In our recent webinar, Barney O'Kelly  and Connor Kinnear talked about the changes that they have been seeing in Professional Services marketing. The ability of digital channels to target a specific audience was singled out as an opportunity to be seized. The phenomenal segmentation that is achievable through digital marketing, particularly through the social channels, means it is possible to deliver a message only to those it will resonate most with.

However, Connor's anecdote (below) about the Dublin funeral service sponsoring the local Bridge Club is a superb piece of targeting and I have no doubt the results are excellent. 

Clearly the object of the exercise was for the funeral service to persuade more clients to instruct them so it makes sense to look at the campaign through the lens of Cialdini's  principles of persuasion . 

The six principles are: Reciprocity, Scarcity, Authority, Consistency, Liking and Consensus however, only three should be at work at any one time, with Scarcity, Authority and liking being the least relevant. 

Consistency and Consensus seem to fit the idea of sponsoring a Bridge league since Bridge is inherently social and run over many games across many years. It is, however, Reciprocity that will likely "seal the deal"; all of the prizes and drinks paid for will be associated with some truly enjoyable occasions and the Bridge players will want to say thank you in the best way they can. 

Connor's story resonates because when we hear it, we all immediately see that it'll work beautifully but it's the targeting that really sets it apart.