When your boss looks at your marketing plan, does she ask you how you plan on measuring the return on the company’s investment? Does he question the ability of public relations campaigns to generate sales leads? Are you wondering if the grim reaper is lurking around the corner of your cubicle?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you’re not alone. And the questions aren’t new.
More than 100 years ago, Philadelphia retailer John Wannamaker was quoted as saying, “half of my advertising is wasted…the trouble is, I don’t know which half.”
Most marketers still wrestle with this problem, which is why you see so many turning to search engine optimization and pay-per-click programs over traditional broadcast and print advertising. They may not be any more effective in the long run, but at least the advertiser has something to measure.
What about public relations managers, who struggle not only with the age-old question of connecting the dots between publicity and sales, but also with the shrinking (disappearing?) news hole and how to place a value on social media strategies.
Wouldn’t it be great if your marketing plan were made of Kevlar and coated in Teflon?
The truth order to survive these tough times, your marketing plan needs to be like The Terminator….an ultra-high-tech endoskeleton covered in living tissue.
Technology plus humanity = bulletproof.
Software developers have created algorhythms that can pinpoint Web chatter down and tell you who is saying what about your products and services, and to whom. They can analyze your sales data and tell you who your best customers are and demonstrate how to better focus your sales force to maximize profits while eliminating wasted energy chasing “bad” customers and prospects.
In the hands of a marketing, sales and service team willing to be genuine, transparent, caring and responsive, these programs not only generate greater revenues and profits, but also engender long-term customer loyalty and value.
And they’re bulletproof.