Multichannel Magic

It is a rainy day in the NC mountains, perfect for reflecting on life, business, and things to come. The constant media commentary on our economical downfall has been on my mind lately. I hear what they are saying, but I don’t see pending doom for all things corporate. Yes, gas costs are higher than we have seen. Other costs are rising. And, some companies are failing.

Before it is all over, more multichannel companies will close their doors and/or file bankruptcy. I hate it for their employees and shareholders. It is sad to see folks lose their jobs and investments. My empathy does not extend to the management teams who are systematically committing corporate suicide. They are simply reaping what they have sown.

The connection between the company and its customers is broken in many businesses. If it is not fixed, then those businesses will fail. It is only a matter of time.

Fortunately, there are alternatives. Your business can continue to grow in the midst of gloom and doom. The article in our latest newsletter looks at the philosophy that keeps Cabela’s growing. (Click Here to Read It.) I hope that you find it interesting and helpful. If you do, please share it with your friends and colleagues. If not, please let me know.

If you have questions or comments, I would love to hear from you. Have a wonderful weekend.

Debra

The most common answer is “to generate sales.” If that was your answer, congratulations! You agree with the majority of people. Unfortunately, they are wrong. The purpose of marketing is to help people solve their problems.

Before you say “what an idiot!” and unsubscribe from this blog, I respectfully request that you read this post with an open mind. And, if you disagree, add your comment. (You can comment if you agree, too! This is an equal opportunity blog.)

If the primary purpose of marketing is to generate sales, how do you engage consumers? After all, they don’t have an interest in your sales volume or profitability. So, why would they respond to anything with the primary intent of increasing sales for your company?

What if you changed everything and made solving their problems the purpose of your marketing? Now there is a reason for them to participate. Once you make this change, consumers become customers and customers become advocates telling everyone about you (and your products or services.)
In order to do this well, you have to be able to identify the problems that affect your customers and prospects. This requires roll-up-your-sleeves hard work. It starts with listening to your customers. It continues with acting on the information. Next, you tweak it to make it better. And then, you do it all over again.

Try this with your next marketing campaign: Instead of throwing another sale or free shipping offer out to your customers, help them solve a problem. If you sell fashion, identify the next trend. If you sell electronics, explain how the latest technology is beneficial. Whatever your product or service, find a way to help or educate. As long as the focus is on the customer, your orders will come.

Have a great day!

Email is an easy way to stay connected with your customers. It is so easy that it has become the most abused marketing tool of our time. Marketing teams have discovered that they can send an email offering a discount or free shipping and immediately get results. So, they do it. Again, and again, and again, and…well you get the picture.

While they are tallying the results they want, they are also getting some they don’t. Their customers become desensitized to their marketing. It begins with a click to delete and progresses to a junk mail flag. It negatively affects the brand across all channels.

Instead of sending mass emails to all customers with the same offer, try personalizing them by your customers buying patterns. It increases response rates and average orders while decreasing opt-outs and the dreaded spam report.

Our recent eTips newsletter includes results from a marketing test that show the effectiveness of personalized marketing. Check it out by clicking here.

It is a question that haunts marketing executives and business owners. Everything will seem to be going well with the customer/company relationship. Then, it happens. The customer goes away. There wasn’t a warning, a complaint, a farewell. One day the customer simply stops shopping with your company.

The reasons why customers stop buying are as varied as the individuals themselves. Sometimes you can identify a trend, but most of the time, you won’t ever know why your customer left.

Maybe the question should be “why do customers stay?” After all, this is what you want them to do. If you know why your best customers are loyal year after year, it will give you insight on how to keep others coming back.

The multichannel marketplace is becoming increasingly competitive. The low entry fee for starting an online business guarantees a continuous source of new competitors. If your business isn’t meeting your customers’ expectations, someone else will sooner or later.

So, why do your customers keep buying from you?

Hello and welcome to the new Multichannel Magic Blog! This is where you will find how to’s, do’s and don’ts, good ideas, and some “maybe we shouldn’t have done that” examples from the multichannel marketplace. Please visit often and leave comments when you agree, disagree, or have a better idea.

My experience with multichannel management began with the catalog industry. We had multiple channels way back then, we just didn’t know what to call them! Thankfully, the Internet came along with all its wonders to help us out.

Seriously, the addition of the web channel has changed the way we connect with our customers. Some of the changes are wonderful. Others, not so much. I hope that this blog will help sort the good from the bad and provide an occasional smile. (Or, two!)

Please email me (dellis@wilsonellisconsulting.com) with questions or topics you would like to see discussed in the future. I suggest that you avoid creative or merchandising questions unless they are analytical in nature.

Thank you for stopping by. Come back when you can!

Have a great day!