Marketing and communicating

A recent thread went off-topic so per Simon's suggestion, here's a new one that I hope can lead to some productive dialogue. The main gist of the other thread was that a voucher went out to Facebook viewers but not the rest of the ProFantasy family which sparked some surprise.

The item that really stood out to me that I'd like ProFantasy to think about was: "We did one offer exclusively through Twitter and now once through Facebook (which lasted a couple of days, I think). The whole point of doing it (and thanks to the three or so people who took it up) was to test the extent to which people take notice of our social media posts."

For the record, this method of selective "marketing" or "exclusivity" tends to tick people off and it can backfire in a big way. Money is tight for most gamers and CC3 is a niche product so we pay are willing to pay a higher price for the product. But because we pay a premium price, we don't take being toyed with lightly. Treat us with respect. Find a better way to do your research.

Here's my profile which may or may not help figure out how to market to your family:

• I find that when I want a map style, I tend to put it off for a discount offer because $40 is a boatload of money for a convenience. And when the offer comes I don't need it anymore. Loss of sale.... I'd really like to receive a discount code that I could use anytime during an extended period for anything that isn't a new release -- 1 winter and 1 summer would work to encourage more impulse buys rather than hesitation.

• I find that frequent discount offers irritate me more than not enough offers.... They need to lower the price and leave my inbox less cluttered. Don't go this route, please.

• I find that I map more when it's cold or when I have holidays. RPG's are an international thing though and I've heard rumors that people in the southern hemisphere make maps just like us in the northern -- winter time is relative. So this may not be as easily tapped into.

• I find that I buy more over the holidays and around my birthday as a treat to myself and when I get my tax return. Look at your sale trends for the last several years and see if there are any patterns. Would you make more money at those times by offering a discount to pull in fence-sitters?

• I tend to be attracted to companies that reward loyalty. A progressive discount where the first three are full, next three at 5% off, next 3 at 10%, etc "feels" like I'm getting a deal even when I know the company has a set pricepoint they are aiming to earn from each customer and someone that buys it all is indeed getting a good deal but the more invested people become, the more likely they will continue to invest. What appeals to me is that the company makes it easier and easier for me to part with my money....

• There are some items I really don't need. But if it's bundled with something else at a steep discount, I may reconsider. Is any of your stock not moving? Tie it to something appealing at a reasonable price.

• You already offer a piece of each annual as a freebie which triggers a happy spot in my brain. I know it's more work on your part, but rather than a full item perhaps you could offer a limited teaser like 1-2 macros or drawing tools with a list of the others that are available, or a watermarked jpg of all the symbols, or a page from the mapping guide. Things to whet the whistle if you will....

Sorry for the long post which I hope was constructive. It's your company to run as you wish. But as a customer, I want to be treated with respect and honesty. If I'm not, I get irritated and find other things to spend my money on. If you make it fun and easy to pay you, we're both happier. Thanks for your time.

Comments

  • While I generally agree about the annoyance factor of social media marketing, I am not put off by the bare minimum level ProFantasy has so far displayed. Wouldn't have noticed even that if I hadn't read the other thread.

    I think the level of real human communication is excellent here. Most software problems are quickly solved by someone who shows that he cares about the customer. There are a couple of discounts every year and they are (generally) widely advertised. And let's be frank a company of this size is not going to be able to do very much in the way of discounts. Thankfully that saves us from the mad sales flanked social media that some other companies do (usually a week after you bought their product at full price).

    Money was tight for me for a long time too, but even then I appreciated the Annual discounts that rewarded loyal customers, even though a percentage based on how long you've been a subscriber would be nice. I can see how it would be a nightmare to code though, so I wouldn't want ProFantasy to spend their money on something like this.

    Ironically, I used to get most motivated to buy something when ProFantasy announced a price hike or a pre-order sale. While the latter is quite common, the former is the only instance I've ever seen this done (though I have a hazy memory of a Steve Jackson Games sale that did something similar).

    So on the whole I can empathise with your point, but I don't have any problem with the way things are now. You raise a couple of really interesting possibilities, but I wouldn't be sad if ProFantasy didn't implement any of them.
  • AEIOUAEIOU Newcomer
    Agreed. The technical support is fabulous and honestly, that's much more important to me.

