Technology has changed our lives. What we do, where we go, what we buy, how, why and what we share with others. How businesses market therefore also needs to change. If they still want to sell. The days of 'if you build it they will come' are long gone. Even for Kevin Costner. Sorry Kevin I loved that movie.
That's not to say traditional methods of marketing are now completely defunct though, the landscape is just different.
Here is what you need to know..... the Marketing 101.
Marketing is the business of promoting and/or selling your products and services right? Well, yes.
And, the journey of a person becoming a customer is called a funnel right? Absolutely. Marketers talk about a funnel to describe the way they attract new prospects and convert them into customers.
What Do We Mean By Funnel?
Traditionally with limited resources, organisations have had to prioritise their time on trying to best find and convert prospects, whilst juggling the needs of their existing customers.
Generally that was because the science of keeping customers was largely unknown. It's just about good customer service right? Wrong. It's also about communication. As we now know, after people purchase your product or service, it's about keeping that conversation going. This is where the good old 80:20 rule comes in.
And happily, in case you don't have a small army of telesales people who can do this for you - Social Media has stepped in to help you maintain client contact. Hoping that, when they are ready to buy (or their friends are) they will remember your great Customer Service and come back for more.
Social Media — the new Word of Mouth
Social Media Marketing helps you maintain the relationship with your existing customers - by keeping in contact with them. What is more, technology enables us to influence consumer behaviour at all points of a sale, before, during and after.
Using Email Marketing, Pay Per Click Advertising and Social Media Marketing as business owners we no longer have to hope that customers come back. We can reach out and remind them; making word-of-mouth as easy as clicking a share, like or tweet button.
Successful businesses know that marketing does not end with the sale, it is just the beginning. Social Media is not though a replacement for other forms of marketing your business. It is not a magic pill and is best used as part of a larger marketing strategy.
If you would like to discuss your Marketing Strategy please use the contact form to get in touch or give us a call in the office on 020 3303 0005. Thanks!
