January is a great time to establish a change culture within your company. People are more receptive to change at the beginning of a new year. They have been pre-conditioned to leave the past and move forward with excitement and anticipation of better opportunities. This is your chance to implement new strategies with less resistance. Don't miss it.
Business dynamics are changing faster than you think. Technology introduced one day is outdated months later. New channels are emerging every day. It is critical that the people responsible for corporate growth and profitability invest the time and effort required to find the best strategies for their company, employees, and customers. With this in mind, here are five things that need to be done in 2011:
- Integrate marketing channels, departments, and divisions. There are no turnkey solutions or magic formulas to integrate your systems, processes, and communication. You have to do it one step at a time. It's definitely worth the effort because it will improve revenue, profitability, and morale.
- Get serious about social media. It's here to stay. Even if your customers and prospects aren't participating today, they will soon. And, there are great search benefits from active participation. Consistency, keywords, and links are the keys to driving traffic from your social media efforts.
- Move into mobile marketing. This is the most intimate marketing tool available today. People zealously guard their cell numbers. If they are willing to share it with your company, it is a good indicator that they trust you and are your most loyal patrons. Use this privilege wisely and your customers will stay with you for life.
- Establish marketing and customer care benchmarks. Yes, it is hard. Yes, it is time consuming, And, yes, it is worth it. Your customers and prospects are simultaneously becoming more accessible (direct mail, email, social media, mobile, etc.) and evasive (do not mail, do not call, do not track, spaminators, blocked calls, etc.) If you don't have benchmarks, it is impossible to obtain an accurate measurement of the effectiveness of your marketing and customer care.
- Utilize customer care as a marketing tool. It is the only way to differentiate your business from the competition in our global economy and establish long-term relationships with the people who matter most. Aligning your service with customer expectations improves loyalty and reduces costs. Surprisingly, your definition of customer needs may be very different from theirs. Invest time in finding the right mix and watch lifetime value increase exponentially.
That's all for now. On your mark, get set, go!
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