We left you hanging after the previous installment, when we discussed high-return, low-risk ways of getting the edge. First you set a consistent tone throughout your campaign. Then you activate your targets into action. Ask for the order; get something from them to build real value in your offer.

In this final installment will wrap the whole thing up into one neat package. The final step in getting the edge is about how you communicate with each prospect and customer.

Communicate Complexity Simply

Communicate complex products in simple language. Thanks to the Internet, e-newsletters are an edge way to reach consumers, reinforce a brand and entice more purchases. When done correctly, an e-newsletter positively impacts your readers’ lives. Don’t confuse an effective permission-based e-newsletter for an electronic version of a direct mail blast. Its information must enhance readers’ lives, not try to ram a product down their throats.

As your mailing list grows, so does the respect for your company and the value of sales leads. An e-newsletter reflects back as a lifestyle enhancer and keeps readers coming back for more.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words!

If you sell digital cameras, for instance, you know that a first-time user can be intimidated. Build your customer’s confidence in their purchase with an e-newsletter. Focus on “keeping in touch” and building their picture-taking skills.

Your research will probably also show that one of the problems families face today is being separated by distance. To close that distance, one issue could explain how children under 10 can create their own digital photo book for their grandparents.

Send life-enhancing messages in your e-newsletter, and your readers will come to you when they need another product that will enrich their lives.

You know you are successful (or not) because every link in your e-newsletter can be tracked. You know who is reading what story and how often it is read. Imagine having an electronic focus group available whenever you send out an issue. With this type of immediate feedback, you send, test, and adjust within hours. That’s the edge!

Time to Reevaluate?

One of the problems Ed faced going for his personal best is that he lost his gusto. He got bored because he wasn’t getting the results expected. Ed forgot his strategy. That extra 10 pounds is hanging on for the ride.

Some marketing programs are like our friend Ed’s well-intentioned workout spree… they’re not working. You come up with a plan, fork out the dough, and lo and behold the predicted cost per lead quadruples by the end of the program. Or, you can’t even remember why you were using this approach in the first place. You were bogged down by the tactics, and the resulting sales were so small that there was no real payoff.

Our advice? Step back from what you’re doing; get out of the minutia, the tactical nightmare that keeps you from strategizing. Take a moment to see how the current methods can be improved. Then go out and do something with edge.

Being Safe Can Make You Sorry

A lot of the fun and creativity that energized companies and consumers in the past have been replaced by implementing “safe” programs based on shrinking budgets. You know the programs we’re talking about: “We did it before and didn’t get too badly beaten up, but we didn’t gain much.” As a result, many companies just aren’t meeting their goals, and they wonder why.

Forget you ever heard the maxim “Better safe than sorry.” The market moves too fast to rely on traditional programs that worked when information and product delivery was much slower. Safe is a sorry approach.

The diversity of the consumers you want to target complicates communicating your message. They are discrete, preferring to bury themselves in their own worlds, keeping intruders like telemarketers, spam messengers and unwanted information at a comfortable distance. Whatever innovative product you’re selling, the challenge of nurturing direct relationships with consumers is important to a long-term plan that produces immediate results.

Ask for Something—Give Value in Return

When you plot your Edge activities, make sure they include asking for an order. At the very least request an email address or something that’s actionable. Get little bits of information so you can start to develop the right offers. Be direct. Read between the lines. If you’ve made an offer to a consumer to buy something, and they don’t—realize that the no-response carries a message. Adjust your message, offer or what you’re asking and communicate it again.

Review the value you give back; it can make or break the deal. Value doesn’t mean discounting. It means giving your prospects information, confidence in their purchase decision, and community with their peers. It’s giving them something they want, need, or dream of possessing. Research their desires. Ask questions through your communication tools. Activate their purchasing desires by providing them with a solution they want.

The Bottom Line

We’ve been talking about your bottom line throughout this communication. We used an edgy tone to keep you interested. We’ve activated your creative juices. We’ve demonstrated how blending these ideas into your existing marketing and sales can be remarkable, unexpected, respectful and polite. Maybe a little fun too!

These ideas help companies reach thousands of consumers on a personal level. Your target audience needs to “see to believe” high-tech or innovative products. Edge strategies can do the trick. Show them something they need, get them to buy into your message, product and community. It’s up to you to make sure your edge-marketing plan pays off.

Lead your company to new opportunities, and your return on investment will impress your management and stockholders. Before you know it, edge marketing will have whipped your bottom line into shape.

Enjoy the process!