Poking your customers: Using Facebook to engage with your customers

5th July 2011

With 25 years sales and marketing experience we have seen many different terminologies for engaging with your customer. In the early 90’s it was “Touching” your customer, in the last decade it has been “Engaging” with your customer but with Facebook now having 600 million users with an average of 5-6 hours per month per user the term “Poking” your customers could become the new buzz word.
ALL businesses need customers. The fundamental basic requirement for all businesses is to have the correct marketing message. The transmission of a message is considered to be the core activity of any marketing communication, and it is defined as all the activities which concentrate on the communication through which ever channel you may use, of the value of the product, or service that your business has to offer to a potential customer or consumer. The marketing message keeps the focus of all your marketing efforts, in the direction of trying to convince the target-market to buy the product or service.
Having the correct strategy and message takes time and effort. Having the right brand and image to communicate this message is vitally important to persuade your potential customers that they need your product or service.
For help and advice visit http://www.e-strands.com/site/services/design  
In summary, one should follow these steps to create an effective marketing message:

1) Identification of your target market, log and profile of each individual client or contact

2) Understanding how does your customer seek to satisfy or solve their problem by the use of your product or service?

3) Identification of the benefits of your product or service rather than the features and advantages

4) Create the message and plan a strategy and brand ID

5) Select the various media or channels in which to promote the message

6) Implementation of the planning and promotion campaign using SMART
7) Have in place a review mechanism to evaluate the results and review these results on a regular basis.

The relationship that exists in choosing the appropriate communication channel with the specific target-market to which the message is directed is vital to the success of any marketing campaign. (This will vary depending on each case.)

With everybody having brands pushed to them in various marketing messages every minute of every day, creates an image in the subconscious of the consumer, and thus enhance the possibility of the product's purchase.

Here are some examples:

“The average American is targeted by 3000 messages per day. That
includes phone calls, e-mail, meetings, conversations. -- Data Smog by
David Shenk”

“The average American adult is exposed to over 600 advertising
messages in a single 24-hour period. -- Managing Business to Business
“Marketing Communications, De Bonis and Peterson.”

Each of us sees more ads alone in one year than people of 50 years ago
saw in an entire lifetime. -- DMNews magazine, 12-22-97.”

By using the various channels available such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and web you can bring together a great on-line marketing message but this should be part of your strategy. Print, face to face and good old fashioned letters should still communicate your message to your customers just as powerfully as the new digital media. Remember that it is called the marketing mix for a reason so do not rely on just one channel like digital to communicate the benefits of your product or service to your customers, mix it up.
For help and advice visit http://www.e-strands.com/site/services/marketing
We hope this helps you create a fantastic marketing message.
E-Strands Marketing Team.
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