Marketing is more than just advertising and promotional activities. Everyone in your organization is a function of marketing. Differentiation is not limited to the products and services you sell, but rather, it’s the total customer experience that counts. Marketing means taking a holistic approach to better understanding how your business interacts with customers at each touch point throughout the customer lifecycle. By taking a methodical approach to improving the customer experience in every facet of your business, from front-line customer service to how your customers purchase your tickets through a variety of channels, your business will continue to differentiate itself from your competitors. Since every member of your organization impacts the customer experience, business strategy for growth needs to focus on being remarkable in all facet of your business, which is equal to the totality of customer interactions with your venue or brand experience.
Scott Bedbury, former VP of Marketing for Nike and Starbucks Coffee, in his book “A New Brand World” describes the investing in the consistent improvement of your venue [brand] experience as:
“A brand is the sum of the good, the bad, the ugly, and the off-strategy. It is defined by your best product as well as your worst product. It is defined by award-winning advertising as well as by the god-awful ads that somehow slipped through the cracks, got approved, and, not surprisingly, sank into oblivion. It is defined by the accomplishments of your best employee – the shining star in the company who can do no wrong – as well as by the mishaps of the worst hire that you ever made. It is also defined by your receptionist and the music your customers are subjected to when placed on hold. For every grand and finely worded public statement by the CEO, the brand is also defined by derisory consumer comments overhead in the hallway or in a chat room on the Internet. Brands are sponges for content, for images, for fleeting feelings. They become the psychological concepts held in minds of the public, where they may stay forever. As such, you can’t entirely control a brand. At best, you can only guide and influence it.”
With that said, a good marketing plan starts by looking at your overall strategy, followed by the business environment you operate in. It works using your strengths and weaknesses to build what your marketing strategy should be. It sets out clear objectives and explains how they will be achieved. Most importantly, it looks at how you can ensure that your plan becomes reality.
For more information regarding Scott Bedbury’s book please click here: “A New Brand World” 8 Principles for Achieving Brand Leadership in the 21st Century.”
Posted in Blogroll, Brand, Marketing & Promotion, Offline Marketing, Tourism Marketing
