From a marketing communications perspective, conventional wisdom used to be “throw some money at advertising and marketing to create awareness and sales will follow.” Marketers were more interested in building awareness and brand recognition, and there was no linkage between sales and marketing. Lots of assumptions were made and there was little accountability.

All that has changed, especially within the past few years. Now, sales and marketing are inextricably linked, and it’s all about return on investment. Marketing budgets are now scrutinized to squeeze the most value out of media plans and PR activities.

Return on investment (ROI) … what is it and how do you get it when you’re trying to reach a target market with sales information about your product or service?

Getting a better ROI from marketing communications is all about taking the time to really understand who you are trying to reach and what it is that they really want. It also requires finding the most cost-effective way to reach that very specific target audience. No longer can the strategy be spray and pray—hitting the biggest audience with a general message, assuming that you’re going to benefit from trickle-down.

So what do you do? You practice something called targeted marketing. You find multiple, more focused ways to reach a highly qualified, targeted audience. And you start by doing your homework on whom you really want to reach. For example, don’t say that your target audience is engineers. Go that extra mile to confirm that the person you really want to talk to is the senior design engineer who’s driving specifications for board-level components. Target, target, target.

Now you can concentrate on how to most effectively reach your highly qualified target. Because you’ve selectively reduced the audience to a critical few, perhaps they can receive a hand-addressed postcard or letter, or a personalized email with helpful links and a relevant white paper or case study. And everything you do should drive them to your website for more information and an interactive contact vehicle that enables them to query you and provides some details on what they really need. Send abstracts of white papers to relevant trade journals for use as articles to further reinforce your credibility. Tweak your website to include a wide range of links to relevant trade publications and industry or trade association websites, and try to get these sites to post links to yours. All these things cost very little money, yet they can go a long way toward creating visibility for your company and product or service.

Five tips for achieving a higher marketing communications ROI:

Know your target customer. Do your homework and research to determine who REALLY would buy your product or service. Avoid generic job titles or descriptions as much as possible and try to drill through to the job responsibilities and purchasing needs of the person you’re trying to reach.

Hone your message. Focus on customer pain—the thing or things that really present a challenge to your potential customer—that your product or service will “cure.” Avoid the trite and hackneyed. Communicate with clarity.

Be creative in disseminating your message. Don’t blindly rely on traditional methods that may or may not work for your specific circumstances and during these economic times. Seek alternative methods, such as Internet-based initiatives and viral marketing.

Find ways to “get found.” Generate case studies, abstracts and articles for trade publications. Make sure your website is updated regularly to include new and better content and links for increased visibility. Foster online relationships with industry marketplaces, trade journal sites and professional organizations. Position yourself as an industry expert—line up speaking engagements and conduct seminars when possible.

Repeat. Once you find the right mix of message and media, repeat as often as possible. If you have a limited budget (and who doesn’t?), don’t mail a fancy, full-color brochure once; produce several 2-color postcards instead so that you can hit your target several times for increased awareness.

Good ROI for your marketing communications efforts comes from doing your homework, understanding what you’re trying to accomplish and setting goals. Do this and you can sleep easy, knowing your program is working as hard as it possibly can.

Jim Schakenbach is president/managing partner of SCT Group, Inc., a marketing communications agency specializing in science, communications and technology accounts. To learn more about SCT Group’s services please visit www.hightechmarcom.com or call 1-508-919-2092.