The Customer Experience Often Begins & Ends Online

Your prices are well researched and fair.  Your product presentation, functionality and distribution strategies are flawless.  You have very talented managers and associates who have been well trained in customer service, and your marketing team believes in the "customer is always right" philosophy.  So now you feel you've addressed all of your customer experience issues and will surely impress, convert and retain customers, right?

Hmmm...not so fast.  In today's digital world far more consumers have their first interaction with a product, service or business online.  They're visiting your website, Facebook page, mobile app, email newsletter or other digital platform before they ever step foot in your store or pick up the phone to call you.  And if they have a bad experience online, it's probably the last interaction they ever have with you. 

According to Neilson, 70% of online social network users shop online.  Digby.com says, "67% of consumers will use their smartphones to find store locations, 59% to compare prices, 51% to obtain product information, 46% to check product availability, 45% to shop online, 41% to find and use coupons, and 40% to scan bar codes".  And the figures are only growing.

Do you make it easy for customers to reach someone who can help them?  Remember, online shoppers aren't confined by brick and mortar hours of operation.  While this might seem elementary to most B2C retailers these days, many are still focused primarily on their websites, but haven't spent much time managing their social media and/or digital channels.  Additionally, more B2B consumers are using social media to research products and services as well. 

According to a recent study by Accenture, "only 8% of B2B companies would describe their social media usage as extensive. This is in contrast to the 65% of respondents who indicated that social media is extremely or very important."

Far too often, businesses still judge social media success purely by the direct and immediate impact it has on the bottom line, rather than looking at it as a customer service tool that helps ensure brand loyalty.  It is a point of direct engagement with a consumer or customer and provides a powerful and unique opportunity to show them that you appreciate and value their input and feedback.  Those who aren't viewing social media as a large part of the customer experience are still missing the boat.  But they won't be for long, because if present trends continue, they'll either be forced to adopt or forced to close shop.

So, how is your online customer experience?

"Those who CAN...do. Those who CAN'T...teach." Not so fast!

"Those who can, do.  Those who can't, teach."  

I'm sure you've all heard that famous adage.  I used to use it myself!  Not anymore.

A few months ago I was following a discussion on LinkedIn about why many universities don't yet offer marketing classes in social media.  The majority of comments in the discussion seemed to be in agreement:  That many tenured marketing professors don't know much about social or digital media because neither existed when the educators were learning about marketing, and very few of them use digital platforms themselves. 

However, social and digital media can't continue to be ignored as new marketing channels.  So where do universities go to find teachers who can educate students on their use in the business world?  And if universities continue to disregard social media, where do students go to learn about it as a marketing tool?  The second of these two questions is easy, since students are doing it already.  They attend professional workshops through organizations like the American Marketing Association that offer programs on social media almost monthly!  With the cost of student memberships in professional associations being very reasonable, more and more scholars are turning to professional practitioners to educate them on new strategies and innovative models that they can't learn in the classroom.

But what about the answer to the first question:  Where do universities get teachers to educate their students on the use of digital and social media?  The answer is... the same:  Adjunct faculty - professional practitioners who are successfully using new channels to enhance marketing strategies, improve the customer experience and generate new revenue streams every day.

Real world experience is the best teacher.  Case studies can provide excellent examples of both expected and unexpected scenarios.  Marketing professionals can read through suggested text books to identify whether the content is accurate or a bunch of philosophical garbage, and thus focus on those pieces that will provide the greatest value to the students.

I'm not dismissing the importance of a knowledgeable professor.  Clearly business professionals are not trained educators and can't always provide the nurturing, context and perspective that a skilled teacher can offer.  But with technology literally moving at the speed of light, sometimes an experienced grunt is more valuable than a highly educated officer.

Trying to reach affluent consumers online? Provide free content!

According to a recent article in the Biz Report, new research from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), shows that affluent consumers "are more willing to share information to allow the customization of ads that accompany free digital content."

The article goes on to say that, "Despite their affluence, they prefer free ad-supported content to having to pay for the privilege. The IAB's study found that affluents appreciate the relationship between free content and advertising more so than the general population (72% vs. 61%). As such, they are more willing to share personal information to help create a more relevant online experience (32% vs. 23%)."  I guess they didn't become affluent by spending frivilously.

Most affluent consumers tend to use much less traditional media than less affluent consumers, and are much more likely to be online using digital media.

So what does this mean for today's marketer?  It means that digital channels, and mobile channels in particular, may be the long sought after solution for reaching and activating an audience ($100,000+ AI) that spends 3x more than other consumer populations.

Digital content providers listen up!  If you really want to make money off your app or website, perhaps charging a subscription fee isn't the best option, assuming you want to reach consumers with plenty of disposable income.  Advertising is still a relevant revenue stream.  You just have to stop using 1995 business models.

Maybe it's time to regroup.  I'm just sayin'...

Yes, Social Media is the Future, but Here are 10 Reasons Why Traditional Media Still Rules…For Now

10. Terrestrial radio is still a powerful tool for reaching a highly targeted local (or national) audience

9. Television is still the primary entertainment and news medium of choice for baby boomers and gen-Xers

8. Celebrities will provide endorsements through traditional media, but few, if any, will utilize social media to promote a product or service

7. Print media coupon distribution is a great support channel for targeted radio or TV buys and a preferred coupon distribution channel for baby boomers

6. Prices for traditional broadcast media are much more competitive today than they have been in years (However, print is still overpriced)

5. Most TV and radio stations will still write and produce your spots for you at little to no additional cost

4. Direct mail is still a very cost effective medium for geo-targeted, call-to-action marketing campaigns and for measuring coupon redemption

3. While intrusive (unless you have Tivo), broadcast media advertising still reaches large numbers of consumers and continues to be impactful

2. You can still leverage the use of social media through your traditional media buys, enhancing your reach, frequency and ability to engage and activate your target market

1. You should never put all of your marketing “eggs” in one basket. Social media can generate powerful and measurable results, but in most instances should still be integrated into a broader multi-channel approach that includes and is often led by traditional media