MARKETING & CUSTOMER SERVICE NEWSLETTER
ISSUE
15 MARCH 2013
this issue Marketing P.1 Customer Service P.1 Tool, Tidbits, and Trends P.2 The WOW Factor P.2 Upcoming Events P.3 Web Hits P.3 Key Marketing Dates P.3 Sponsorship P.4 Training P.5 Professional Development P.5 TEAM FMWR P.6 Employee/Program Highlights P.6
CUSTOMER SERVICE The more you engage with customers the clearer things become and the easier it is to determine what you should be doing. OPEX & OPEX REFRESHER TRAINING DATES
20 MAR - OPEX 0730-1630 AMCC 21 MAR - OPEX Refresher 0800-1130 or 1300-1630 AMCC 25 APR - OPEX 0730-1630 AMCC 26 APR - OPEX Refresher 0800-1130 or 1300-1630 AMCC Remember space is limited to 28 per session so please get your staff registered now. The Refresher is for front line staff. Anyone who is a rater is to attend the Sustaining the Covenant Management Workshop – date TBD.
“During these challenging economic times it is more important than ever for us to provide great customer service, as our customers have choices as to where they spend their time & money”
Mr. Wayne Bardell Director FMWR Fort Leonard Wood
Customer Service isn’t a department, it’s an attitude!
SIX SIMPLE QUESTIONS One thing about marketing: everybody with a printer and FaceBook account thinks they are a marketer. We grow up bombarded by media and advertising, so it’s only natural that people think they understand it. The same is true of web design – people know what they like and they assume that’s what’s effective. Sometimes it is, but most times it’s not. This creates a unique arena for marketers because they will always be second-guessed. There is always someone who’s sure you’re wrong – your creativity is bad, your strategy stinks, your media is wrong, or maybe you just don’t “get it”. Rob Kerr, Associate VP of Communications for Marketing and Publications at Bowdoin College has worked out a deceptively simple system of six questions for businesses. The first three questions are your strategy and the last three are your tactics. Why? If you don’t know why you’re doing something, you’ve failed before you’ve started. Start every meeting reiterating why you are doing this. What’s the goal? How will it be measured? How long will the goal take? What? Does Mercedes sell cars? (Hint: no) Sure, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. But more often than not you’re selling something intangible that caters to universal human desires: the need for status, prestige or power, the need to feel intelligent, the desire to be attractive, the need to feel safe. Check Maslow’s Hierarchy - it’s still genius.
Who? Can you describe your customer (or segment) in the same way you would describe a friend? Demographics are great and there is more data than ever, but go beyond age, sex, education, and income. Who are they? What are their lives like? What are their fears and aspirations? Describe your customer like you are setting someone up on a blind date with them. Where? This question is all about targeting. If your strategy is correct but no one hears your message, you lose. Think hard about targeting. It’s not sexy, but it’s where the money is. How? This is the fun one and the one everyone starts with –creativity. But it’s not the most important one. Answer the prior questions and subjective decisions about creativity become simple. When? Timing is everything. Try selling Christmas trees in July. Source: Rob Kerr, Associate VP of Communications for Marketing and Publications at Bowdoin College
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