LEADER
COLUMNIST–DMTALK
Howwelldoyouknowyourcustomer?
NICK MARTIN says insight
needs to be at the heart
of a marketing strategy.
No marketer or business a71Aruthlessplanningengine: ownisessential.Information
professional could genuinely createa‘testlab’marketing fromexternalpanelresearch,
The recession
tell you that they understand departmenttounderpinall whencombinedwithcustomer
their customer’s behaviour d dataandtrends,suddenly
is also eroding
right now. And yet, such a71
ecision-making.
Opinionstudies:validate becomestrueinsight.
affinity with
information is incredibly findingsviatelephone,SMSor Combiningtherightsources
valuable in an uncertain market. onlinesurveysforquickfeedback providesclientswithadeep
brands.
Lastmonth,Itouchedonthe understandingofconsumer
importanceofaccurate,current Changeofmindset opinionandbehaviourandthe
customerinsight–here’swhy: Onceyouhavethemarketdata bestwaytotargetthem.This
Theperceptionofyourbrandis atyourfingertips,achangeof depthofinsightwillalwaysbe
changingdailyasnewsabout mindsetisrequired–using thebestbasisforplanningany
yourmarketplaceandbusiness customerresearchtoleadyour marketingactivitysuccessfully.
breaks.Youdon’tneedtobeAIG marketingstrategy,notjust Ifyourfocusisonretention,
ortheLloydsBankingGroupto supportit.Consultancy notacquisitionofcustomers,I
knowthatcustomeropinioncan combinedwithdatafrom wouldstillarguethatreviewing
riseorfallinminutes,taking expertswhohavethelatest yoursegmentationandensuring
withitrevenueandmarket informationonyourpotential youhavetherightdataisthe
share. customerscangiveyouthe bestbasisforyourmarketing
Butyoumayneed edgeyouneed. strategy.Itcostsalotmoreto
consultancyfrompeoplewho Steponeistore-evaluate winanewcustomerthanto
understandthetrenddatato yoursegmentation.Whileit encourageanoldcustomerinto
seehowittranslatesinto mayfeellikegoingbackto repeatbusiness.
day-by-dayalterationstoyour basics,everyonereacts However,evenforthis,your
marketingstrategy,andwhich differentlytochangesinthe customerdataalonewon’t
channels,messagesand marketandneedstobe provideinformationaboutthe
productsshouldbeinfocus. marketedtodifferently. spendingprioritiesforthat
Nick Martin is managing
Withorwithoutbadnews, So,youneedtorethinkhow personorhousehold.Additional
director, Acxiom UK.
therecessionisalsoeroding youviewthetargetaudienceby dataandexpertadvicewill
affinitywithbrands.Consumers consideringpeople’srelative improveyourunderstanding,
areincreasinglylikelytosearch nervousnessinthecurrent enablingbetterdecision-making.
forthebestbargainsbefore economicclimate,basedonthe Therearesynergiestobe
makinganypurchase,rather bestdatayoucanfind.Then,the gainedbyconsideringcustomer
thangoingtothestoresorsites needsofeachtargetaudience retentionandacquisitionas
theyknowwell.Forthe shoulddeterminewhether elementsofthesamelifecycle.
marketer,thismeanscustomer you’reofferingvalueformoney, Gettingcustomerlifecycle
opinionmustbevalidatedevery reassurance,arisk-freedeal managementrightinanonline
time,beforemarketingdecisions orneedtoopenupthe environmentisoneofthe
aremade. bargainbasement. greatestchallengesbrandsface.
Researchandrigorous Theengineanddatayouuse Theabilitytopersonalise
testingofyourdataistheonly needtobecombinedtoprovide interactionswiththecustomer,
waytostayontopofconsumer abetterunderstandingofthe servingdynamiccontentbased
opinion.Thisinvolvescombining effectmarketchangeshaveon onwhotheyareandwhatthey
thewaypeoplerespondto do(usingsocialdemographics,
a71
fourkeyelements:
Modelling:continuetouse differentmediachannels. transactionsandbehaviourdata
traditionaltechniques,but Onlywiththisexpert incombination)movesyour
acknowledgethattheyarea inputcanmarketersmakethe organisationfromageneric
bestdecisionsabouthow onlinepresencetoonewhere
a71
‘rear-viewmirror’.
Snap-shotresearch: tocommunicatewith theapplicationofoff-linedirect
complementhistoricaldatawith theiraudience. mailsensibilityandbestpractice
quick-fireresearchintowhat Allthismeansfindingthe becomesareality–anddelivers
consumersarethinkingthisweek. rightdatatocomplementyour asubstantialpayback.
18 May 2009 www.dmi-news.com www.dmi-news.com September 2007 18
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