2010 seems to be the year when most businesses here in southern Oregon are really starting to understand that their customers actually do want to hear from them.  The thing is, starting the process may actually damage your customer relationship.  Chances are you will make the mistakes that the wider industry have already stumbled over, learned from, and solved – unless you truly embrace these technologies and a strategy on how to truly leverage them here in 2010.

The first part is to avoid the temptation to become overly enamored with the emerging social media options like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare.  While they are part of this strategy, and certainly the “shiny new toys” that are gathering so much press these days, they aren’t a be-all-end-all by themselves.  You connect with your customers already in a variety of ways – in person, over the phone, through the mail, and importantly through email.  The process I’m about to describe for you actually apply to all these tools and you should utilize these steps with all of them.  However, I’m going to focus today on email because (1) its probably the most widely accepted by your customers, (2) is relatively inexpensive from a cost and labor standpoint to utilize, and (3) unlike the newer tools has been around for some time and has better developed metrics to date.

So what are other small businesses working on through their email campaigns in 2010.  According to this studyfrom Get Response, there are 5 major trends in email (and by extension all the other ways you connect with your customers) emerging in 2010.  And I’ll give you one more that you should include as well.  The variables to consider in your campaigns should be: (more…)

The last year has really been fun to be in marketing hasn’t it?  Think of all the “shiny new toys” that have come of age in the last year.  Facebook, Twitter, and of course the iPhone, Droid, Blackberry and numerous other smart phones.  All these new and exciting ways to reach out to your customers.

Of course all this new technology has come with a learning curve the size and shape of the Matterhorn.  Maybe “fun” isn’t the right way to describe this new landscape.

So on the topic of Smart Phones, what’s a local business to do?  Your winning strategy comes with four steps.

1.  Make a Commitment

The number of people here in the valley with smart phones is only going to grow.  So will their reliance on them as their primary communication / information gathering device.  And the more affluent your potential customer is, generally speaking anyway, the more likely they will be to rely on one of these little gems.  Whether you are ready of not, this is the new reality.  Whether your vehicle of choice becomes an ap, an ad, or a simple text message, you need to have a vehicle in this race as you can be certain that your competitors will.

2.  Don’t Overcommit

Caught you off guard with this one, didn’t I?  The major mistake I see local businesses making (more…)

The economy’s been down for so long many, many local businesses are now looking for that silver bullet that is going to finally pull them up and out and back to the promised land.  In 2010, it seems the pull is towards social media – primarily Facebook and Twitter.

And the rush in this direction, combined with how short handed many small businesses are, has resulted in a lack of attention to other advertising methods.  There may even be a short term benefit, exacerbating the problem.

Head down this path, though, and your brand will suffer in the long term.  Think about the brands that you are most loyal to for a moment.  Do they reach out to you beyond your Twitter account.  Without knowing you or the company you are currently thinking of, I know the answer is “yes.”

While the jet-setting lifestyle in this article may not be relatable for you, the underlying principals should be.  The whole article is a good read, but since you are busy, here is the high point: (more…)