Before I begin, I should take a moment to introduce myself. I’m part of the product marketing team for SAS Customer Intelligence. I’ve had the word “marketing” in my title for more than a couple of decades, but still feel like I learn something every day. But then, marketing is changing at a faster rate than ever, so there’s a lot to learn. Which leads to my first posting …

Growing up in a small town, I could walk into any store and they’d know me, they’d know my parents - they probably even knew what I’d been up to the night before, because in a small town the news travels fast. So when it came to helping me find what I wanted, the store owner had a lot of insight that he could leverage. I enjoyed my trips uptown as it was a social experience, and I enjoyed the shopping experience too (except perhaps the part about them knowing what I had done the night before ...). Nowadays, my shopping experience often involves an internet browser or a megastore with branches all over the country/world. The concept of the store personnel knowing me, really understanding me, is unrealistic. So, as a customer, how can we feel recognized when we’re shopping? How can companies make us feel like their website or personnel can actually help us find what we need?

In a recent webinar, Aaron Cano, the former Vice President of Customer Knowledge at 1-800-FLOWERS and current Vice President of Customer Insight at MBS, discussed the importance of customer-driven marketing. He talked about six points that will help companies improve their customer’s experiences. Fundamentally, his position is that if companies can get beyond basic customer insight to one of persona based insight leveraged in all customer conversations, then the response and subsequent customer experience will improve significantly.

Cano’s first point was as follows:

1. Rethink how we communicate with customers
With the evolution of technology and so many channels of communication, customer relationship management has evolved from primarily focusing on outbound communications to one of requiring a two-way conversation. Cano stated, “CRM is no longer about promoting things to customers, but building and enabling relationships with customers. It’s about establishing a mutually profitable exchange of offers, services, and communications.”

Achieving this two-way conversation drives the need for consistent processes across all levels of the organization. These processes must enable the following:

• Acquisition of customer insight that is shared across every customer touch point
• Relevant and timely messages based on not only what the customer is likely to purchase, but also on what motivates and influences their choices
• Coordination and optimization of messages and activities across all business units
• Acquisition of high-value customers

For points 2-8, visit my full article on Customer Think, titled Using Customer-Driven Marketing to Act Like the Corner Store.