    However, as they noted, they are exploring some marketing options so I gave feedback on what tickles my fancy. I'm happy to give them some honest feedback to save them from testing marketing by throwing noodles at the wall to see if anything sticks. This also allows them to gauge interest without any commitment like a survey could imply.
  • Simon RogersSimon Rogers Administrator, ProFantasy Traveler
    edited January 2015
    Thank you very much for this useful feedback. Here are some comments.
    First thing - because we are about to do the upgrade offer, we aren't likely to do any other offers for a while.
    Posted By: AEIOU

    The item that really stood out to me that I'd like ProFantasy to think about was: "We did one offer exclusively through Twitter and now once through Facebook (which lasted a couple of days, I think). The whole point of doing it (and thanks to the three or so people who took it up) was to test the extent to which people take notice of our social media posts."

    For the record, this method of selective "marketing" or "exclusivity" tends to tick people off and it can backfire in a big way. Money is tight for most gamers and CC3 is a niche product so we pay are willing to pay a higher price for the product. But because we pay a premium price, we don't take being toyed with lightly. Treat us with respect. Find a better way to do your research.
    Like almost every company on earth, we will continue to market through different channels and target our marketing. When I say we were testing, I don't mean we weren't trying to sell product. I can assure you this, however, that any offer we put through Facebook, we will at another stage match that offer through our other channels. Does that sound fair?

    In almost every case, existing customers get more offers and are treated more favourably. Occasionally, we'll do offers to bring new customers in. If you'd bought, say, Microsoft Office or Call of Duty or Adobe CS in 2006, what upgrade discount would you expect now to the latest version? I can't think of another company who offers similar upgrade pricing (I am sure they are there, but I don't know of any).

    Incidentally, we always have an offer available on the "Offer" tab of the registered users' page - at the moment you can upgrade to a bundle, or get everything you don't already have at 15% off.
    Here's my profile which may or may not help figure out how to market to your family:

    • I find that when I want a map style, I tend to put it off for a discount offer because $40 is a boatload of money for a convenience. And when the offer comes I don't need it anymore. Loss of sale.... I'd really like to receive a discount code that I could use anytime during an extended period for anything that isn't a new release -- 1 winter and 1 summer would work to encourage more impulse buys rather than hesitation.
    We've tried vouchers with different expiry dates, and we've found shorter expiry dates get a way better up take. I'll consider this; it might be worth a go.
    • I find that frequent discount offers irritate me more than not enough offers.... They need to lower the price and leave my inbox less cluttered. Don't go this route, please.
    I agree.
    • I find that I map more when it's cold or when I have holidays. RPG's are an international thing though and I've heard rumors that people in the southern hemisphere make maps just like us in the northern -- winter time is relative. So this may not be as easily tapped into.

    • I find that I buy more over the holidays and around my birthday as a treat to myself and when I get my tax return. Look at your sale trends for the last several years and see if there are any patterns. Would you make more money at those times by offering a discount to pull in fence-sitters?
    We have all this data - the tempation is to make offers in the lulls, but that's perhaps the opposite of what should be done.
    • I tend to be attracted to companies that reward loyalty. A progressive discount where the first three are full, next three at 5% off, next 3 at 10%, etc "feels" like I'm getting a deal even when I know the company has a set pricepoint they are aiming to earn from each customer and someone that buys it all is indeed getting a good deal but the more invested people become, the more likely they will continue to invest. What appeals to me is that the company makes it easier and easier for me to part with my money....
    We reward loyalty with offers to registered users free updates for years and years and then cut priced upgrades for existing customers.
    Sorry for the long post which I hope was constructive. It's your company to run as you wish. But as a customer, I want to be treated with respect and honesty. If I'm not, I get irritated and find other things to spend my money on. If you make it fun and easy to pay you, we're both happier. Thanks for your time.
    And thank you for your excellent feedback and advice.
  • Simon RogersSimon Rogers Administrator, ProFantasy Traveler
    Posted By: BlindMapmakerIronically, I used to get most motivated to buy something when ProFantasy announced a price hike or a pre-order sale. While the latter is quite common, the former is the only instance I've ever seen this done (though I have a hazy memory of a Steve Jackson Games sale that did something similar).
    A while after release, we put the price of upgrades up, and we did this for Dungeon Designer and told everyone we were going to do it - it wasn't particularly meant as an offer-more a heads-up to existing customers, but it was one of our most succesful promotions.
  • Thank you for the explanation Simon. I've experienced another company going to Facebook only promotions and was fearful that this was what you were considering. I am relieved that this isn't the case. :-)

    For myself, I currently have all of the ProFantasy products that interest me, but if I have extra money in my pocket and a promotion comes up, I tend to buy those products that I really wouldn't buy normally. So yes, your promotions suck some of us in to spending money that we might not otherwise.

