How quickly will your brand be damaged?

Social networking and the speed of complaining

Ever since my first visit to the States in 2000 I have been critical of customer service in the UK.  They accept that the experience provided by staff determines what you say to others and is in fact a marketing tool. Every contact I’ve had there since, whether in a store, restaraunt, hotel, even a mobile phone company, has been such that I have been made to feel like the only customer that matters. There has never been a time when I have approached a pay point only to be ignored by two assistants talking about their personal life.

I raise this because despite the number of customer service trainers the situation shows little sign of improving, particularly within large chains. 

Organisations are now aware of the importance of the internet as a sales tool but have they considered the growing importance it will play as a customer service tool. 

Social networking is only going to increase over the coming years and 2010 will see a growth in mobile interaction of such sites as twitter and facebook. For the first time an immediate emotional response to a situation will be available. You know the feeling when you have had a poor customer experience. No longer will you have to wait to send a letter or email to the company, Instead you will be able to vent your feelings immediately to the hundreds of other potential customers who follow your profile. Already search mechanisms are being launched that will find these conversations therby extending the reach of the complaint.

In a recent study by CPP Group, they looked at what was considered poor customer service and how quick costomers are in telling their friends and family about their experiences. In this study they saw a growing trend toward using social networking to share frustrations rather than telephoning or writing to the company directly. The statistics included: 

“…. young adults under the age of 35 could do the most damage to an organisation’s reputation as they are most likely to talk about poor customer service online. Nearly three in ten (28.6%) of 16-24 year olds and two in ten (19.2%) 25-34 year olds would specifically use Facebook, versus only 2.7% of consumers aged 45-54 years old; highlighting the persuasive influence of this single website”.

Source: CPP Group Plc survey – October 09 (CPP White paper on Customer Service)

The above shows that customer service must become a key part of the marketing mix and can no longer be treated as a ‘lip service’ department dealing with the odd query and feilding occasional complaints. 

In face to face situations remember that the assistant behind the counter represents your brand, your product, your quality. If they get it wrong research suggests you could pay dearly.

www.dlhvisulacommunications.co.uk

Time to smell the marketing coffee

I had a meeting recently with an independent high street solicitor and although a small practice, the senior partner was very switched on in terms of marketing. Our conversation included some discussion on the new Legal Services Bill, commonly known as Tesco Law and I commented that many partnerships would need to start to think about putting into place some kind of marketing strategy if they were going to compete in a more open market.

His comment back was ‘don’t hold your breath. Most solicitors are only just getting to grips with computers and email. They’ll never get marketing’

Marketing Mentor

The next few weeks will see the launch of Marketing Mentor. Marketing Mentor will be an email newsletter that provides marketing news to organisations which may not get regular information of what the current trends are within the industry.

Articles adapted from some of the best specialists around, will include general marketing subjects, social networking, mobile marketing, viral marketing, guerrilla marketing, online etc. all presented in a clear and concise way. If you would like to receive a copy please go to the web site to register.

www.dlhvisualcommunications.co.uk

Your own marketing dept. from £350.00 per month

The more SME owners I speak to, the more it becomes obvious that a lack or fear of marketing planning means that many will be left behind as the UK emerges from recession.

In order to help dlh Visual Communications is offering to provide 6 months marketing support from as little as £350.00 per month*.

We will

• conduct a complete review of your organisation
• branding
• internal and external communication
• speak to your customers
• look at where you want to be in 12 months time
• look at the most cost effective methods available at achieving the set goals
• prepare and manage a marketing plan

Contact me for an informal chat and make sure you are ready for the next 12 months.

No long-term commitment

It’s a safe way to try without making a huge commitment. dlh Visual Communications only has a minimum six month contract, after which you can leave any time with just 30 days’ notice.

Payment must have cleared by the start of each month and can be made by BACS bank account transfer or cheque.

*£350.00 per month covers a full 7 hour day. Additional time and expenses would be agreed beforhand.

Sign up for news on special offers by sending your email details to

info@dlhvisualcommunications.co.uk

Mobile Marketing

Anyone involved in on-line marketing would do well to consider establishing a seperate web site for use by mobile phones.

There are several reasons for this including the fact that Google now has a mobile content index which is distinct from standard SEO and also the fact that many standard web sites are difficult to read on mobile phones.

With an increasing number of potential customers using  mobile devices to view the web spend on mobile marketing is set to increase considerably over the next few years.

david@dlhvisualcommunications.co.uk

Marketing and social media in 2010

Looking around the industry there are a number of predictions for what will be the trends for the coming year. Here I am highlighting a few of those that I consider will stand the test of time and be relevant for the whole of 2010.

The growing use of social media will continue to play a part within many organisations but there are associated trends that will affect the way marketing strategies are put together. The increasing use of mobile technology in both B2B and B2C will see the development of much more focussed and targeted marketing. It will not be enough to personalize a direct mail campaign with someone’s name, they will, in future expect the message to be personalized.

This will however, provide organisations with opportunities to connect with customers on a much more personal level.

• Delivering product information when and where the customer needs it
• Tailoring messages based on the customers purchase cycle
• Using your marketing to treat customers as individuals delivering information to them in the manner they prefer. Telephone, mobile applications, internet, or even video.

The attractiveness of Twitter is the fact the users are able to provide instant messages to a number of people. In a marketing context, this has made us re-focus on the importance of timing. With a bombardment of messages hitting the customer at any one time, it could be when they receive the message rather than what it says that makes the difference.

Real time communications are set to increase with the growing sophistication of hand held devices and the growth in platforms such as Twitter and instant update sites such as LinkedIn.

With more and more people (customers) talking to each other, the role of Customer Service will play an increasingly important role within the marketing mix. The best marketing strategies can be damaged by poor customer experience and this experience is shared almost instantaneously by everyone they know.

Often two separate departments, we may see a blurring of the edges between customer service and marketing as marketers realise that their message inspires or falls flat subject to the quality of customer experience.

Audit your marketing activities

You’ve heard the saying “if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got”. Well how many micro, small and medium organisations take the time to audit their marketing activities? I don’t mean looking at what you spent on advertising or print but looking at everything that influences customer behaviour. A marketing audit often identifies problems or areas that could be holding you back and opportunities that you may be missing.