Technology Trends to Drive Marketing Budgets
As I develop marketing strategies with my clients I find that one of the most difficult question they struggle with is new ways to build ongoing relationships with their clients. A great example of a company that built a dialog with their customers is Crayola Crayons. They presented 14,000 packaging ideas online to 8,000 consumers before selecting a new packaging design. Using technology to listen, respond and develop relationships with your clients is imperative as you look forward. When considering your budget for the next year think about the following ideas to get your customer emotionally involved with your organization.
Corporate Blogs: Improve rankings with the search engines, let your audience feel your passion and respect your knowledge. The blogosphere doubles every six months and the positive results corporations are getting from their users is decreasing the fear factor. Indicators are that this trend will continue to grow, so start thinking creatively about topics that best fit your company's goals and strategies.
Surveys: Better understand your customer to build loyalty and serve their individual needs. An online medium invites a fun or engaging experience such as interactive contests. It also provides immediate feedback to find out what your users what want from you.
Wiki: Show off your customer's expertise by providing a forum where they can share information about your products or services and build your content. Wiki is a robust group communication software that allows users to add content. By offering your website as a central location where your customers can talk about how they use your products benefits all involved by creating involvement.
Podcasts: Are you an expert in your industry with knowledge to share...or maybe you are a connector and can set-up interviews with experts focusing on issues that interest your clients. Think about delivering audio content that your audience can listen to on their computer or MP3 devise.
According to Joseph Jaffe, a national marketing guru, 50% of web content will be user generated in five years. Don't be left behind.
