Category: Writing

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/markgrow/~3/U1exdKB0Vt0/

By Brooke Sellas

Creating personal customer experiences is nothing new. But adding context marketing to those experiences is key when it comes to modern marketing and solving customer pain points.

In this episode of the Marketing Companion Podcast, I’m still holding down the fort while Mark Schaefer recovers from COVID-19.

I was so fortunate to be joined by the brilliant Mathew Sweezey of Salesforce. We talk about his new book, The Context Marketing Revolution: How to Motivate Buyers in the Age of Infinite Media, and how context is exactly what helps marketers and business owners cut through the noise and provide seamless, highly personalized customer experiences.

Mathew is Principal of Marketing Insights for Salesforce.com, author, podcast host, multiple award-winning marketers, pioneer of the marketing automation space, and regarded as one of the top minds on the future of Marketing (he’s even written a delightful article here on the {grow} blog).

On this episode, Mathew and I take a deep dive into the five context elements, and how you can apply them to create personalized customer experiences:

• How do brands *really* cut through the noise of infinite media?
• Creating customer experiences means understanding the five context elements of context: 1) availability 2) permission 3) personal 4) authentic 5) purposeful
• Mat also gives several examples of brands doing it right, like his own company’s Salesforce Trailblazer Program and how people are vying to become a ‘Ranger’
• And finally, how can brands ditch the campaign and focus on the customer journey?

Creating customer experiences can be daunting, but with Mat’s vast research and examples, it feels like anyone can do it.

And while I’ve loved having amazing guests on the podcast with me, I’m happy to report that Mark is on the mend and should be back co-hosting with me soon!

Click on this link to listen to Episode 188

Other ways to enjoy our podcast

• Try this! “Alexa, play the latest episode of The Marketing Companion.”
• Click here to download the latest episode or subscribe in iTunes
• Listen to us on iHeart Radio
• Find us on Google Play
• Find the podcast on Stitcher
• Complete Marketing Companion Episode Guide
• The Marketing Companion YouTube channel

The post Creating Personal Customer Experiences With Context Marketing appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

https://econsultancy.com/marketers-on-the-new-normal-krisztina-orosz-chief-experience-officer-at-anyline/

Krisztina Orosz is Chief Experience Officer at Anyline, a mobile OCR SDK.

We caught up with Orosz to find out how Anyline is adapting during the pandemic, how it is helping frontline workers, and what three words of advice Orosz would offer marketers right now.

Let’s hear more…

Please describe your job: What do you do?

I am the Chief Experience Officer at Anyline. My main job is to take care of my team and make sure that they are happy and productive. Next to this I take care that our touchpoints during the customer journey are all at the highest quality according to Anyline standards.

How has your typical day been impacted in the short term by the pandemic?

Since the pandemic, we are working reduced hours under the Austrian government support programme for businesses. That means being a lot more efficient and focused with our time, and as part of the management team, keeping everyone connected and ‘in the loop’ is my biggest priority now.

What are your favourite tools and techniques to help you get your work done at the moment?

I think a lot of people feel like they’re stuck in limbo, with every day blending into the next. What’s helped me break out of this is setting myself little rewards: an online yoga class, a crazy new recipe, a team pub quiz, anything! Having something to look forward to at the end of each day is a good motivator, and it’s a fun way to try new things and stave off the boredom! These after-work events help also maintain a more personal connection to my colleagues, which makes communication for work much more efficient.

What changes are you making to help your brand connect with how people are feeling and experiencing the pandemic?

Right now, we all have a responsibility to play a part if we can to help, whether directly, by offering solutions to frontline services, or indirectly, perhaps by helping people get through the crisis on a personal level. As we already work with security and humanitarian services, we’ve decided to offer our scanning technology for free to those on the front line, from the police to logistics companies, while coronavirus is still disrupting our lives.

Which companies have impressed you since the outbreak?

It’s been really impressive to see some companies quickly pivoting to produce essential products, like Brewdog making hand sanitiser and others like Dyson developing ventilators. But equally, it’s ok to ‘stay in your lane’, and I respect companies for this approach too. Many companies who can’t develop actual products have stepped up and forgot about competition, and have started sharing best practices and guides. For example Loop, a media agency, has a wonderful marketing guide for everyone.

What trends have you seen in the last few weeks in your sector?

There’s no denying the virus has put many tech companies (startups, scaleups, you name it) in a vulnerable position. We are hearing of some – especially in tourism – that have seen revenue completely vanish overnight, and that’s definitely distressing. We are fortunate to have recently closed a round of funding, which puts us in a more stable situation than others.

One of the biggest trends we’ve seen is the proliferation of webinars everywhere – since everyone’s  event calendar has been cancelled, it makes perfect sense to drive lead generation, and I’ve seen some great ones already.

In addition many older companies who have been through the 2008 crisis are sharing guides and giving advice to younger ones, to help them through the upcoming crisis. It’s great to see that people can come together in business during such a time.

What advice would you give a marketer right now?

If I could give just three words of advice, they would be honesty, authenticity and brevity.

Honesty, because unless you’re an epidemiologist, you’re not an expert. Authenticity, because people will see straight through a marketing exercise disguised as an important update. And brevity, because we are all flooded with content right now!

More generally, it’s clear that customer purchase triggers have changed, and when people want to address primary needs, a back-to-basics approach is best. Show the added value you can bring to the new reality we live in, and speak to the needs of prospective customers, without gimmicks.

What does long term planning and strategy look like now at your brand?

When you’re developing a new technology like we are, it can take time to convince new markets that your solution is not just a ‘nice to have’ but will actually be a vital part of their future digital transformation.