    Right now I'm embarrassed to admit that I have my money tightly clutched in my hands waiting for the release of CC+ and Perspectives and I'll buy them even if there is no promotion. Me want.
  • I didn't see what the big deal was. I saw it as PF testing their social media reach to see what sort of response posting deals through different channels might yield.
  • All I have to say about this is that whenever I am ready to buy a new piece (I have purchased everything at this point), I ask Ralf what deals are going on. I may have missed them via email, I am not on FB and rarely visit Twitter. So when I email Ralf, I almost never wait very long and he comes right back with an answer for me. IMO Pro Fantasy has always taken care of me and I am always a happy customer. I assume you'll all be at GenCon again this year, right? Ralf are you doing any classes?
    JSM
  • ... Does that sound fair?...
    I have never, ever dealt with a company that is as "fair" as ProFantasy. I've bought your products for years because you consistently provide a top-notch product for an incredibly reasonable price and *always* listen to your customers. I will *always* recommend ProFantasy products because of your super customer service and very personal touch.

    I wish more software companies would learn from your example.
  • I would like to add my solid agreement with ryumaou's remarks.
  • Simon RogersSimon Rogers Administrator, ProFantasy Traveler
    Thank you very much. It's coming up to our 20th anniversary and we have still customers from the dawn of time, when the internet was sitll a baby.
  • I think targeted marketing through various social media channels makes a whole lot of sense, and in today's business world not doing so probably has serious negative consequences for a company. I've been reading this thread trying really hard to come up with a complaint about the way that ProFantasy handles upgrading, discounts, and customer loyalty, and I can't think of one. Not even one.

    I purchased my original copy of Campaign Cartographer on March 7, 2010. This week, almost five years later, an email was sent out by ProFantasy offering a $20 discount off of a $45 new version of CC. That's pretty astounding. Of course I purchased it. I consider that $20 a gift from ProFantasy for my loyalty, because I definitely would have purchased CC3+ for $45 as I think most users would. Granted, I would have waited until the add-ons were all made compatible but I would have purchased it for $45 nonetheless.

    For a small company, a 44% discount off a major upgrade of a program that a customer bought five years ago represents (when scaled over all customers) a pretty big nut. If that's not a loyalty reward, then frankly I don't know what is.

    Jamie

    P.S. I also recognize the value in the fact that ProFantasy allows me, five years later, to have unlimited downloads of my purchased programs. There is a trend in digital purchasing toward a small window for download (90 days seems to be pretty standard), plus a premium fee for the ability to extend that download window out in time. That, too, is a major loyalty reward in my view.
  • CC3 is such a niche market that advertising in a standard fashion is pretty useless

    I would suggest the best option would be making a line of posters that are heavy laminated and have a BIG CC3 logo on them and hand them out to game stores to use as play mats. get it in the face of a lot of gamers
  • 10 days later
  • edited February 2015
    Dont really have a dog in this fight, since im a new customer. However i have worked the in digital content distribution industry for 7+ years and in Software for over 14+ years. What i have always found interesting is the marketing techniques applied by the various developers to get the word out about their content and create discoverability. Most of the content I worked with was hosted via a digital storefront like Steam or an App Store. Getting noticed in that environment was mostly dependent on who managed the storefront etc. and not so much the developer (Granted previous successes allowed a developer to have more influence). So social media is actually the tool of choice for those developers with limited resources, Facebook/twitter being a major factor here.

    That means, social media in most cases is a major point of discoverabilty for developers. Intentionally, this relies heavily on the users to facilitate this by "sharing and liking" the various posts from their favored developer. Therefore creating virility for the product(s).

    So im not sure why folks are so apprehensive to using social media as it seems non-contributing to the growth of their favorite products. While i agree the same offerings should be across the board, i don't see how creating a mild incentive on Facebook is harming to the few who don't care that its 2015. (Doesnt sound like PF did this anyways)

    If i like a product I'll talk about it and share, if i don't... i may... talk about it and share. Tis the world we live in.

    P.S. I think CC3 should be on Steam. I'm sure you guys at PF have discussed it?
  • Posted By: SlaveOneP.S. I think CC3 should be on Steam. I'm sure you guys at PF have discussed it?
    If this ever becomes an option, please do not adopt a model that requires Steam.
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