Marketing technology correctly used can add real power

There is now a wide range of software and technology that can improve marketing effectiveness at all stages in the sales and marketing process. There are four main ways in which software and technology can assist your marketing performance:

1. Customer Insight (finding the right customers) – Customer insight is all about using the information you already have about your customers and external market information to make better decisions about which customers you want, how to make more from current customer groups and also finding new, undiscovered profitable customer segments. Without marketing technology it is simply not possible to trawl this data and develop patterns and effective strategies.
2. Customer prospection (how your customers find you) – The ubiquitous mobile phone and internet connection are now key assets in letting your customers get the most from your products and services. However, doing it properly is not as simple as building your own web site. Ask us how new sales channels should be effectively exploited
3. Customer experience (What your customers find when they get there). You can use technology to improve the service and experience your customers and potential customers receive when they come to you. Use self service, call me facilities, product builder wizards etc. to make buying easy.
4. Customer relationship management (Keeping your customers once you’ve got them). CRM might be a dirty word; but done properly it can do wonders for both your service and your bottom line. We can help you make the most of a much maligned method.

Technology enabled marketing – your activity checklist

1. Identify your marketing software priorities – you can spend a large amount of capital on your marketing software. Carry out an analysis to identify where your investment will have the greatest impact. Focus on getting your initial area of investment right before moving on to another priority.
2. Make sure you have the skills to use marketing software. Before you can use complex marketing support software effectively you will need to think carefully about the extra skills, new abilities and different ways of working.
3. Consider new approaches to marketing via the web. Email marketing, RSS feeds, personalisation. All of these are new and powerful means of improving marketing performance. Yet they can only be delivered via the right technology infrastructure.
4. Provide support to your customers. Technology really can improve the service delivered to your customers. As long as you back it up with the resources and processes needed. Examine where costs can be reduced or costs diverted to improve customer service delivery