Wednesday, September 18, 2013

CRM Channels In India

Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM): Importance of Different Channels


In our previous article we discussed the importance of Customer Relationship Marketing for any business. After analyzing the intellectual usage of Customer relationship marketing, it is difficult to visualize how a marketing division can sustain without it. The potentiality of CRM is literally eternal.

In this article we will discuss about the different channels used in India through which customer relationship marketing can be enhanced. These channels help you to build a brand and an image in the market. As a result of these efforts you will be able to add a list of loyal customers who like to talk about your products or services. These six channels are:
  • Customer service

  • Content

  • Social media

  • Email

  • Customer Loyalty Programs

  • Surveys


Here we explain how these specific channels can be used in your business. The businesses that give priority to customer relationship marketing have been fully rewarded for their efforts.
1-Customer Service – Regardless of the advent of technology into customer relationship marketing, the personal support and attention will always form the basis of remarkable customer service. Reciprocity and personalization are two major keystones for an outstanding customer support. To accomplish these objectives, it’s really important to establish a balance that aligns employees with proper demarcated aims and guidelines. Always remember that the businesses who are pioneers in offering in comparable customer service have this aim embedded in their business culture, so you should also ensure that you should also make efforts and invest in employees who realize the importance of customer support.

2-Content – Everyone around is talking so much about Content Marketing. However there is a reason behind this. The traditional paid advertising or marketing revolved around letting the customers know about your products or services or may be getting clicks for your business through online mediums. As soon as you stopped investing money in these marketing channels, the results also stopped.
On the contrary, by the help of content marketing you can make long-term relations with your customers. It should not be viewed in the light of traditional marketing expenditure as the returns on investment made on unique and informative content will be last till the time the information is related and significant.

Although content is just not limited to customer acquisition. You can also use content as a support system for customer relationship marketing. Webinars, support documentation and free resources can promote your content to customers if it is: 

  • Comprehensible
  • Usable
  • Functional
  • Motivational
  • Enjoyable

Content marketing explains customers why they should do things, how to do and what things they should do.

If your content is not explaining these three points to your customers then you need to re-evaluate your content marketing channel.

3-Social Media – With its far-reach, social media can be a very useful channel for customer relationship marketing.
There can be multiple methods to use social media to develop strong relationships with your customers, all of which are required to correctly display your products’ brand values. You can use this channel to build trust and prestige among your customers and to successfully resolve any issues or problems related with customer service.

At the same time if your business doesn’t serve to professional business requirements then you can even use it to connect with your customers through interactive aids and humor. Social media helps in customer relationship marketing as it let you to identify your target audience and informs you about what services they are looking out for. If your efforts are making you a part of your customers social media circuit then maintain the place by offering them with the apt content that they really need.

4-Email
 Marketing – Since years email marketing has proved to be the strongest medium to build customer relationships. Add in this channel by providing free informative content and product updates through emails. A regular flow of unique and usable content assures that your campaign is meeting its objectives which the companies haven’t been able to achieve through social media and ad displays.

Email marketing can prove a boon for small businesses as an opt-in email list ends up in building long-term relationships with customers and prospects.


5-Customer Loyalty Programs – Generating long-lasting loyalty programs for your customers is not an easy job but the success of these programs makes it more significant irrespective of the efforts and hard work involved in it.
As with each facet of customer relationship marketing, developing an excellent loyalty program begins through understanding the needs of your customers and what they intend to do in turn to achieve it.

Here’s a 3-step sum-up of how to create a customer loyalty program to meet his needs:
  1. Come up with an advantageous and useful result. Customers will never entrust any loyalty program till the time they find the results to be useful. Extra bonuses or add-ons for your services or products can help you to achieve Additional access or bonuses for your product can be time-taking but many a time’s freebies perform best.
  2. Detect an action customers will repeatedly perform. You can add a reward for simply buying the products for e.g. getting a bonus on a referral.
  3. Ensure this program is in line with your business. The loyalty program should be designed while keeping the business objectives in mind and it should revolve around your business’ modus operandi.
6-Surveys – Customer relationship marketing is about helping and informing customers regarding your products or services. Surveys have proved really important tool for this. You can use both standard and targeted micro-surveys to understand needs of your customers.
Market analysts state that customers are far more likely to relinquish details to companies they are familiar with, like, or trust and the information collected can be used to enhance the quality of your business and products. Surveys are the best technique to get feedback's from your customers.

Your surveys should focus on three points mainly:
  1. Intention. What is the objective behind creating this survey?
  2. Concision. Add questions that are important.
  3. Prejudice. Is this clearly communicating with customers?

When you carry out quick surveys on regular basis with your old and new customers, you will end-up with informative data that you can use to assess your products or services.

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