2020 was challenging. But 2020 has also emerged as the year of customer engagement: caring for the customer, feeding their demand for knowledge and providing them with a real reason to interact with the brand. Even the 800lb online gorillas are in the spirit by enacting changes that reward relevance and put those that pitch too much into a virtual time-out. So what does this mean for the daily marketer?
It means it’s time to put away the snake oil and get out the simpatico. In short – it’s time to actually care about your customers – without expecting anything in return. It is difficult to dedicate resources to things that are tough to track. Things such as customer responsiveness, open dialogue and enhanced online value usually don’t have a one-to-one ROI correlation. It’s the fuzzier side of marketing - the one the CFO detests. It’s the side that is going to be increasingly important in months to come and one that can give a brand a bad rep if done lightly or insincerely. So if you adopt a strategy of caring do it seriously and DON'T expect anything in return. Expect the IFMAY. IF you become more diligent in understanding and caring about your customer’s needs and wants…IF you can show them in a non-sales fashion how your product or service will help them achieve their goals…IF you are more authentic and relevant than your competition - your customer MAY buy - which is infinitely better than WON'T buy.
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