January 21st, 2010
by Lorrie Thomas
Marketing Therapy is a healing process that facilitates professional understanding. When the “a-ha” moment that the secret to organizational marketing success is within a business leader AND within their organization, the light bulb goes off and marketing can start to shine!
Marketing success comes from listening, understanding and then serving well (based on listening and understanding). Service needs to come before sales. Sadly, customer service is the often overlooked “ugly step child” of marketing, taking a backseat to “sexier” arenas like pure sales or awareness activities (advertising, social media, etc). It is my job to re-train your brain and help you help yourselves, so keep reading to see how sexy service can be to your bottom line! (it can, really!)
My work as the Marketing Therapist is never done. What keeps me going is the positive web vibes from positive role models like Misty Gibbs, Web Gemologist and Founder of a wild web site called My Inspiration Lounge. Her latest marketing work can inspire you in your marketing efforts (and show you how sexy service AND SURVEYS can be)!
Misty hired Web Marketing Therapy last year for light advisory (which she took and used all our tips thankyouverymuch) and since then, has been rocking the wild web building:
-Awareness
-Educating and Distributing Information
-Connection (yep, relationship making baby!)
-Building Sales
-Offering Great Customer Service
Misty is dedicated to building a community of inspired women - in the name of healthy marketing, she looked within and tapped a gargantuan marketing asset - her community! Recently, Misty reached out to her organization of women (via her email list) and did a simple online survey that yielded some very sophisticated (and sexy-service-centric) results. Learn the Three Things Misty Learned From Surveying.
My healthy marketing advice to you is simple - rely on WHAT YOU HAVE and cultivate your assets.
Look within to be successful as you branch out to = meaningful marketing!
Start meaningful marketing by listening to your existing customers. To learn what your customers want, ASK THEM! Tap tools like online survey tools to ask clarifying questions. I am a fan of Zoomerang, other online survey sites include Survey Monkey and email companies like Constant Contact and My Emma have survey tools bundled in with their email services.
If you want to make money and make marketing matter, serve your customers. Get over your ego that you know your customers needs and do not fear that you may get negative feedback. All feedback is great feedback.
Listen, learn and grow!
Example of the Email Misty Sent to Survey Her Customers - Ask, Learn, Adapt then Succeed!
Web Marketing Therapy Related Links:
- Postive Role Model - Misty Gibbs of My Inspiration Lounge
- Customer Service Vigilantes on the Web
- Do you love your customers with all of your art?
- Blog Babe Tip - #1 Tip to Blog Success
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(January 22nd, 2010 at 1:34 pm)
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Derek Falk, Falk Custom Adventures
(January 22nd, 2010 at 8:44 pm)
Great post!
-Awareness
-Educating and Distributing Information
-Connection (yep, relationship making baby!)
-Building Sales
-Offering Great Customer Service
5 simple rules to follow, sounds easy enough! I’m on it.
Thanks again Lorrie!
Derek Falk
Falk Custom Adventures
Lorrie Thomas
(January 22nd, 2010 at 9:05 pm)
Thanks Derek!
It took me ten years to figure out that simple recipie for marketing’s meaning and I love that I can share it in cyberspace!
Take Care!!
-L (The Marketing Therapist)
Misty :: MyInspirationLounge.com
(January 24th, 2010 at 9:16 pm)
Thank you for sharing Lorrie! II have to add that conducting the survey for My Inspiration Lounge in January was a great way to kick off 2010 and I felt like my community was very receptive to participating since they were in “reflection” mode themselves thinking about what they wanted to accomplish this year. The survey tied in well with the New Year theme…I also tried to ask questions with substance that would tell me what I really needed to know. I have seen too many corporate surveys where the results wouldn’t add up to much since the questions were so general. I also left an open field for each question and received some really good responses!
Hugs and thank you for keeping us inspired!
Misty
Lorrie Thomas
(January 25th, 2010 at 1:44 am)
Misty,
THANK YOU for the extra insight! Timing and allowing organic feedback (via the open boxes) is such great advice. I agree with you on the corporate blah-veys where they are sent so the “higher ups” get their survey checked off their list, but there is no heart in the execution.
Virtual hugs back at ya web sister!!!
-Lorrie