Back to many years ago, when we talked about direct marketing, we also heard another term of it; one to one marketing, personalized marketing, database marketing, customer relationship marketing or CRM and today we are familiar with a new name ‘Big Data’ which relates to analyze more, learn and know more your customers. However, whatever it is called, I still prefer to call it as ‘CRM’.
Why? The relationship has an in-depth meaning;
it means you have to learn your customers slightly and regularly in order to have tighten relationship with your customers, and you should know about their behaviour and attitude from the big data that they give you through touchpoints that the brand communicates or interacts with them. It just does not learn their thoughts towards your brand, but also their thought towards your competitors, markets and trends. So, the real CRM is about a process, a customer research, and a sales tool, not only about privileges or any relationship programs given offers to existing customers.
CRM is a ‘PROCESS’, a company wants to use CRM to be a part of marketing strategy.
That company needs to think about the strategy before any further steps. The CRM strategic plan should compile; ‘lead generation strategy’; how to acquire the prospect into your database and how your data look like, including how to manage cold, warm, or hot prospects and turn them to be customers, ‘sales strategy’; how to get the sales from those acquired prospects, what are triggers to make them to purchase or use products and services more often or regularly. Thinking about how to cross-selling and up-selling on this stage, data mining is so important to get you to respond to what your customers need, lastly, retention strategy, the plan that needs to capture the customer’s heart, show your customers that you are good at knowing their life, including their special occasions, times, lifestyles or interests.
CRM strategy should come first before finding the technology, creating any communications, executing any CRM programs. Creating a CRM Blueprint is essential, and strongly recommend doing so. Try to avoid or jump into the program without having an exact strategy. Importantly, learn more about your customers and think about their whole journey, and then design the relationship strategy between your brand and them.
