marketing: adding to the "4 p's" - focusing on people to create an army of promoters

It started with a good idea. After what seemed like a lifetime

of strategy and brainstorming sessions, you came up with a

way to differentiate your product. You figured out who your

target market was and what value the product served. After

seeing its potential, you decided to explore ecommerce. Price

points, up-selling and bundles were all a part of the master

plan. With a few key styling and brand strategies nailed down,

your online store was up-and-running in no time. But you still

had a few options about where to place your products. You

researched warehousing options, distribution centers and

wanted to improve order processing overall. With good

movement on these fronts, you left the fun part for last – the

marketing. The clever marketer within you thought of

advertising campaigns, sales strategies and enticing

promotions. As time went by, you garnered the attention of

an attractive customer base and started to offer promotions to

your most loyal customers. At this point, you realized that a

product is just a product – it’s the PEOPLE that make it great.

ADDING TO THE 4Ps Focusing on people to create an army of promoters

Clay Olivier, COO and CMO – Volusion

Twitter: @volusion

So, why do this?

Happy customers spend more and

promote your brand.

Building a Dream Team

WOW! your customers

Spreading the word

CREATING LOYALTY

Build your Dream Team

• Hire the best

• Focus on Culture

• Happy employees are your best recruiters

Define your team’s mission

“Delivering WOW

experiences!”

Executive

Team

All Customer Facing Teams

Everyone else in your

Organization

Make Customer Experience part of your DNA

Happy employees make happy customers

Make it FUN!

Build your Dream Team

WOW! your customers

Spreading the word

CREATING LOYALTY

Integrate feedback into your day-to-day operations

• Consider NPS (Net Promoter

Score) to find out what your Promoters

and Detractors expect from you. Then,

communicate your action plan.

Give your customers a voice

Detractors Passives Promoters

Define your service

WOW! your customers

• Name it, i.e., Out of this World Support ™

• Rally everyone in your company around it

• Share the message with your customers

How do you interact with your customers?

(web site, email, social)

How is this idea expressed in your

products and services?

How will customers

interact with you?

How does your staff execute to this concept?

Practice random acts of kindness

WOW! your customers

• Always do more than expected

• Be proactive and accountable

• Close the loop on issues

• Small things go a long way

• Empower your employees

• Deliver WOW! experiences

• Be responsive 24x7

Building a Dream Team

WOW! your customers

Spreading the word

CREATING LOYALTY

Only 14% of consumers trust

advertisers.

90% trust recommendations from

their friends.

Free tools you can start using today

Get a snap shot of your brand

• SocialMention.com

• GetSatisfaction.com

•Technorati.com

• Google Alerts

How to engage on the social web

Social Media Rules

Do’s:

• Be transparent & authentic

• Answer questions & provide great content

• Become a valued member of the community

Don’ts:

• Steer clear of trying to sell

• Don’t attempt to control the conversation

• Don’t spam users

Spread the word

Make it easy to share the story

• Start a community or join in

• Allow customers to vote on ideas

• Have customers submit videos

• Share customer stories through

tweets, case studies and PR

• You’ll get what you want, if you

help enough other people get to

where they want.

Benefits of loyalty programs:

• Incentives the right behavior

• Increases profitability

• Increases customer retention

Loyalty program members are

70% more likely than others to

actively recommend products.*

*Source: Colloquy

Build programs to reward your best customers

Spreading the word

Find ways to recognize and

reward your most loyal customers.

Remember: Keep it Simple.

Building a Dream Team

Work to WOW! customers

Spreading the word

CREATING LOYALTY

“Your brand isn’t what you say it is.

It’s what they say it is.”

– Marty Neumeier, ‘The Brand Gap’

ADDING TO THE 4Ps Focusing on people to create an army of promoters

Clay Olivier, COO and CMO – Volusion

Twitter: @volusion