“Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship...the act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.” 

-Peter F. Drucker

So, to create wealth, it’s important that we constantly innovate. And innovation is not the responsibility of few. It’s important that we understand the need to create a culture of innovation i.e. we should foster this sense of internal drive among all the members of the organization and then only, can we together move forward towards success.

Ken Lin, Founder and CEO, Credit Karma, in his article at Inc.com, has shared from his experience, six strategies to instill a culture of innovation in the company. They are:

• Give people a sense of ownerships
• Change constantly
• Hire upwards
• Know when to move quickly
• Make everyone a guardian of the product
• Protect the culture

To learn more, please visit the following link:

http://www.inc.com/ken-lin/6-strategies-for-building-a-culture-of-innovation.html

Mobile commerce (m-commerce) is a type of e-commerce conducted through mobile devices such as mobile phones and other mobile devices with a wireless connection - including smart phones (iPhones, Google Android), tablets (iPad, Amazon Kindle) and notebooks. M-Commerce also brings new opportunities for selling online, and mobile marketing can be used to extend online reach. Four things a company must consider while developing m-commerce marketing strategy are:

·         Reach: Tap into the uniqueness of mobile-first consumers.

·         Curate: Trigger impulse purchases through well-crafted offers.

·         Entertain: Make shopping fun and easy, not just cheap.

·         Lock in: Capture the loyalty of mobile shoppers early.

Read more at: http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/consumer_and_retail/learning_from_south_koreas_mobile-retailing_boom

E-mails are an indispensible part of our lives. With the growth of mobile internet reach, people now have instant reach to their emails. For marketers to reach these people instantly, the easiest means is via emails. So, planning an email marketing campaign has become as much important as planning any social media campaign.

Pierre DeBois,Founder and Chief Digital Marketing Strategist, Zimana, in his article at cmswire.com has given 5 key strategies to plan a successful email marketing campaign launch. They are:

• Assume customers will view an email in a mobile device
• Plan for a personal touch
• Create an engaging subject line
• Send email at the right time
• Consider metrics within context of site or app objectives

To understand them in detail, please visit the following link:

http://www.cmswire.com/cms/digital-marketing/how-to-plan-an-email-marketing-launch-029036.php

“Customers don’t want just a personalized experience, they want a full package”

According to 2015 Customer Experience Trends Report and infographic released by InMoment, customers do appreciate the personalized touches that brands create for them, they are much more interested in providing value back to the company.

Lori Alcala, in her article on cmswire.com, summarizes top customer experience trends revealed in the report. They are:

• Shorter Surveys, More Listening
• More Reliable Online Reviews
• Stronger Relationships

She has also added an interesting excerpt from the report in her article. To see that and increase your knowledge spectrum about customer experience, please visit the following link:

http://www.cmswire.com/cms/customer-experience/want-to-know-the-top-cx-trends-infographic-029002.php

According to Dan Kennedy’s book, “No B.S. Direct Marketing",  business is a bucket into which we owners pour ideas, energy and money in hopes of stirring up profits and the failure to follow- up customers is a big hole in that bucket .

Therefore, a business should always look forward to follow up -both existing and lost- customers in order to serve them better, retain them and also, build long lasting relations. William Ballard, Freelance Writer and Author, in his article on entrepreneur.com gives 4 steps that should be followed to follow up customers when the answer is “no” in first stance. They are:

Step 1.Redeem yourself by re-stating or re-selling your existing offer.

Step 2.Give a firm or humorous “2^nd Notice” message to create scarcity.

Step 3.The “third and final notice.”

Step 4.The final step is to present another offer.

To know more, visit the following link:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/244094

For long term survival of an organization, they need regular and loyal customers. According to Brian Horn (Author and Co-Founder of Authority Alchemy), for building long term relationships with your customers, an organization needs to build trust. Following are the ways to build relationship and brand loyalty: • Offering returning customers a discount on services.
• Giving rewards for references.
• Offering updates.
• Really caring about your customers.
Read more at: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/245439

According to a survey, for hiring a customer service worker, an employer approximately spend $8800 on hiring and training and 70% of customer service worker leave a job within 1year. Some steps for employee retention are: • Provide training to workers and motivate them.
• Evaluate the performance of the employees and give feedback.
• Implement the customer service training software.
• Give employee work from home choice, this will reduce cost per employee up to $2000.
Read more at: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/245524

Loyal customers, they don’t just come back, they don’t simply recommend you; they insist that their friends do business with you.
   - Chip Bell

Customer Loyalty should be a priority for every business. To retain loyal customers and thus, contribute to growth of the business, every marketer must take certain steps. John Rampton, in his article on entrepreneur.com shares 25 tips for earning customer loyalty. Some of them are:

• Share your values
• Be transparent
• Create a sense of community
• Use social proof
• Anticipate problems

To know more, visit the following link:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/245365

The field of marketing has gone through many transitions- the Trade Era, the Production Era, the Sales Era, the Marketing Department Era, the Marketing Company Era and last era that was going on is – the Relationship Era. Now again, a transition is taking place and a new era of Experience Marketing has emerged.

This article by Carla Johnson, Founder, Type A Communications, at cmswire.com talks about the need for this type of marketing in this competitive world and how companies are adapting this to enhance customer experience.  

The example of Marriott, the brand that has launched an original content studio that creates content that informs, entertains and adds value to travel lifestyle consumers, shows how building audiences by creating differentiating experiences has now become an important part of marketing.

