Marketing IT Fusion
When I.T. functions as a partner of the Marketing effort, they are in a unique position to deliver solutions and value beyond the software and equipment we can leverage. Vital information exist through-out the enterprise; accurate costing, details on customer interactions, pricing feedback, customer buying trends, accounts receivable data, delivery statistics, etc. all impact the ability to grow and maintain market share. The right decisions on technology platforms can make these types of information visible to key players in a multitude of formats and could deliver information to customers which could help them improve their business processes. Customer retention is...
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The explosion of social media, open source technology, smart phones, tablet computing and the pace at which we must be able to deliver information to our customers and stakeholders, demands that we recognize our Information Technology staff as more than just a tool; they are a vital partner of our marketing and sales efforts. Gone are the days of just looking to IT for a new laptop or implementation of an ERP system. They should play a fundamental role in the development of our customer outreach. Engagement models with both our customers and salespeople need to be rethought in the light of new inexpensive, but highly productive technology. Changes and improvements to...
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IT Vision An IT vision is much more than desktop support and solid email capabilities. Are your systems compatible? As businesses grow over time there is a tendency to implement software and hardware solutions, which due to advances in technology, may end up working against each other or at the least require some third party solution to help them communicate with each other. Is your third party solution an employee who cobbles together reports in excel spreadsheets using data points from disparate systems? What support advantages exist with the consolidation of hardware? Can a move to cloud based servers create financial and security advantages that outweigh the cost of...
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For decades business has recognized that “word of mouth” is one of the most effective sales tools they have. Personal recommendations between consumers create confidence in the buying decision. Today due to the rapid growth of social media those opinions are moving in mass in a digital format. In addition to leveraging the abundant information available on the internet to research products and services, consumers are consistently reach out to their friends through social media to find solutions. These recommendations are far more powerful than print advertising or e-commerce site’s product recommendations. Do your advertising models include social media? Is there a...
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Information to sales teams Due to the rapid movement and almost unlimited information available today, salespeople can find themselves at a disadvantage if they don’t have access to the right data when they need it. Consumers are now accustomed to instant gratification. They order products from their Smartphone’s, while waiting on the elevator, check order status and track shipments with their tablets before meetings start and research market pricing, from multiple retailers, instantly before purchases. What information can your sales team deliver in real-time to satisfy a customer’s need? What information can your ERP systems deliver, to give your sales team an...
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