Smarter marketing is a must in today’s difficult economic climate. More than ever, organisations need to show their customers how much they value them, before someone else does.

Businesses need to look for new ways to reach customers, who are in turn demanding greater value for money. Every penny that businesses put into marketing campaigns needs to count!

Companies could do no worse than taking a leaf out of the banking sector’s book. In this time of financial turmoil banks are using increased marketing in an attempt to assure current customers that their money is safe, particularly as ownership of many banks and financial services companies change. According to Mintel Comperemedia, banks sent 42 per cent more direct-mail in the third quarter of this year than the second. The 53 million offers sent during the third quarter are nearly twice the number sent during the same period in 2007.

A way that businesses could market campaigns is through contact centres and CRM communications, which allow them to capture comprehensive information about customers, build up sophisticated profiles and create a better rapport with customers. This makes sure that every programme is appropriate for each customer and that every communication is tailored to suit the individual.

Customer profiling enables companies to identify consumers who are likely to “jump ship” and those who are loyal to the brand. It is worth rewarding loyal customers through involving them in online communities, focus groups, PR programmes and even product development. These brand advocates can become a considerable marketing asset.

The internet has become an effective marketing tool that has allowed organisations to market themselves more extensively and cost-effectively than ever before, but they are still failing to take advantage of the full potential of new technologies available. This includes semantic technology that helps monitor online conservations in Word of Mouth media (e.g. blogs, forums, social media sites and review sites), as well as being able to interpret customer queries asked by phone, e-mail, web or SMS, and coming up with fast and accurate solutions to problems in seconds.

In overcoming the current economic wave of uncertainty businesses will need to combine traditional and new marketing methods that not only maintain current customers but also attract new ones.

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