As we’re confronting an economic downturn, budgets are already being tightened, and businesses are rightly stripping off any unnecessary ‘bells and whistles’ they don’t need. So while we continue to develop technology that should ‘wow’ potential customers, our focus going forward is on showing the long-term savings and efficiencies companies will make by working with us.

The post Marketers on the new normal: Krisztina Orosz, Chief Experience Officer at Anyline appeared first on Econsultancy.

https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-to-reclaim-lost-habits-and-start-new-ones-james-clear/

Need to develop better habits? Wondering how uncertainty or change impacts your habits? To explore how to reclaim lost habits and build new ones, I interview James Clear on the Social Media Marketing Podcast. James is the author of Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones. He […]

The post How to Reclaim Lost Habits and Start New Ones appeared first on Social Media Marketing | Social Media Examiner.

https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/beginners-guide-to-successful-facebook-ads/

Thinking of diving into Facebook ads? Wondering what the common pitfalls are? In this article, you’ll discover three important considerations when starting your first Facebook ad campaign. #1: Commit to a Facebook Funnel Implementation All successful marketing starts with a clear strategy and Facebook advertising is no exception. With a strategy built around your available […]

The post Beginner’s Guide to Successful Facebook Ads appeared first on Social Media Marketing | Social Media Examiner.

https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/621806944/0/convinceandconvertconsulting/

 

The worldwide panic of coronavirus is leaving big and small brands wondering what happens next and the best way to communicate with customers. Here are a few ways to win your customers’ trust during these crazy times:

Use Your Site

Creating a public update on your corporate blog describing how you are coping with the situation and how your brand is helping its customers is always a good idea.

Nancy Seeger shares some valuable tips on how to phrase your public messaging effectively:

Don’t pretend everything is normal – address the issue head on.

Don’t keep you marketing the same as before. Now is the time for some great karmic marketing messages. One of the car companies in Canada changed TV ads – to say “This is where we normally would show you our great new models, but instead we want to thank the doctors and nurses for……”

Another example is the new Budweiser commercial that is also thanking the doctors and nurses.

Build your local community. Offer shout outs to those that are supporting the local community or industries that support your industry.

Use humor carefully. We don’t want to be dark and depressing, but many have love ones that are sick or at risk. Tread carefully.

Avoid generalizations or statistics that change to often. Marketing Communication stays around for a while and needs to be specific and valuable enough, without becoming dated too soon.

Give hope. People will always remember how you make them feel and giving hope in times of crisis is a great way to create positive energy.

All in all, your messaging should make each of your customers feel they are not alone.

B2B SaaS companies should have a policy in place regarding what to do to try to counteract cancellations. Some businesses have lost part of all of their income and must cut expenses. This might be to waive fees for a particular period of time or grant extensions on time to pay. It is better to retain them as a customer you hope will recover soon than potentially lose their business forever.

Get in Touch

If you have their email and social accounts, put them to use — but only if you have something useful and relevant to say.

There was a flood of Covid-19 email updates recently which also resulted in lots of memes like this one:

The bottom line is: Keeping your customers informed is important but only if what you have to say is important to them.

Gail Gardner of GrowMap.com is sharing her experience:

Ecommerce stores I’ve bought from for years and others I’ve only used due to shortages of food staples are sending their customers email messages. If you have backordered products, keep your customers informed by email.

Anita Campbell, founder and CEO of Small Business Trends: suggests a very personal approach:

Send a message just saying “How are you doing? Is everyone well there?” No pressure. No selling. Just a friendly “I care about you enough to check in” message. I’ve had a couple of these. One from the owner of the virtual assistant agency we use. Another from a consultant we have used from time to time. Usually the only time I hear from them is when they send an invoice. So it’s nice to get a friendly “human” message.

To support businesses vcita had come up with coronavirus email templates helping their users to manage communications with the customers of theirs. All you need to do is to sign up for vcita free trial to access the templates:

Janice Wald of Mostly Blogging brings up an important point: don’t use Coronavirus crisis as a marketing opportunity:

It is important you let your email list members feel your compassion not greed during this difficult time. Trying to profit during the Coronavirus is fine. Don’t try to profit FROM the Coronavirus.

For example, you can begin your marketing emails by expressing concern about the email list member and their family. End by expressing wishes they stay safe and healthy.

Create and Curate More Resources

Keep your social pages and feeds updated. Be honest about how this situation is affecting your ability to serve your customers. If payments are an issue, be flexible and think through your strategy in advance.

Share tips and insights about how your industry can cope or even expand during these challenging times. Shawn Hessinger, an executive editor Small Business Trends, has set up a standalone Facebook page that aims at helping small businesses through these uncertain times:

Using your site as a knowledge hub for your customers to have a page to refer to is also a great idea. SEFCU created a huge list of resources informing their customers how they can use online banking to avoid trips to their offices and how to apply for the financial relief program.

Nextiva created a similar resource geared towards small businesses struggling to set up a remote working environment. The page lists all possible tools to create a remote office, including their business collaboration suite.

At IMN, we put together a private dashboard for us to brainstorm tips for our clients to keep their businesses afloat. Because we manage clients in a variety of industries, creating standard guidelines for all of them wouldn’t work, so we have to approach each of them. These recommendations are totally complimentary. Let’s face it: our company’s success depends on their keeping their businesses active. We are into this together.

Conclusion

Whether coronavirus is going to threaten humanity remains a question but one thing is clear: No matter what thousands of businesses are already affected and it may get worse. To prepare your company for possible outbreak consequences, use the steps above.

The post How to Communicate with Your Customers During the COVID-19 Crisis appeared first on Content Marketing Consulting and Social Media Strategy.