Seems pretty basic. According to survey results Heidrick & Struggles, the No. 1 focus for C-level executives in 2009 is the customer—acquiring new ones, increasing retention and improving their lifetime value, in that order.

Attracting, Nurturing, Retaining Customers Equals Marketing Success

So, if these relatively simple metrics are what C-Level Execs are looking at to determine marketing success, why do so many “marketing professionals” try to complicate things with an endless array of jargon, abbreviations and acronyms?

I guess if you can’t dazzle ‘em with brilliance……You know the rest. (another abbreviation)

Now, please don’t get me wrong. I’m quite fond of SEO, SEM, UGC, SMM, IMM, XM, Web 2.0, RSS, NLP, PR, IM, CRM, WOM, DM, and the always popular ROI.

All of these tactics are valuable in their own right. However, I see too many times where the question is which of these tactics is best. (more…)

It’s great to see that someone else views marketing on the same level I do.  It’s so much more than logos, advertising, press releases, seo, media, etc. I say don’t “do marketing,” “be marketing.”

Great article found by Max Kalehoff at MediaPost.com!

I have been preaching this to clients for years. Every aspect of one’s business is marketing. It’s about attracting customers, nurturing customers, and retaining those customers. Marketing, like everything in life, is about cultivating relationships and team. I think sometimes businesses, and society in general, tend to want to segment everything far too much. Be the melting pot. (more…)

Don’t let poor experiences destroy your brand’s credibility. Stand out with excellence in a sea of mediocrity.

So what does this really mean? It means that the focus of marketers has shifted (and if it hasn’t it better) from themselves and their brands to how customers experience their brands.

To attract and retain customers, which is the sole purpose for being in business, we must understand that every interaction with a prospect or customer is a step to further establishing a profitable customer relationship or turning them off for good. (more…)

Am I the only one who feels the “terms” we sometimes allocate to define branding, marketing, etc. can create confusion for our clients?  I prefer to look at the whole issue in terms (pun intended) of “relationships”.  To me a good relationship, whether business or personal, requires both parties to benefit in some manner.  As a person, what I want from a good relationship is trust, confidence, laughter, support, and caring; a generally pleasant experience.  In return, I give the same.  As a consumer I want much of the same only in terms of product and/or service. In return I give my money and loyalty. (more…)

It’s all about the customer: Period. The entire life force of any company is acquiring and retaining customers. For this simple reason, all company functions must be lead by people with nothing less than an unrelenting “customer-first” marketing attitude.

Remember, every job in any company is a marketing job because every job must directly or indirectly help gain and nurture customer relationships.