123 eGuides

1 Minute Advice: 3 Marketing Wishes for 2014

When it comes to your marketing, what do you wish for in 2014? Here are three things every marketer should wish for:

1. Become a beloved brand.
   Consumers have so many brands to choose from, it's a wonder that any brand can cut through the clutter and be noticed, much less be loved. But in 2014, you can do more than just wish for becoming a beloved brand -- you can help make it happen. How? By offering products or services that are far and away superior to your competition in value and quality. By committing yourself and your company to the best, most responsive, most professional customer service (or better yet, "customer care"). By showing your customers and prospects your brand has a soul -- that you care about something important other than merely profits.
   
   
2. Understand your customers.    
   Once you acquire a customer, the marketing process isn't over -- it is just beginning. From the very start, you should be building a profile of each customer that includes basic demographic data as well as purchase history and preferences. You want to learn as much about customers as possible so you can create products and services with distinct appeal to them. Eventually, you should  be able to identify and target customer segments with appropriate marketing messages. Ultimately, you should be in a position to treat each customer as individually and personally as possible. 
   
   
3. Discover the right media mix.
   In 2014, effective marketing will mean solving the media puzzle. This challenge really relates to the second wish above, because by understanding your customers, you should also know their media preferences. While it may be obvious that online media has become the marketing darling, it's important to identify which online media is favored by prospective customers. Where do they go to get their information? Where do they spend their time online and offline? What are their favorite social media networks and tools? What are the most effective media channels to use to deliver high quality content to them? Discovering the right media mix will be one vital key to marketing success in 2014.

 Ever wish you could market your small brand like a big brand marketer? Learn the strategies and techniques to do just that by taking the online course, "Big Brand Strategies for Small Brands." This unique course, designed especially for small brands with limited marketing budgets, is available on-demand, so you can take it at your own pace. Taught by brand expert Barry Silverstein, the course provides a roadmap for putting your own marketing arsenal together to make your brand stand out. Learn more about it here: www.bigbrandstrategiesforsmallbrands.com .

1 Minute Advice: In 2014, the Customer Rules

Savvy marketers know who the real boss is: It's the customer. With the rise of social media and the proliferation of open dialog between companies and consumers, the customer has become more influential than ever. Today, a customer who has a positive experience with a brand becomes an advocate and an ally, referring friends and family to the brand. A customer who has a negative experience, on the other hand, isn't afraid to broadcast it via online comments and posts.

That's why 2014 will be a year when the customer rules -- and marketers need to know just how to communicate with customers, address their concerns, and meet their needs. 

Silverpop, a marketing automation and email marketing solutions company, has published a useful white paper, "7 Key Marketing Trends for 2014," that points marketers in the right direction. In it, the company covers topics including remarketing to customers who abandoned shopping carts, leveraging physical locations to build opt-in lists, deploying highly personalized websites, and engaging customers when and where they want. It's a document well worth reading if you want to stay on the cutting edge of marketing.

Another way to stay on the cutting edge is to use our inexpensive, compact 123 eGuides for proven strategies about branding, sales leads, and product launches. And our new "On Your Own" 123 eGuide is a must if you're thinking about starting your own small business. Find out more about all available eGuides here.