Photo courtesy of Jeff Payne: I can assure you there is no shortcut getting to the very inside tip of this Texas landmark. Winding narrow staircases, hidden paths and doors lead to the most spectacular view atop the Texas State Capitol overlooking beautiful Austin, Texas. Thanks to a special friend arranging this not-for-public and once in a lifetime experience.
"I can't remember."
That was my wife's reply when I asked her the name of the guy that we met in Fort Worth who helped us with information on an RV for my parents.
That was just a year or so ago, and I couldn't remember his name or business. That day we had talked to several people from several stores, and a year later I couldn't recall how to re-connect with him or the name of his business.
It is loss for us both.
This week, I received an email from a newsletter subscriber asking if we could meet. I didn't recognize the name, but he said he had been reading my newsletter for quite some time and wanted to meet to discuss a marketing strategy for his business. He asked if I would be available. I called, and we now have an online meeting scheduled.
The greatest marketing shortcut is leveraging your knowledge of your customers' wants and needs in order to maintain a relationship with them.
The RV guy missed an opportunity to solve my problem. He did not leverage using the knowledge he had about my need.
The newsletter subscriber, on the other hand, saw a reason to engage.
Some thoughts to consider:
- Google found that shoppers reference an average of 10.4 sources before making a purchasing decision.
- Forester reports that buyers may be up to 90 percent of the way through their journey before contacting a salesperson.
- The new marketing imperative is to create more value, for more people, more often, so that when it is time for a customer to choose a service, product, or company, they choose you.
- The buyer is in control. If you forget, the customer will remind you.
- Leveraging knowledge (data) takes a sophisticated, agile, and highly measurable approach to targeting customers' needs and wants. Strategies are fueled by analytics, automation, content, email, social media, and search.
- Turn your content into a magnet.
- Every business is a stage, and the customer is buying an experience. Is the experience worth remembering? How about paying for it?
- Be relentless at growing your subscriber list.