By Tiffany Whitaker
In the breakout session Marketing to the Power of One, Joel Book shared his knowledge of nearly 40 years as a marketing consultant. He pulled from his recent experiences at Exact Target, recently acquired by SalesForce.com and focused on the dramatic changes and shifts in digital marketing.
The Connected Consumer
All marketing is direct marketing. Brands need to have the ability to leverage insight and deliver personalized and relative content. Today’s consumer are more connected and informed then ever before. They are also more empowered and demanding. Mr. Book shared some compelling statistics that back what most PR professionals know to be true and important.
• The average shopper needs 10.4 sources of information to make a purchase decision. In 2010 that number was 5.3.
• It starts online – 70% of online shoppers are willing to share more personal information to receive more relevant offers.
• 74% of consumers rely on social media to help them make an informed decision and 68% of those consumers trust the opinions and reviews posted online by other consumers.
• 93% of US consumers are email subscribers and email is still the preferred method of contact and sharing.
The Age of Mobile
Consumers are forming relationships with brands. Companies have an opportunity to reach them with customized content. And now, they can be reached on their most personalized device – their mobile device. Mr. Book exclaims, ‘the smart phone has changed everything’.
• 72% of US mobile phone users are smart phone owners.
• Mobile search has grown 400% in the past year. Is your website designed and optimized to be mobile friendly? If not, make it your #1 priority
• There are nearly as many smart phone users as there are television viewers – 5.2 smart phone users and 5.5 television users.
• 41% of consumers are simultaneously using their mobile devices while they are watching television.
What does all this mean for you? Marketing and PR has become a 24/7 job to engage, influence and serve consumers through online and offline channels. They expect personal, timely and relevant information, offers and service. Mobile will account for more than 50% of the marketing budget by 2019.
The Line is Gone
As we approach the next decade, campaigns will unfold in real-time and simultaneously across every device and channel. As Renee Wilson, Chief Client Officer with the MLSGroup, mentioned this morning in our general session, ‘the line is gone’. Mr. Books supports this same idea that marketing, sales and service are all coming together in one-to-one marketing. Shopping, buying and usage have merged together to become ‘the customer experience’. Businesses that understand the connection between getting business and keeping business will create brand advocates. 54% of consumers would consider ending their loyalty relationship with a brand if they were not given tailor-made, relevant content and offers.
You are only as good as your last interaction with your customer. Journey management is the key to delivering a great customer experience. The action of purchasing is just the beginning. The brands ability to provide customer service and build brand loyalty through customer engagement in every touch point will make or break them. Brands have to be able to sense and respond, to be smart enough to communicate with the customer when, where and how they want to be communicated with.
Content is King
Expert and branded content is more effective than user reviews and paid media. PR professionals are communicating with the same people, now in a more direct way. Take television for example, 58% of the US population will access the internet via a connected TV by 2018. When it comes to creating content we must think beyond written content and look to video and gamification for storytelling and continue to share your most valuable content through email marketing.
Mr. Book leaves us with his key message – serving has become the new selling. The 1 to 1 marketing paradigm is understanding the needs and expectations of individual customers. It is an excited time in the PR industry!
Download the presentation here.
ABOUT JOEL BOOK
Speaker Bio: Joel Book is a founding principal in the Marketing Insights group at ExactTarget, a leading provider of marketing automation solutions for data-driven digital marketing leveraging the combined strengths of email, mobile, social media and websites.
Book joined ExactTarget in the spring of 2004 and has become one of the industry’s leading experts on cross-channel marketing and customer experience management. A respected professional with more than 37 years of experience in database marketing, Book teaches organizations how to leverage customer data and marketing automation technology to deliver offers and information that are personalized to the customer’s needs, interests and preferences.
He’s one of the most dynamic and sought-after speakers in his field because his no-nonsense presentations are packed with current trends and best-in-class examples of digital marketing that show how innovative brands are using email, mobile, social media and websites to acquire, onboard, serve and retain customers. Book is a 1976 graduate of the University of Illinois where he earned his degree in marketing communications. He is
a member of the Business Marketing Association and the Direct Marketing Association.