What is Marketing

Not so long ago, businesses had a limited number of ways to reach consumers. There was print, TV, radio and the usual networking at events. Today, there is web-based, traditional, satellite and Internet radio and TV; print, mobile and social networking. Businesses have a myriad of ways – and even more options – by which to engage consumers.

With all of these ways, means and choices by which to touch customers, it becomes a question of which customer touchpoints are the best for your business? Which will produce the most return with the least investment of time and/or money?

A customer touchpoint is the interface of a product, service or brand with customers, non-customers, employees and other stakeholders – before, during and after a transaction respectively a purchase. This applies to business-to-business- as well as business-to-consumer-markets.

Take a look at each of your customer touchpoints. Is your Facebook page simply a brochure-style extension of your website? Does the YouTube page you created just repurpose the same videos you have in other places? What about your LinkedIn profile? Is that merely a re-listing of your personnel, sales locations and company overview? How about your mobile device presence: does it simply replicate your website?

What about how these channels use brand-specific elements like your company name, logo, corporate colors or other service or product-specific monikers and trademarks? Are these different in each instance? Should they be?

And your advertisements and messaging, email footers, flyers, your sales offices and the other ways and means by which you “touch” customers and prospects: Does the messaging in these channels differ? Should it?

What Difference Does Any of This Make?

Think about it from your customers’ perspective. Do your advertising, marketing and pre-sales efforts (on and offline) deliver a consistent and engaging encounter – one that uses proven practices, cultivates rapport and creates a call-to-action in consumers’ minds? Or do your efforts portray a schizophrenic and haphazard experience with your brand that turns consumers in the opposite direction?

It’s easy to see how companies can lose control of these touchpoints and why so many businesses have difficulty delivering meaningful results from their sales efforts across these channels today.

While it is absolutely important to be present in the best channels that your buyers are working and playing in, each one requires a specific and unique approach designed to leverage the attributes of each respective platform. This requires a strategic plan and implementation specifically targeted to each platform, in order to be successful. For example, while it may be cool to have your entire website available on mobile devices, people do not navigate sites on phones and PDA’s in the same way they would on their PC. Likewise, have you merely duplicated your video content on your YouTube channel?

So, what then is the objective of each particular customer touchpoint and how will it be measured?

The challenge is 3-fold:

1. To present a consistent brand statement

2. Which will cultivate and drive a socially intelligent theme and message

3. Enabling rapport with the consumer and instilling a call-to-action

This is the root of the customer experience.

A proper messaging pathway must exist when developing a strategy for selling a product or service today. A syntax of thesis, antithesis and synthesis (the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in a balanced way) that ensures the efficacy of the creation and delivery of marketing, advertising and other communications services within the consumer marketplace.

Social intelligence messaging says that each of the platforms your business utilizes in its marketing and advertising efforts should be unique. This makes sense because each platform caters to a specific and unique audience.

Reaching each unique audience successfully is achieved through the strategic delivery of various techniques within each of the marketing, advertising and press specialties. This is built in to each customer touchpoint and is specific to each messaging platform.

Ensuring a consistent and engaging customer experience on and off the web is critical in today’s market. When it’s done correctly, your business personality – your customer touchpoints – will reflect that in your sales conversions. You’ll be rewarded with customers. However, if you’ve missed the mark and the customer experience is schizophrenic, you’ll be able to tell that, too, by the lack of sales conversions.