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Five Ways To Improve Customer Service With Customer Feedback

oneimsweb — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 01:16:56 +0000

Thoughtful customer feedback is one of the most valuable sources of information to consider for informed marketing decisions. However, eliciting informative customer feedback is sometimes easier said than done. After customers purchase and use your product, few will be bothered to fill out a survey or comment card and return it to you via mail. Many dislike the interruption and inconvenience of telephone solicitations. Today’s marketing professionals are challenged to search for innovative and non-intrusive methods of eliciting helpful customer responses.

1. Let the technology of the worldwide web work for you.

Create a section of your website dedicated to customer feedback. Include online surveys, a question and comment feature, and even an interactive message board, depending on your specific goals. On your packaging and advertising materials, provide a link to this portion of your website.

2. For more detailed feedback, consider hiring a market research firm.

Marketing research professionals know how to elicit practical ideas, opinions, and feedback from customers. Marketing research often involves sending samples of your product to targeted potential customers and obtaining useful comments and reviews.

3. Consider the observations of others who interact with your customers.

Talk to the buyers who purchase your products and distribute them in the market. Interview your employees who interact the most with clients. Ask what customers complain about and what they like about your products.

4. Watch the competition.

Pay attention to the marketing techniques utilized by your major competitors. Train others in your marketing team to do the same. Hang around when shoppers are browsing through your competitors’ products and listen to their observations, questions, and concerns.

5. Documentation and Data Analysis

Keep detailed records of purchases. What are customers buying and what are they ignoring? Notice trends in purchasing patterns due to seasonal changes, economic trends, and other relevant influences.

Among the many challenges and demands that today’s marketers face, few are as important and informative as finding out what your customers want and finding out how well your products meet their expectations. Fortunately, there are a variety of methods proven effective in prompting customers to provide this essential marketing information.

Marketing Segmentation

oneimsweb — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:44:07 +0000

Segmentation in business; is the method of dividing business into correlated groups that enhances the business view. For structural growth in business, segmentation is an imperative and effective means to achieve the end result. With emerging smaller franchises the need to find ‘that subtle’ difference to bring forth the marketing edge is very important.

Opportunities in marketing increase when segmented groups of clients and customers with varying needs and wants are recognized. Markets can be segmented or targeted using a variety of factor. The bases for segmenting consumer markets include:

Demographical bases (age, family, gender, occupation, ethnicity)
Geographical bases (cities, states, regions, countries)
Behavior bases (product knowledge, usage, attitudes, responses)
Psychographic bases (lifestyle, values, personality)

A business must analyze the needs and wants of different market segments before determining their own niche. To be effective in market segmentation, keep the following things in mind:

Segments or target markets should be accessible to the business
Each segmented group must be large enough to provide a solid customer base.
Each segmented group requires a separate marketing plan.

Large companies segment their markets by conducting extensive market research projects. This research is often too expensive for small businesses to invest in, but there are alternative ways for a small business to segment their markets.

If you are looking for targeting mailing list and customer segmentation and profiling, please, contact us and our marketing experts will be able to assist you.

Each One Reach One: Effective Viral Marketing Strategies

oneimsweb — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:46:16 +0000

If you aren’t familiar with the phrase “viral marketing”, don’t worry because you’re probably already using the technique. As another way of saying “word of mouth”, viral marketing refers to the systematic, planned approach to spreading information from person to person.

With the costs of products and services on the rise today, and the unstable economy, it may seem that shrinking back on marketing your business is the answer to finding the balance. However, we’d like to suggest a few viral marketing strategies before you decide to make any marketing cutbacks.

1) Target a Defined Audience- The best way to determine the most successful approach is to define your client base. In an earlier blog, we talked about segmenting your e-mail list according to different client attributes. Sure, you may have their contact information, but do you know how they spend their vacations? What sort of hobbies are they interested in? Do they belong to a local social network? Remember, many times, it takes only one satisfied customer to be a strong advocate for you.

2) Engage Network Hubs- Who’s who in the area your business operates in/near? Recognize who the influential people are, and use opportunities such as trade shows, conferences, and the local media to grab the attention of prospective stakeholders.

3) Craft Creatively

- Put a fresh face on your business cards

- Offer incentives to customers who bring in other clients. (Use a simple link at the bottom of your e-mails informing clients about this.)

- Add “e-mail this to a friend” links on your website

- Offer occasional “freebies for family and friends” when clients stop by, or make an online purchase.

