http://www.marketingprofs.com Marketing Resources for Marketing Professionals en-us Copyright 2000-2009 MarketingProfs, LLC http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MarketingProfs-Web/~3/Daq1FlgQhBQ/customer-lens-approach-to-customer-touch-point-analysis-blake.asp Few marketers would dispute the statement that it is the sum of all customers' interactions with a company, over time, that ultimately creates or destroys that company’s brand value. Yet few companies take the time to look at their own business practices comprehensively through the lens of their customers to understand how they measure up to their customers' needs and expectations. Does each customer interaction live up to the brand experience that the company is trying to create? Are you providing a more consistent and relevant customer experience than your competitors are? Which interactions are the most powerful for creating customer loyalty? http://www.marketingprofs.com/9/customer-lens-approach-to-customer-touch-point-analysis-blake.asp http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MarketingProfs-Web/~3/BMWT-W_J5CI/use-twitter-to-attract-prospects-engage-customers-ellis.asp Before you enter the relatively new frontier of social media, you need an action plan. Although the costs are low, social media tools require extensive maintenance to be effective. Your strategy needs to fit your corporate culture, resources, and customer expectations. Twitter is probably the best place to test the social-media waters to see if it is right for your company. http://www.marketingprofs.com/9/use-twitter-to-attract-prospects-engage-customers-ellis.asp http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MarketingProfs-Web/~3/kNg2EYdIJRM/healthcare-needle-social-media-haystack-kuzel.asp Marketing professional in the healthcare industry may be missing a golden opportunity to meet the sometimes-desperate needs of patients, to become more relevant and supportive in the long arc of their journey to better health. If they do, they will win their respect and loyalty, their adherence and behaviors will change to improve their overall health, and the financial bottom lines of healthcare brands will strengthen. Everybody wins. Here are three steps to ensure health care isn't left behind in the social-media sphere. http://www.marketingprofs.com/9/healthcare-needle-social-media-haystack-kuzel.asp http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MarketingProfs-Web/~3/WONOh0kow8g/recession-proof-hispanic-market-borthayre.asp The Hispanic market seems to be the only one still flourishing these days in the face of economic doom and gloom. Foreign-born Hispanics in the US have been historically unaffected by economic downturns. Why? And how can you tap the market effectively? http://www.marketingprofs.com/9/recession-proof-hispanic-market-borthayre.asp http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MarketingProfs-Web/~3/k-IEDcq_V-U/talk-to-me-translate-pr-results-into-business-language-thieke.asp As communications experts, we should find it easy to convey the value of our services to the business managers in our organizations. Yet many public relations professionals struggle with expressing results in a way that allows senior executives to easily recognize the impact that PR has on the success of the business. http://www.marketingprofs.com/9/talk-to-me-translate-pr-results-into-business-language-thieke.asp http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MarketingProfs-Web/~3/rZS7XQB6B0M/tips-for-small-b2b-companies-that-depend-on-big-channel-partners-baxter.asp It's a challenge faced by hundreds of small companies: how to get the CXO of a Fortune 1000 company to consider its product. One effective strategy that helped get companies such as Citrix and VMware off the ground is to align closely with a major partner. Building a strong channel, even with just one or two partners, can be much more effective and easier to leverage than trying to develop your own sales team and customer relationships. The following five tips can help B2B companies maintain strong channel partnerships. http://www.marketingprofs.com/9/tips-for-small-b2b-companies-that-depend-on-big-channel-partners-baxter.asp http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MarketingProfs-Web/~3/gmHzFDbiWz4/online-community-essential-market-research-methods-kembel.asp How much do you know about your customers right now, at this moment? A lot of companies can show you composite profiles that describe their target customers, including job titles, needs, obligations, and goals. No doubt about it: It's important to know those things. But relying solely on such information to connect with customers is like trying to strike up a conversation with a cardboard cutout. It just isn't enough. http://www.marketingprofs.com/9/online-community-essential-market-research-methods-kembel.asp