The world of marketing has changed dramatically over the past several years. That’s not news to anyone in the field. What is still open for discussion and interpretation, however, is how best to reach today’s consumers. The overriding concern is how best to position a growing company or corporate brand to deliver exactly what today’s consumer needs, wants, and will respond to. Krishen Iyer, who founded Mais Consulting following a successful career as a serial entrepreneur, now works extensively with corporate leadership and marketing teams to buoy up their marketing efforts. He is known for his ability to breathe new life into stagnant companies and energize corporate leaders. He has achieved extensive success in mentoring executives and turning struggling companies around.
Because it is widely agreed that the traditional customer journey has evolved, many forward-thinking marketers now believe that the digital age has ushered in a new range of customer actions and a new pattern of customer reaction. Ben Tepfer of Adobe, a “senior technical evangelist,” believes that the lifecycle of the traditional customer journey — that of “discover, explore, buy and engage,” is long gone.
A New World of Marketing
An insightful article published January 12 by Mar-Tech, outlines what he believes constitutes the newer, more involved customer lifecycle. He notes that brands today are charged with delivering messages of value across a diverse spectrum of digital devices, channels, and platforms. It’s a daunting task, one that he believes requires a commitment to personalization.
Tepfer admits that personalizing the marketing message requires more effort, but he also believes that it offers a greater return on investment. He adds that without such personalization, companies are going to face difficult times trying to attract and retain customers.
Serial entrepreneur Krishen Iyer, who has built his reputation by helping revitalize, rebrand, and sell multiple companies, concurs with that assessment. He fosters interaction between individuals, business teams and brands, and their customers. Iyer believes business mentors are the key to success in nearly every field, and his consultants work with corporate teams to strengthen individual skills and energize marketing programs. They focus on resolving problems, initiating innovative thinking, building resolve, and empowering corporate teams to face the challenges of this new age. Business expansion and greater success in the business marketplace is a key goal.
Sauble’s approach is definitely a personalized one.
Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges
Just as Tepfer believes that today’s customers demand personalized communication, Sauble confirms that direct and personal interaction is the key to successfully revitalizing businesses. When he and his consulting teams work with marketing teams to hone their strategies and skills, they use the same techniques that Tepfer recommends for revitalizing a marketing approach.
The vast array of digital outlets, devices, and platforms that marketers must manage, according to Tepfer, include the following:
- Print ads
- Online stores
- Webinars
- Digital apps
- Streaming ads
- Downloaded information
- Brick and mortar stores
- Mobile shops and online ordering
- Product videos
- Social media
- Corporate blogs
Customers also have the ability today to comparison shop for products online, to read reviews posted by other buyers, and to compare pricing and purchase items and/or services without ever leaving their own homes.
The ability for meaningful customer interaction is either greatly strengthened or greatly diminished, depending on a company’s viewpoint and marketing plan.
Krishen Iyer Making It Work
The best way to promote meaningful interchange between the brand and the consumer, according to Tepler, is to utilize much of the same technology to the individual brand’s advantage. His view is simple: To personalize the message, brands must collect as much data as possible. He insists that as full a view as possible of the customer base is vital. It is only then, he believes, that the brand will be able to deliver high-quality communication aimed directly at each type of customer.
The marketing team, in this way, has an opportunity to become involved in a direct, if digital, way with the client base. The team will also have the valuable insights that existing data can provide.
But, he insists, the data isn’t all that’s required. He believes that conversations are the key to future marketing in the digital universe. Communication is the “two-way street” that makes personalization possible, and successful companies must rely on technology to create real conversations. “You need the technology to be able to execute this,” he said. “You need technology that acts and listens in real-time, that follows through with customer engagements, and that lets customers drive their conversations.”
Those conversations, he adds, must have value, and effective brands will be as attuned to the feedback provided as they are to getting the message out. This is the nucleus of the Krishen Iyer methodology as well. With headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif., the Krishen Iyer team has a global reach, and is adept at employing technology to benefit and assist the brands they work with. They recommend any technology that empowers those brands to connect with their customers, streamline their marketing processes and achieve their sales projections and business goals.
Krishen Iyer and Change for the Future
The two thought leaders agree that adopting a plan for great customer conversations is the path to future achievement. They also agree that those conversations are only valuable if both sides practice the art of “active listening.” Sometimes, according to Tepfer, a brand’s marketing team is not going to like the conversation. But taking criticism and unfavorable feedback in stride — learning from it and making the changes that are warranted in order to improve the customer experience — those skills are vital.
This is what constitutes real change, progress, and personalization of the customer’s journey. Customer journey analytics software can help integrate such personalization for brands on the cutting edge of personalization. The new world of marketing is changing almost daily, at something approaching warp speed. If your company wants to remain relevant for long in this fast-paced digital world, now is the time to take a deep dive into what your customer base is experiencing, and make the necessary marketing adjustments right now.
Tomorrow will be here before we know it. Will you and your team be ready to face it with confidence? Now may be the time to enlist the help you need to face the future with confidence. Krishen Iyer. and Mais Consulting, stand ready with innovative ideas, proven techniques, and positive mentoring strategies.
