Information Theory: The Best Way to Reach Your Customers

Information Theory: The Best Way to Reach Your Customers

As a marketer how do you know what is the best way to reach your customers? How do you get a message across to potential customers in a minefield of mass-communication?

Well, information theory may have an answer, or at least some insight.

The central paradigm of classical information theory is the engineering problem of the transmission of information over a noisy channel. Applying some of the research used to combat this engineering problem can aid the development of your marketing campaigns; and hopefully their effectiveness.

Information theory consists of two main formulations. The source coding theorem and the noisy-channel coding theorem.

The source coding theorem establishes that the channel, or what you use to inform, is dependent on the likelihood your message will be muddled in transit. From here, it is your job to ensure that you appropriately "code" you message to maximise its exposure. You have to find the optimum solution to the problem of getting your message across in one piece.

So, when you are developing a marketing strategy, it is important to consider just how your message is going to be received. In doing so you can select the appropriate channel to minimise the potential your message will be misconceived.

For example, with email marketing. It is important to consider how your email will be received. Will it be seen in the format you intended? Microsoft Outlook automatically blocks pictures, so any fancy design formatting that you thought would boost leads will be wasted. What about spam filters, will your message even reach their inbox? And, of course, with mobile email so ubiquitous, formatting your email for mobile has never been more important.

There are countless other examples that I could give you but I am sure you can identify your own. What makes that television advert really stand out? Is it the accompanying song, the videography, or the actress? Think of your favourite film or novel, what is it that makes it stand out so much to you among so many others. That is what you should aim to achieve with your marketing.

Information theory also states that reliable communication is possible over "noisy" channels provided that the rate of communication is within a certain threshold, called the channel capacity. The capacity of a communications channel is the theoretical maximum information transfer of the channel for a particular noise level.

This is quite similar to the idea above but instead of ensuring that your message is encoded properly, you need to ensure that your message will stand out. You need to provide customers with a reason to consider you over the competition. You need to rise above the noise.

This could simply consist of you being at the right place at the right time. Or, you offer something intriguing and unique.

There are many ways to improve your marketing. I happened to stumble across information theory, and it provided me with some ideas of how I can improve my own marketing activities. Of course, it can't have all the answers, but it is fascinating to see how the same problems permeate through all types of communication.

Conor Boyle is a Marketing Assistant at Drop My Leaflet which is leaflet marketing business providing Leaflet Distribution in Kings Hill.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Conor_Boyle/1979436

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8830777

_(By Conor Boyle).