Top 5 marketing investments for 2008
We complied a list of top marketing investments for 2008. Enjoy!
1. Position your website as a competitive recruiting tool. Most websites now do a fair to good job of attracting new business. Companies that are interested in attracting and retaining the best and brightest people are focusing more of their website efforts on ensuring it presents the company well to prospective recruits. Recruits would like to know what type of people work there, what the environment is like, where their advancement opportunities are, etc. For example, a short video from the CEO or owner produced with this recruiting perspective in mind can go a long way toward presenting the company. Statements of policy, clear contact information, testimonials, and mention of charitable initiatives, etc. can turn your website into a more constructive recruiting tool.
2. Conduct a reality check. Host a luncheon for your top five customers to thank them for their business and to get firsthand feedback with a view to figuring out how you can serve them even better. The group setting raises the stakes a little and allows for good dialogue between you and these top customers, while letting them bounce ideas off each other. As another part of your reality check, bring in a consultant from time to time to help review or define an optimum marketing strategy. Companies that have well defined marketing strategies that continually are adapted to changing market conditions are usually the leaders in their respective industries.
3. Apply suitable technology to improve or enhance marketing processes. These would include Customer Relationship Management (CRM) programs, managerial accounting tools to help assess markets, products, prices and profits and feedback systems to track and gauge customer satisfaction, etc. Another solid investment in technology is that which enhances customer interaction. Establish an online presence and level of interactivity that goes beyond the website. Blogs, podcasts, forums live instant messaging are among the currently available options. A warning about technology: be careful to not get caught in the technology trap, where resources are invested in technologies that do not add real value to the business.
4. Develop value-added materials to help educate the customer. Materials need to go beyond a brochure that tells what the products and/or services are. These advanced materials that normally consist of books, reports and articles that educate customers are valuable in their own right to justify the time and effort in going through them. The key is to ensure that the reader derives value from the materials regardless on whether or not they buy your current product or service. The materials should relate to your products and services without being perceived as a sales pitch.
5. Train all your employees to become more marketing savvy. Companies need better prepared staff from a marketing perspective as things become increasingly competitive and as the number and type of options available for approaching your customers increases. An organization can run more finely tuned and sophisticated marketing programs and processes if the internal people are more knowledgeable in this area. This also aids employee retention.
1. Position your website as a competitive recruiting tool. Most websites now do a fair to good job of attracting new business. Companies that are interested in attracting and retaining the best and brightest people are focusing more of their website efforts on ensuring it presents the company well to prospective recruits. Recruits would like to know what type of people work there, what the environment is like, where their advancement opportunities are, etc. For example, a short video from the CEO or owner produced with this recruiting perspective in mind can go a long way toward presenting the company. Statements of policy, clear contact information, testimonials, and mention of charitable initiatives, etc. can turn your website into a more constructive recruiting tool.
2. Conduct a reality check. Host a luncheon for your top five customers to thank them for their business and to get firsthand feedback with a view to figuring out how you can serve them even better. The group setting raises the stakes a little and allows for good dialogue between you and these top customers, while letting them bounce ideas off each other. As another part of your reality check, bring in a consultant from time to time to help review or define an optimum marketing strategy. Companies that have well defined marketing strategies that continually are adapted to changing market conditions are usually the leaders in their respective industries.
3. Apply suitable technology to improve or enhance marketing processes. These would include Customer Relationship Management (CRM) programs, managerial accounting tools to help assess markets, products, prices and profits and feedback systems to track and gauge customer satisfaction, etc. Another solid investment in technology is that which enhances customer interaction. Establish an online presence and level of interactivity that goes beyond the website. Blogs, podcasts, forums live instant messaging are among the currently available options. A warning about technology: be careful to not get caught in the technology trap, where resources are invested in technologies that do not add real value to the business.
4. Develop value-added materials to help educate the customer. Materials need to go beyond a brochure that tells what the products and/or services are. These advanced materials that normally consist of books, reports and articles that educate customers are valuable in their own right to justify the time and effort in going through them. The key is to ensure that the reader derives value from the materials regardless on whether or not they buy your current product or service. The materials should relate to your products and services without being perceived as a sales pitch.
5. Train all your employees to become more marketing savvy. Companies need better prepared staff from a marketing perspective as things become increasingly competitive and as the number and type of options available for approaching your customers increases. An organization can run more finely tuned and sophisticated marketing programs and processes if the internal people are more knowledgeable in this area. This also aids employee retention.
Labels: investment, marketing
posted by Tats at 11:58 AM
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