Last week, I attended Forrester’s 2015 Predictions: CMOs Boldly Reach For More Influence In The Enterprise webinar which focused on current strategies CMOs should adopt to be successful in 2015. The predominant theme of this webinar was the notion that the CMO “holds the keys to the customer,” and leveraging this is essential to transforming the customer experience. In this new age of the customer, it's imperative that a company's marketing strategy focuses on the behaviors, needs, and priorities of the customer. Below are five recommendations that CMOs should consider as we shift into this new era of the customer.
1. Build the marketing message around your customer, not your product.
Thanks to the Internet, customers are smart, technology-emboldened information seekers who already know everything there is to know about your product. A marketing message surrounding your product is vulnerable to competitors’ imitation and customers’ boredom. Invest in a different direction with messaging that enhances the customer experience by attracting and keeping their attention.
2. Re-think your approach to marketing operations.
Make business decisions based on the impact those decisions will have on your customer interaction. Try taking a systematic approach to developing metrics around customer engagement and retention and build your marketing management practices from there.
3. Shift the focus from just customer acquisition to full customer engagement.
Acquiring customers through your marketing efforts is difficult enough, but it’s now critical to engage the customer throughout the entire customer lifecycle. This means placing equal prioritization on customer acquisition and customer retention. Enhance collaboration with the CIO to develop a successful holistic strategy.
4. Understand your customers' buying process.
Are your customers employing a mobile mindset? Are your customers’ needs different depending on their location? This is crucial information to know when communicating with your customers as choosing the optimal time and method of engagement can reduce costs and drive revenue.
5. Embrace new marketing and sales technologies.
Manage and monitor customer behavior through life cycle solutions and engagement platforms. Explore modern delivery methods for your marketing message. Technology is extremely helpful in today’s ever-evolving dynamic markets and changing business environments.
Old-fashioned marketing simply isn’t cutting it anymore. CMOs are facing the responsibility of delivering contextual marketing that matters to customers in the ideal moment of engagement. Seeing success in this age of the customer will hinge on the adoption of customer-centric marketing processes and technologies.
