3 Ways Interactive Marketing Can Help Your Brand Stand Out in 2015
3 Ways Interactive Marketing Can Help Your Brand Stand Out in 2015
Consumers are bombarded with marketing messages each day, whether they’re watching TV, surfing the internet, or strolling through the expo booths at an industry conference. All of this noise has created immunity in customers, who now view ads as something to be ignored. As a result, brands are searching for ways to stand out without scaring off the customers they’re trying so hard to attract.
Businesses are increasingly turning to interactive marketing to reach customers on a more personalized basis. Thanks to the growing availability of data analytics, brands can collect information on individual customers and design marketing campaigns specifically for each person. Surveys and social media interaction also help give brands insight into how customers are interacting with a particular product or service. Here are a few ways interactive marketing can help your brand be heard above the noise in 2015.
Email Marketing
One of the most popular ways brands are using interactive marketing is in email. By now most consumers have received emails from companies like Amazon that deliver product suggestions based on a customer’s history. If a customer purchases or views a particular item, these companies deliver emails making suggestions for similar products. This same type of communication can be used to let customers know when something goes on sale or a new version of a previously purchased product is released.
Prospect Management
A business’s sales team works hard to bring new clients in, constantly chasing down leads and trying to convert them to long-term customers. Interactive marketing makes prospect management easier, helping identify promising leads based on website visits and online activity. In today’s social media environment, it’s easy to learn relevant information about customers and identify those who might be interested in being contacted by a brand’s sales team. Interactive can also be used to gather leads at conferences or other events, allowing customers to provide information on the type of products or services that interest them, to which a business can respond by creating targeted notifications or sales team follow-up.
Customer Service
Many customer service desks now use interactive marketing to personalize customer conversations. As soon as a call comes in, service representatives can access information about a customer that can create a more personalized experience, including a person’s name, call history, birthday, and other purchased products. By wishing a caller a “happy birthday” or letting him know that a new upgrade is available for another item he owns, a business can create a more pleasant environment for the call and make the customer feel as though he’s more than just a name in a database. This could be the difference between a one-time customer who walks away with a mildly pleasant customer service experience and one who becomes a loyal returning visitor to a brand’s website or store.
As 2015 begins, many brands are searching for the right way to reach out to customers. Interactive marketing allows a business to get to know its customers and create a personalized experience that benefits both customers and its own bottom line.