Engaging Customers on Their Terms
Most experienced online marketers could prob-ably write the curriculum at their local universi-ties for classes related to various strategies and tactics of online marketing. However, it seems that many online marketers tend to ignore the valuable lessons that database and direct mar-keters have learned over many years of prac-ticing their craft. These traditional marketers know that marketing is, at its very core, about connecting with prospects and customers in a meaningful way on the customer's terms. The online marketer's challenge is to make sense of the vast information that traditional offline marketers could only dream of to connect and build relationships that benefit not only their organization, but also their visitors and custom-ers. This guide will help you identify your key segments and, more importantly, provide you with tools and knowledge to better manage those segments.
So, how do you effectively develop relation-ships with thousands of individuals that come to your site? The truth is, while one-to-one marketing is a worthy goal in many cases, it just isn't practical. Just as the catalog or direct marketer looks at cluster codes, lifestyle overlays, the online marketer needs to create meaningful groups or segments that are sig-nificant as well as manageable. As an online marketer you can then develop the marketing strategies and tactics that will strengthen your relationship and keep them interested in what you have to offer.
Segmentation Benefits Customers
Today's customers expect no, they demand relevancy. If what you're try-ing to communicate doesn't connect with them and their issues in a split second, you've lost them. Knowing who your customers are and what they need is a requirement to compete in today's competitive online world. Anticipating what they want and providing value at the right time, place and format is what is needed to win...
What distinguishes online marketing from various forms of database mar-keting is the incredible wealth of data and the velocity at which everything moves. Consequently, businesses that are able to successfully measure, segment and digest thousands or even millions of customer transactions in a fast and efficient way will realize a significant competitive advantage. The proper use of customer information and segments will benefit cus-tomers too. Customers should perceive the information and offers they receive from you as a benefit (if it's relevant) of having a relationship with your company.
How do you touch a customer's life through segmentation and a data-base? There are many ways, some of them so simple that we may over-look them. For example, when I visit Blockbuster.com, they greet me by name and more importantly provide me with recommendations based on my previous selections and the scores I have given to movies. Personal-ization is nice, but recommendations are valuable. Blockbuster is able to make these recommendations because of the data they have collected about me over time and through tracking my behavior.
Not too long ago, I was shopping for light fixtures online. I even put an item or two in my shopping cart, but decided to leave the site before placing the order. When I revisited the site a few days later I was offered a discount on lighting fixtures and I was provided additional information on a new line of lighting fixtures that the store was now carrying. This was an unexpected benefit and made my shopping experience easier.
Finally, the other day I received an email from an online women's clothing store. It was a brief email from the department manager, reminding me of my wife's upcoming birthday and it contained an offer to gift-wrap and send a dress by one of her favorite designers, in her favorite color and size in time for her birthday. I snatched up the offer. This business is providing a valuable service for their customers and I bet it's a very profitable one too. It made me glad to be in their database. And it was all made possible through
customer intelligence and smart segmentation. When done well, segmentation and database marketing will make your customers feel con-tent about having a relationship with you.
