Do businesses really think like their customers?

It’s important not to forget how your customers think. There’s the old adage: “put yourself in their shoes” – but there any many businesses who don’t.

The trouble is, they get so wrapped up in what they’re doing, the technology and the objectives, the jargon and the statistics, the products and the profits, that they stop seeing the wood for the trees.

It seem the larger the organisation, the more cocooned in their technological bubbles they become. The marketing lingo is almost like a foreign language, acronyms are bounced about like rubber balls, the bigger picture is adhered to without any consideration for the ‘now’.

Therefore it is a good thing to deliberately put yourself in the place of the customer, and try and analyse exactly what is going on, what decisions have been made, what the promotions actually mean, how understandable are they, and how easy is it to perform online what the company wants to be done.

This is a common problem in such a fast moving technological world, where new methods are constantly created and objectives, opportunities and outcomes change. The personnel inside the organisation adapt to maintain the status quo, but do their customers? So much new knowledge is absorbed, implemented and monitored, that they forget outside world is struggling to keep up.

So sometimes the words that are used, the message that is put across, the way the company communicates with their customers, seems to have lost touch with the ‘real world’. They are so proud of their products and the technology behind them, this sometimes clouds over the real purpose of promotion: you need to use the same words the customer would use, empathise with their problems, and provide a solution with real added value.

Share

*How* you use digital marketing is the key

Many companies are waking up to the idea that they must start using digital marketing. Many of them may already be using it – sort of – because they are aware of Facebook, Twitter, email newsletters and the like. There are many reasons why companies have not progressed within digital marketing, but the most obvious,…

Share

What’s wysiwyg and how can it help?

Wysiwyg, or ‘what you see is what you get’, was a great revelation back in the ’80s (ooh, that dates me), when suddenly all this meaningless programming with mind-boggling code was replaced with a visual of what you were trying to create. I suppose I was advantaged when my Mum insisted on using Macs, and…

Share

The importance of simplicity

I’ve always been an advocate for simplicity. Over-complicated things are such a waste of time, for both understanding and implementing. Simple things aren’t necessarily beautiful, but your perception of them will change once you start to appreciate their simplicity. An ugly structure can support a beautiful exterior, because it has been specifically made to be…

Share

How to wine and dine your prospects online

Online customer relationship marketing (jargon for engaging with customers online) is a bit like hosting a dinner party. As every dinner party hostess will know, it’s all about your guests. You are not there to promote yourself, but to engineer the evening to make it as pleasant as possible for all present. You take pains…

Share

Communication, an effective business tool

As my entry into the JupiterJasper Marketing lesson blogging competition, this blog is about the one concept of marketing I think will really help your business. This is ‘communication’, which comes in many guises: Research Do research into how your customers think, in order to communicate with them effectively. Even before starting to trade, it’s…

Share

Why your email list needs to be personal

One of the most annoying things about the internet is receiving spam. It’s almost as bad as those telephone calls that try and sell you stuff you don’t want, and even if you are signed up to the Telephone Preference Service, some, especially those from abroad, still slip through the net. So considering we all…

Share

Interaction is vital in social networking

When you’re dealing with social media, one of the most important things to consider is interaction. Interaction is when your readers, audience, fans, friends or whatever are compelled to respond to your social networking activities. This will happen when you post up something that is worth commenting on, full of value, beneficial and helpful, entertaining…

Share

LinkedIn: Answers can spread expertise

At the end of your navigation links in your LinkedIn profile is a tab called ‘More’. At the top of the drop-down menu that appears when you mouse over it, is the option ‘Answers’. I often wonder why it is tucked away like this when it is, in my mind, an integral part of effective…

Share

LinkedIn: socialise through the groups

A great feature of LinkedIn is the groups. There are literally thousands to choose from, in a similar myriad of subjects, levels and sociability. Locate them through the ‘Groups’ link at the top of your profile page, and you will automatically go to the list of groups you have joined. These vary from open to…

Share