Articles

How to Make the Community Your Marketing Partner

Today, customers are more empowered than ever. And they have the tools to exchange ideas, develop styles and create trends at an accelerating pace. And yes, they are talking about you.

“Consumers are more resistant to traditional forms of marketing than ever before. But if you can find new and exciting ways to reach your customers while giving value back to the community, your customers will not only listen to your message but also help you spread that message to other members of their community.”Mack Collier, in a recent Marketingprofs.com article, suggests to try something revolutionary - join your customers' communities and talk to them directly. Once you join consumers in their space, you can begin to understand their wants and needs. Most importantly, customers will begin to understand you.

Collier warns that your customers are using Web 2.0 tools to communicate and exchange ideas, so you will have to incorporate some of the tools in your marketing plan if you want to talk to them and you'll have to learn their language.
Monitor blogs to hear what bloggers are saying about your company
Start a blog to put a human face on your corporation...signal community you want to join them.
Check out MySpace, the 80-million member hot social-networking site of the moment.
Tap consumer-generated media sites. With Consumer-generated media (CGM) is gaining popularity, entire marketing campaigns are being created around CGM. A community of "advocates" can literally become marketing partners for your company.

Read the entire article here

Posted on July 16, 2006
Permalink