Marketing: Then and Now
The other day, I went to the local grocer’s. As is with most local stores in every city in India, this grocer started asking me about my family’s and my well – being (he has been the local grocer for many years now, and knows every family in that area), and once I was done shopping, I stood there chatting him up for some time. On my way home, my mind dwelt on the conversation I had with him. We did not talk about anything big like the economic crisis in Greece. In fact, we spoke about our lives – everyday problems, inflation, work life, home life, etc. And yet, I walked out of the store satisfied.
This got me thinking – customer engagement is just a fancy phrase used for what local grocers have been doing for generations. As a regular customer, the shopkeeper knows your purchasing habits, and can guess what you are looking for. For example, if you buy edible oil sometime between the 5th and 8th of every month, and you miss out one month, he will definitely ask you about your lapse.
This is what companies aim to do with their marketing strategies – reach out to people on a personal level. Sending e-cards for birthdays and anniversaries is very cliché, given your data is available online or they have it from a form you filled. Also, most of such gestures are accompanied by automated messages, which make customers think that they are not really valued.
As the marketing guy of a company, or as a business owner, you must look for tools that will help you understand what your customers require and how you should go about giving it to them. Your customers might be looking for advice, for information, or for guidance. It is your duty to find out and give it to them. There are social media monitoring tools available that scan multiple sites to look for any mention of your company/brand/product name. You can then go ahead and see who is saying what, and reply to them. Use these tools to make your fans/customers feel valued, feel wanted, and feel that you are not here to con them. Use it to build trust.