The beauty of viral marketing done correctly is watching its ripple effect. For small business owners, this approach to marketing has several strengths worth tapping into, if you haven’t already.
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MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Oh My! – Flock 2.0 Integrates Social Media Outlets

oneimsweb — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:41:22 +0000

With the familiarity of Firefox, yet with a foundation all its own, Flock 2.0, the new social browser, boasts a combination of media tools that is sure to revolutionize your web-browsing experience.

Nearly a year after its beta release, the newest version of Flock is making waves as it aims to enhance what the Internet is most known for, the art of connection. With all the energy spent on keeping up with everything that’s the latest, why not make your social life easier by streamlining it? Enter Flock.

By integrating social services such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Picasa, to name a few, Flock’s developers had a specific audience in mind. The target market is the 18-34 year old demographic who depend heavily on staying up to date with who’s who, who’s where and why.

Yet, with all its “drag and drop” and “one-stop shopping” features, Flock seems to be lacking a few tools such as instant messaging and listening to podcasts. This could all change depending on feedback from the fans. Also, why name it “Flock”? Any thoughts?

So, is all this keeping in touch a bit overwhelming for you? Send us your comments!

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5 Pointers For A Quick and Easy Business Blog

oneimsweb — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 15:27:15 +0000

Have you ever set aside time to sit down and update your business blog, only to find out you have no idea what to write about? It’s easy to talk with customers and answer questions about your areas of expertise; you feel comfortable and competent “talking shop” with colleagues, but writing a blog brings on an intense case of writer’s block. Sound familiar? Try these time-tested tips for instant blog successes!

1. Answer a frequently asked question. Choose a question that you often hear from your clients and write out a description of the conundrum and your best answer. Chances are, many others will find your expert advice useful and will look to you in the future for business advice.

2. Use a statistic to highlight an issue in your industry. Locate a thought-provoking or surprising statistic from a recent piece of industry research. Use the statistic as the framework for your comments on a topic, elaborating on the relevance of these facts to your clients.

3. Use a numbered or bulleted list of points. Choose a useful topic and share several smaller points about the issue. Use a title like “Top Three Ways. . .” or “The Five Secrets of . . .” Numbered articles attract attention and are easy to read, too. The article you are reading right now is an example of this technique.

4. Tell a story. Let your clients learn from your successes. Use a case study from your previous marketing experiences. Then use the story as a starting point to share more general business advice with your reader.

5. Interview a professional in your field. Choose an expert or industry leader in your field and ask a few questions that might be useful to your readers. Pick a professional who might offer a different perspective than you would.
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Actionable Analysis: Lessons Learned from the Presidential Campaigns

oneimsweb — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:36:09 +0000

Today’s online marketers can learn a lot from the techniques employed by the Democratic and Republican strategists advising the candidates in our current presidential election season. Inspiring voters to rally around a specific party or candidate is much like motivating consumers to have confidence in a brand or purchase a product. As we daily witness the events of the 2008 presidential race, online marketers can benefit from a closer analysis of the dynamics of marketing segmentation.

Presidential marketing campaigns are fueled with enormous budgets, massive manpower, and seemingly almost unlimited resources. Despite the numerous complexities and nuances involved in “marketing” a candidate, much of the strategy boils down to three important segments that online marketers should bear in mind.

Demographics

The importance of demographic features has perhaps never been so evident as it is in the 2008 elections. The same demographic traits are equally relevant for online marketers considering their target market and customer base.

Location - How do customers behave in the geographic location you are targeting? What are the unique considerations in the region?
Age - Senator Barack Obama has had an unprecedented ability to motivate young voters. Undoubtedly, this is a major consideration for campaign strategists on the Democratic team. Is age a factor in your product’s purchase or use? Is your marketing targeted to a certain age group?
Gender - Do women or men use your product more often? Consider gender in your marketing campaigns.
Ethnic background - We’ve seen the influence of ethnicity in this year’s presidential race. Are your products widely used among a particular ethnic group?

Preferences

Although demographics always play a notable role in motivating voters in a political campaign, strong feelings about important issues such as the economy, immigration, healthcare, and the war in Iraq also have a powerful influence on voters’ decision-making process. Online marketers would do well to consider these personal preferences that often influence consumer spending.

Hobbies and Interests - What does your target market enjoy? What gets your target market excited?
Status - Consumers often make purchases with consideration to how they want to be perceived by other, such as Coach handbags or jewelry from Tiffanys. Do your products appeal to a certain status consideration?
Conscience - Like voters, consumers often make decisions because of their sense of right and wrong. Obama’s “change we can believe in” campaign motivates voters because of its appeal to conscience. Marketing to a target audience with shared principles is an effective practice. For example, manufacturers of environmentally friendly “green” products appeal to consumers with a desire to be responsible stewards of the Earth’s resources.

