Assistants are created equal. Responsibilities vary, and ask any assistant, the last thing they want if for someone to put something else on their plate that doesn't belong there...

    A question would be what level of responsibility in assistants will you be targeting? Some secretaries strictly answer the phone.

    When I worked for a small business, my BOSS the OWNER told me where to go, to purchase, and that's where I went, and this was ONLY until she hired a PERSONAL assistant to run her errands and free up time that allowed me to do more important things...

    So here's a thought that comes to mind...

    When one has the responsibility of running an office-- they don't want to spend much time on buying supplies. My personal default would be to go to staples.com. ONLY because it's a one stop online spot for just about everything I need.

    I think your target should be VERY specific. I spent some time visiting your site. Here was my first take- it was too much thought-- what type of paper, what size, what quantity...

    The FIRST THING that would come to mind for an assistant-- is --- I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!

    Some assistants, if given the task of keeping office supplies stocked aren't motivated by saving their boss money-- they are motivated to save TIME, easing the weight.

    Do you have a niche? Targeting assistants is a good idea, but do it in a specific industry that really NEEDS options.

    Ebay, Etsy, Amazon etc... these are people that need labels like crazy and want to spend as little as possible, have you targeted them?

    EbaySellerLabels.com is available... maybe create a blog, add some tutorials, and some ebay seller testimonials... and see what happens...

    Maybe offer discounts for ebay sellers... what if you were the official label supplier to all ebay sellers?

    Also: I would try creating a facebook account, and adding your clients-- endless possibilities, and it brings friendly/personable back!

    What about being the number 1 chosen resource for labels on TheKnot.com, or EVERY bridal planner in the area. They can say," Hey don't order labels with your invitations,announcements,thank you cards, etc... I know of this handy company that will allow you to make custom labels, and they have hundreds of options... for bottom dollar!"

    It sounds cheesy but having a SPECIFIC NICHE, can change a business dramatically.

    Or you can work on capturing who's coming to your site, maybe when an order is placed-- they have to disclose the position of the person placing the order. Then you'll know who's an assistant that BUYS!

    In terms of a response driven email marketing campaign, I would make sure EVERY email you send includes a quick one click button that will INSTANTLY allow a re-order. Take the thought process out of it...

    if you have already considered some of my thoughts, please except my cheerful pat on the back! :>



    Warmly,

    Diana
    [Email address deleted by staff]




  • Posted by telemoxie on 3/13/2009 at 2:29 PM Member
    There are dozens of folks on this for a new much more about your marketing idea...

    ... but if you send a piece of direct mail to the company president, who opens it? In many cases, it will be just the person you are looking for.

    My brother always says: test, test, test.

    If you are successful in finding a list of administrative assistants, you might want to test that list against simply mailing to the CEOs.
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