From time to time, I conduct marketing Q & A sessions with groups of entrepreneurs, CEOs and other businesspeople. And although every organization is unique, the issues these folks raise often apply to a variety of enterprises. So here are 3 questions that come up frequently these days and my shorthand answers. Feel free to contact me if you’d like more detail.
Q: Hasn’t social media pretty well replaced traditional marketing?
A: No, not at all. In fact, social media is simply one more vehicle to help build relationships with customers and nurture a positive image of your company. Sound marketing strategies must still address the bigger picture, including the company’s products, services, distribution and pricing structure, as well as digital and other promotional activities. Social media, when used properly, can help inform all of the marketing components and support the firm’s positioning efforts. However, no one form of communication is universally effective. Most companies require a mix of promotional tactics to properly reach their audiences.
Q: Why should I spend money on advertising when Public Relations and social media are free?
A: You should decide whether or not to invest in any traditional form of advertising on the basis of your overall marketing strategy and the mix of promotional tools that best serves this strategy. While it’s true that not every person you want to reach regularly reads magazines or newspapers, watches TV or listens to radio, likewise, not everyone is equally engaged with Facebook, Twitter or other digital media. The key is to know and understand your audience so you can determine where you are most likely to reach and engage them. Then build an integrated marketing communications program aimed at this target. Also remember that while advertising, by definition, is a paid form of marketing communications, PR and social media are by no means cost-free. Someone – inside or outside of your organization ¬– must spend time writing press releases, organizing events, maintaining press and stakeholder relations, updating your Web site, blogging, tweeting, responding and monitoring social media activity. And since time is money…well, you get the picture.
Q: Our customer satisfaction surveys are very positive, yet we continue to lose customers. Why?
A: Assuming you routinely address any red flags your surveys raise, most likely you’re either not asking the right questions or your methodology is suspect. You need to follow a process for developing surveys that will give you a realistic snapshot of your customer’s true feelings. This process begins by defining the specific goals of the survey and how you will measure the results. Many people skip this step and immediately begin drafting questions. Unfortunately, unless you know precisely what it is you need to learn from the survey, you may ask the wrong questions or ask them in the wrong way. Another common problem is assuming you know what “satisfaction” means to your customers. Using personal interviews, you can ask a representative sample of customers to define the term. As a result you may well learn that there are some key issues that your survey questions aren’t addressing and, more importantly, that your organization isn’t delivering. Finally, you are more likely to get honest answers if a third party conducts your surveys.
Have other questions you’d like answered? Send me an email or give me a call.
Tags: customer satisfaction surveys, Marketing, public relations, social media