Long ago, Hudson Valley organizations realized that newspapers, television and radio are one-way media. People always love to buy, but hate to be sold. What makes the Internet different is that not only do your prospects and customers have total control over what they see and hear, but they love participating and influencing the decisions of others.
The simple fact is that people dislike advertising. Today the customer is totally in charge of advertising. Hudson valley organizations must not only use the Internet they must:
- Look at getting more business from the ”™net in an entirely new way.
- Understand the customer is only a click away from a thousand other options.
- Based on these understandings, intelligently let others do the marketing for you.
The Internet is the biggest system of word-of-mouth in existence. Don Tapscott, author of “Growing up Digital” says, “By using Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, text messaging, instant messaging ”¦ blogs and cheap video editing software, companies of any size and industry can turn their consumers into producers, or ”˜prosumers.”™”
The customer, not the company is now in control of the marketing. They create public opinion online with one another. Everyone likes to buy things that are recommended by other people, real customers, rather than the company”™s advertising or public relations agency. ”˜Prosumerism”™ comes from facilitating the involvement of the company and its customers.
By knowing why the prospect came to your site, how much they were able to spend and what else they may be looking for, businesses will be able to customize irresistible offers.
Organizations everywhere must make decisions as to how they use the Internet for marketing. While the physical retail store may not be able to compete on price, it can always outperform on basic human needs. Touch and time are their buzzwords.
The Internet also allows the prospective consumer to know when a company acts unethically. No amount of public relations or spin can save a company that has earned a bad reputation. Your business DNA must be based on consideration, honesty, transparency and accountability. There are no secrets on the Internet.
Tapscott, in “Growing up Digital,” reminds us that rather than focusing on your prospects and customers, engage them. “Turn them into ”˜prosumers”™ of your goods and services. Don”™t create products and services; create consumer experiences.” Add value to your offerings to make them richer experiences.
In the summer 2011edition of Strategy+Business, Jamie Campbell, Kenny Kurtzman, and Adam Michaels of Booz & Company explain in their article titled “Crafting Best-in-Class Business Intelligence,” “The reason that most companies aren”™t getting the most out of their business intelligence has nothing to do with the software itself. Most off-the-shelf BI products are easy to implement and incredibly powerful; they can aggregate, integrate and analyze data from nearly any part of the organization.”
Gathering customer information and buying preferences is useless unless you”™re using it to do your marketing for you!
The key to marketing is word of mouth. Tapscott reminds us that, “The Four Ps ”“ product, place, price, and promotion are an inadequate framework to deal with the consumer of the future. Replace them with the ABCDE of marketing: anyplace, brand, communication, disÂcovery, and experience.” The customer will, from anyplace in the world, communicate what they discover about your brand and their experience with your organization”¦make it exceptional.
Questions for discussion:
Ӣ What can we genuinely offer and deliver to a customer that will create an experience that will have them telling their friends about?
Ӣ Are we committed to abandoning our old marketing and embrace the ABCDE of marketing?
Joe Murtagh is The DreamSpeaker, an international keynote speaker, meeting facilitator and business trainer. For questions or comments, Joe@TheDreamSpeaker.com, TheDreamSpeaker.com or call (800) 239-0058.