To summarize, this article emphasizes the need to make content creation a core function of the business and the foundation from which all experiences, across the company, are created.

Read more at:

http://www.cmswire.com/cms/digital-marketing/experiences-the-7th-era-of-marketing-028978.php

According to Gideon Kimbrell (CEO of InList.com, Founder of Syragon), for developing a successful multi marketing strategy an organization need to follow some steps: • Take a decision with influencers or consultants who have experience. You can also choose social media influencers for posting information.
• Have complete knowledge about your customer’s behavior, which can be used in making marketing strategy and use CRM
• Business earns loyalty by engaging customers, so use high visibility placements.
• Asses your present and potential customers value.
For building a good marketing strategy, an organization needs to focus on the customer. Read more at: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/245360

Procurement officer works in the field of purchasing and focus on reducing costs for purchased material and services and thus ensuring timely delivery of goods and services. But, now their role is becoming more complex. They need to guard the brand name, use sustainable business practices and find innovative ways to develop new products and services. They also need to adopt a holistic strategy. Procurement officers need to establish collaborative outsourcing and service acquisition models and also need to find & nurture the next generation. Read more at: http://www.industryweek.com/procurement/procurement-2025-10-challenges-will-transform-global-sourcing

Purchase behavior of consumers are changing. Nowadays, consumers are more informed, connected and empowered than before. But, some retailers are not applying new retail strategies and technologies. Retailers respond to customer preferences, overtake their competitors, lower their total cost of ownership (TCO) and grow company revenues when an integrated mix of retail strategies are well coordinated. To know about future of retail, follow Chuck Schaeffer (Vantive Media CEO & Blogger) article link: : http://www.crmsearch.com/chuck-schaeffer.php

Consumers become frustrated when they don’t see content which is not according to their taste. According to a study it was found that 61% of consumers feel better about a company that delivers custom content. A study conducted by Accenture found that while 86% of surveyed consumers said they were concerned that their data was being track, 85% said they realized that data tracking make it possible for retailers to present them with relevant and targeted content. 88% of marketers are also considering adding content marketing personalization to their plans according to another study. Read more at: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/2015-04-04/content-personalization-its-what-consumers-want

Many companies are focusing on the mobile site as new devices and new operating systems are coming up. But, they don’t consider performance of the mobile site. Companies must ensure that their mobile sites are both quick to load and reliable and if a mobile site loads quickly, organizations will not only have a new avenue to reach customers, but they will also have more data about customers. The ability to collect and analyze these huge amounts of data will create an opportunity for companies to create a personalized experience for their customers. Read more at: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/mobile-digital-marketing/capturing-the-mobile-content-opportunity/1729

Marketers use thousands of tools and techniques to deliver their messages. It is forecasted that $2.3 billion will be spent on email marketing this year. Interesting content is one of the top 3 reasons why people follow brands on social media and 90% of consumers find custom content useful, 78% say organizations providing custom content are interested in building good relationships with them. Liga Bizune (blogger and public relations manager at Mailigen), writes in her article link about some email trends that will define email marketing in the years to come. Read more at: http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2015/27328/top-six-email-marketing-trends-you-need-to-keep-pace-with

This is the age of digital medium where telephones may not be of prime importance in a content planning meeting. But, according to a recent research, it was found that more than half of consumers still prefer to talk to a person over phone when they decide to interact with a company. Phone presence can be critical for small businesses that are just getting established and forming a brand identity. Tristan Barnum (CMO of Voxox), writes in her article about some points which marketers must keep in mind when they're developing their communications strategy for the voice channel. Read more at: http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2015/27298/three-ways-to-make-your-phone-presence-a-key-driver-in-your-marketing-mix

Video Marketing is a growing trend in the world of marketing. Yet, most companies producing online video content are not up to the mark. Companies should aim to improve their brand with video marketing. The video placed on a website speaks more about a company’s identity and what the company think about their audiences. This is where video usability (the practice of influencing how a person uses and experiences video on a website) comes in. Jack Barron (Managing Director at WeBelieve Media) in his article link writes about what one can do to improve the quality and video experience of a company’s website. Read more at: http://www.thelawofattraction.com/how-to-create-your-reality-with-intentional-thoughts/

One of the challenges that the digital marketers face is to reach the right customer. Nowadays, social media marketing is treated in the same way as email or SMS. But, nowadays, social Customer Relationship Management is gaining importance and marketers can now identify leads on social channels and send them straight into the CRM system, so that they can be converted into sales. The major difference between traditional and social CRM, is that the customer becomes important and companies actually interact and collaborate with customers, building relationships with them. This approach can be more successful than traditional sales and marketing campaigns. Read more at: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/social-media-marketing/maximising-every-customer-sales-opportunity-with-social-crm/1709

 E-Commerce is important for any business and customers are their greatest asset. In a recent report, it was found that some consumers follow retailers on social media channels to get their latest deals and offers, 34% said they would like to find products on retailer websites, and 76% say they want to know about retailer offers and promotions via email. Marko Luhtala (CEO of RapidCampaign), writes in his article link about the promotions that a company can undertake which customers will love and in turn will increase sales. Read more at: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/e-commerce-digital-marketing/five-steps-to-creating-promotions-your-customers-will-love/1701

Nowadays, people turn to mobile for most of their web browsing and online communications. Content marketers are now creating more blogs, videos, digital editions, content hubs and apps which will lead to more traffic, leads and customers. Companies are creating branded business apps to showcase their content. To know more about future of mobile marketing, follow: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/articles/mobile-marketing-the-future-is-bright/1695