Behavior

Campaign strategists must consider the behavior of voters to confirm that supporters will actually appear at polling places on Election Day and vote. Online marketers must also consider the behavior of consumers when making important marketing decisions.

Website actions - Consider pages visited, links clicked, and items placed in shopping carts. The behavior of website visitors is valuable information about the effectiveness of your online marketing.
Interactive behavior - This includes RSS feeds, social media involvement, email forwarding and other interactive marketing practices. What does the consumer’s involvement indicate?
Purchasing - When a consumer purchases your product, he has essentially “voted” for you. Analyze purchases to continue to improve your marketing effectiveness.

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5 Effective Ways to Segment Your E-mail List and Increase Response Rates

oneimsweb — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:29:08 +0000

As a business owner, it might seem enticing to send an e-mail blast about the latest product or service your company offers to everyone on your list. However, before you do, take a few minutes to see how segmenting your customer base provides more-focused advertising, as well as more sales and marketing opportunities.

Here are a few categories to consider when segmenting your e-mail lists:

Gender-Not to wage a battle of the sexes, but many times taking into consideration the gender of your customers is well worth your time and effort.

Age- How much of an impact does age have on your products or services?

Geographic location- Location, location, location! Cliché, yet true. Depending on where your business is located, it’s best to analyze your database of clients to see who is close to you. If you’re offering an in-store promotion, or last minute markdowns, it’s to your advantage to see which clients on your list could physically be there. Take the time to know who they are and tailor your e-mails to these folks.

Interests/hobbies- As a marketer, by now you probably realize that getting to know your target customers is part of developing the relationship. As relationships go, take the time to understand not just what they spend their money on, but also their time.

Ethnicity- When marketing your business, consider if your products are more endorsed among one ethnic group compared to another.

Although not the only option, segmenting is one of many effective marketing strategies which we will discuss over time. Just as a good doctor understands a patient after studying their medical history, and then suggests a treatment plan, you will be confident on which strategy to apply based on how well you know your target audience.
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Should I Change My B2B Marketing Strategies During a Recession?

oneimsweb — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 04:50:22 +0000

Although the experts may disagree about whether or not we are currently in a true recession in the U.S., the fact remains: these are troubling economic times for many Americans. How does this climate of concern affect today’s B2B market?

Simply put, fewer consumers equals less demand. Less demand means less dollars spent on advertising. During the 2001 recession, U.S. advertising dropped 9%; U.S. advertising on the internet dropped 27%. However, these statistics may be misleading. While some forms of marketing slow down during a recession, some efforts, such as direct marketing, actually show signs of growth during economic slowdowns. In 2001, online marketing was still a new and unproven medium, while many of today’s businesses actually opt to shift advertising spending to primarily online channels during a recession.

What does this mean for today’s B2B marketing professionals? How can you take advantage of the unique opportunities available to your business during this season? We offer these four strategies to maximize the effectiveness of your B2B marketing during an economic slowdown.

1. Utilize lead management to make the most of each lead. Many potential clients might take longer than usual to consider possible purchases during a recession. Implement a lead management program that includes lead scoring and lead nurturing so that you can spot leads that show high interest and to develop relationships with those who are not yet committed.

2. Nurture the business relationships you already have. Spend more time maintaining solid relationships and marketing to the customers you have already worked with, rather than spending advertising budget on seeking out new customers. Clients may be more likely to trust a familiar face during an economic slowdown and will appreciate your efforts to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with them.

3. Use the appeal of the “safe” solution. During a recession, many buyers may shy away from a transaction that involves even a small element of risk. Do everything in your power to communicate that your company is a safe investment. Build trust and reassure your clients with satisfied customer testimonials, expert opinions, certifications, awards, and reviews – anything that will emphasize that you are the safe option in troubling economic times.

4. Focus your website content on sure buyers. Especially during a recession, it is important to regularly tweak your website content to ensure that you are targeting prospects who are actually prepared to purchase your goods and services. Use language that appeals to those who are seeking solutions, rather than those who may one day want to purchase, but are not yet ready. Consider the sure buyer by including such items as buyers guides, frequently asked questions for buyers, purchasing checklists, and consumer evaluations.

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The Art of Search Engine Optimization

oneimsweb — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:22:05 +0000

If You Build It Right, They Will Come: The Art of Search Engine Optimization

Any movie buff will tell you how Kevin Costner came to build a baseball diamond in the middle of an Iowa cornfield in the modern classic “Field of Dreams.” He was following the instructions of a mysterious voice in his head, a voice that promised, “If you build it, they will come.”

