DMA in Boston - What's Trending in Direct Marketing

Last week thousands of marketers met right here in Boston at the 2011 DMA Conference and we were there.  So what was everyone talking about?  There were 2 key, recurring themes that we noticed.

Data as the Enabler

Many of us have more data on our customers than we know what to do with, and often times that data is not in one central location.  Now is the time to create a single view of the customer so that we can go to one source to find information on purchase behavior, social media activity, website behavior, and e-mail interaction.  As marketers we need to start using all of this data to create a one-to-one customer dialogue, delivering the right message, containing the right offer, through the right channel, at the right time.  Sure, it may sound easy, however most of us know what a real challenge this can be.   Just think, once you have all of your data in one location the possibilities are endless!   You can create more sophisticated segmentation plans, create and apply predictive models, and better analyze your marketing campaigns and their responses.

Extending Social Conversations

With the rise of social networking, mobile phones, and product reviews your customers are talking about your brand, products, and stores on a regular basis.  Are you listening?  It’s time for you to get involved.  Listen to what is being said about your brand and join in on the conversation to create more meaningful relationships with your customers.  Better yet, take the conversation to a whole new level.  Don’t just comment on your own brand page, get involved in conversations that are bigger than you.  Ask for your customers’ opinions and get them involved by asking them to submit stories, pictures, and ideas.  Weave these social elements throughout all of your marketing tactics. 

So, take a step back, look at your data, and think what small step can I take today to take my marketing program to the next level? And, what might seem like a daunting task is what we eat, breath and sleep at Pluris. We are listening!

Author: Allison Stephanian