If 2008 Was All About Content…
ADOTAS EXCLUSIVE –2009 is all about access (to your customers).
Search. Facebook. Twitter. iPhone. Blackberry Storm. Blogs galore. The list goes on and on. You name it, customers are out there. But who are they talking to? If you want to grow your business, then the answer should be you.
The value of providing meaningful, relevant content has already been established (look no further than Wal-Mart’s lame social networking attempt two years ago). However, this year the buzzword will be “access”.
When I say “access,” I mean access to the right customers — not just slapping some banner ad on a site with the right demographics. Consumers have more and more ways to access your content. But the important question is: How and where are consumers interacting with your content, products and services?
So where do we begin? Well, once you know how and where to access your customers, you can tailor messages accordingly. Thinking about that, I put this question to some peers recently: “How can you give your customers a platform to communicate with you? And just as importantly, how can you communicate with them where they are, instead of just hoping they’ll find you?” After a few hits and misses, I found the right answer. It’s about listening to people.
So many times, advertisers turn marketing into a monologue, but a successful campaign has to be a conversation. Times have changed, and there has to be a certain level of intimacy. You have to give the customer a reason to part with their time, their thoughts and their money. So how do you do that?
Step 1: Realize that while you must listen to your customers, you also have to apply appropriate filters and business models to it. There are plenty of “great ideas” out there, but often they aren’t feasible, aren’t able to be produced or simply aren’t of value to enough people.
Step 2: Realize that your customers want a solution. Ultimately, they just want their problem to go away. And because you have a two-way dialogue going on, you can offer up a solution that solves their problem and works for you.
So, let’s take stock. Rough economy: check. Need access to current (and new) customers: check. Need access to their desires and beliefs: check. Need access to their wallet: double check. Once you get all of your ducks in a row, you’ll realize that advertising isn’t just about demographics, it’s all about how you listen to the customer. Figure out where your customers are, pay attention to how they are interacting with your brand and then meet them halfway with a message that resonates. Do that and you might just break through the clutter.
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