Many modern business owners have ventured into online marketing lured by the same voice: Build an attractive website and the multitudes will swarm to you. Unfortunately, it’s simply not that easy. Online marketers who enjoy heavy traffic and sales on their business websites do so because they have learned how to get noticed first by the consumers who are searching for their products and services. The only way to turn an attractive and informative website into a profitable business website is to master the art of Search Engine Optimization.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of designing a website so that it will appear nearer the top of the list in “natural” searches on search engines such as Google and Yahoo. In our ever-changing technological landscape, SEO technicians continue to develop increasingly sophisticated “tricks of the trade,” making SEO into something of a modern-day art form.

SEO at its best requires online marketers to regularly optimize websites so that they will continue to rank high in search engine search results. To sustain profitability, website entrepreneurs must also constantly stay in touch with the latest advances in Search Engine Optimization. If you want to learn to optimize your business website and to maintain higher rankings and more hits, go beyond the standard SEO strategies and textbook approaches and develop your techniques in the creative art of SEO. To get you started, we offer some of our best practices in the art of SEO:

SEO Basics: Build It Right and They Will Stay

Search engines have the ability to track how much time a visitor spends at a particular website. If you click on a link from Google, but only spend five seconds there before returning to revisit the search, Google technicians might assume that the site you clicked was not relevant to your search. In order to build a site that entices visitors to stay (thus communicating to major search engines that your site content is relevant and helpful) get back to the basics of Search Engine Optimization.

Make sure your website is aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. Visitors will stay longer and click more if they can easily find what they are looking for. Create multiple internal links within your site to guide your visitors in a seamless and satisfying website experience.

Carefully choose the right title for your site. Keep it short so that the entire title will be visible on the search engine results page. Periodically change your title and monitor the behavior of your website visitors when you use different titles.

Make sure your description tag uses targeted keywords and enticing copy that will draw in your target audience. Your description tag is often the advertisement of your products and services that will appear on search engine results pages.

Develop Your “Linkability” With Articles

One of the most creative and innovative ways to optimize your business website is to carry out an ongoing campaign to get others to link to your website by writing and publishing articles that are relevant and compelling to your target audience.

Start with an attention-grabbing title. Draw your readers in by asking a question or making a statement that will activate their curiosity or create a vivid picture in their minds.

Write articles with compelling content that others will read and link to. Write about the issues and concerns that interest your target audience. Find online resources that are strongly related to your industry and submit your articles for publication. Provide a link back to your company website with each article you send out.

Get Creative With Social Media

Many online marketers are experiencing great success by taking advantage of social networking sites. Become an active member of the online community in your field. Blog about topics that interest your target audience. Search for bookmarking sites that are specific to your unique industry and post articles and comments with links to your site. Set aside some time each week to search for blogs and internet forums that are closely related to the products and services you provide. Get involved in the discussions and make others in your community aware of what you have to offer them.

Developing Your Craft As An SEO Artist

You can increase the visibility of your online marketing site by applying basic SEO principles in the design of your website. Further promote your products and services by getting involved in online publishing and social networking. Maintaining a business website that gets noticed on major search engines and receives hits from your target audience requires time, patience, and creativity, but many business owners have found that the results are well worth the effort.

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Marketing Optimization for Maximum ROI

oneimsweb — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:05:17 +0000

Optimization means “the action of finding the best solution.” Mathematical programming, or optimization modeling, is a branch of mathematical modeling that is concerned with finding the optimal solution to a problem. Initially, optimization was used as a way to mathematically determine the optimal allocation of scarce resources. The concept has been borrowed by businesspeople to aid decision-making.Optimization has been used in the areas of the manufacturing supply chain, airline revenue yields, and financial investment risk assessment. More recently, the concept is being adopted by marketing.

Phrases such as site optimization, search engine optimization, event optimization, and campaign optimization must be familiar. A more recent concept with broader application to marketing is the idea of marketing optimization. Marketing optimization addresses, determining the optimal subset of combination that will maximize profit. Marketing’s primary responsibility to the organization is to generate profitable revenue growth. It would seem that maximizing profit is a relatively easy thing to do: just achieve the full profit potential for each and every customer. Easier said than done.

The sheer number of customers, products, and communication channels creates complexity, often making it difficult to find the right set of customer-product-channel combination that will maximize profit while ensuring customer satisfaction.At the same time, product life cycles are getting shorter, competition is fiercer, market fragmentation and the number of segments are greater, and change is accelerating, adding further complexity to making marketing decisions. Marketing optimization is designed to help address this level of complexity.

Please, contact OneIMS today at 1-888-ONE-IMS1, or send an e-mail to info@oneims.com and let us help you with your Social Media Marketing.

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