The Physics of Marketing…
Qubit. Source: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft 2019
Qubits, quantum physics and why they matter in marketing.
Qubits… are a wonderful discovery! And I suppose many people have never heard of a qubit and how it fits in the world of quantum physics…why do I, as a marketing professional care about these minuscule pieces of the universe? I can tell you why…and it has everything to do with email and SMS marketing.
Qubits come to us from the world of quantum physics. So what! you say…well, one of the more interesting things about qubits is that they possess a dual state. Their state of energy is either positive or negative depending on the circumstance. Now, I don’t really understand what causes a qubit to be positive or negative, but I do recognize it as a condition in physics that is useful to me in marketing.
You see, I work with direct marketers around the globe…and every direct marketer that I know is involved in email and/or SMS marketing. Well, these two marketing channels have some rather unique challenges. It can be very efficient and offer a low cost means of communicating one-to-one or with millions of customers at the same. They are also very personal channels. My email box and phone are very private and yet, I, like you, receive those annoying emails and text messages that I really don’t want. Therein lies the usefulness of qubits and their dual state. When we grasp that a qubit exists in both a positive and a negative state we can more easily grasp the needs of customers and manage to their individual expectations.
The customers of my clients really hate intrusive marketing emails and text messages that show up in their in-box and cell phone, unannounced, irrelevant and unwanted. At the same, they thrive on quotes, order status updates, price drops and delivery alerts that help them maintain a successful relationship with their supplier of goods and services. Unfortunately, spam filters can’t tell the difference. In fact, many of the companies I have worked with require the ability to adhere to the customers desire to block all promotional messages AND allow them to receive messages they explicitly want to receive. Thus, the customer has declared their dual state – and created the opportunity to understand and use the beneficial characteristics of the qubit.
So, how do you as a marketer construct a set of business rules that maintains and intelligently manages the customer that sends you positive and negative directions about email, SMS text messaging, etc.? Allow me to offer one answer, although I’m sure there are many:
Your customers want a relationship
This may sound overly simple but it’s true – and it adheres to another principle of qubits - entanglement.
In quantum physics, entanglement means that two objects are entangled together – they are dependent on each other. The two halves make a whole (i.e. a relationship). Entanglement further declares that if I observe the result of an interaction of one half of the whole I can determine the state of the other half. In other words, if I observe the results of the interactions of my customers with my company I can tell you the state of the relationship.
Honestly, my goal as a direct marketer is to be entangled in a relationship with each and every one of my customers. In fact, I am certain my customers do not want to be treated like a static piece of information – they want to be in a relationship.
Okay, so now what do I do with this new found understanding about qubits and how do I apply it to my email and SMS marketing activities?
Integrate your messaging systems and processes with your sales center.
Sales and marketing are two sides to the same relationship coin. Why? Because, like the “dual state” of the qubit, the sales person likewise can act a dual state. He/she can be enabled with processes and business rules that allow him to make a situational decision and override the ‘do not contact” flag that we, as marketers, have all come to admire and love… and yet, the marketer can continue to be governed or restricted by that same flag.
It may seem odd that marketing has come to a point where quantum physics holds the answers to daily operational challenges. Yet, in my opinion, marketing can learn a lot from the world of physics and improve their in-market results by doing so.