Part Two
IN business, sales and marketing mean two different things. Marketing lays down the foundation for sales as it deals with research and thorough understanding of the industry and of consumer behavior. This helps firms arrive at communications and promotions strategies that are in line with the company’s goals and objectives. The different marketing strategies that are executed are then made possible by sales. These activities involve customer interaction prior, during and after each sale.
Today, there lies a thin line between sales and marketing, since digitization has somewhat made these two concepts more closely interrelated. Here are some tips to help you efficiently and effectively execute digital sales and digital marketing.
Marketing involves heavy research of the industry, trends and the audience or target market. Changes in market needs and wants are more prevalent as it is important to adapt to our fast paced digital world.
When the word digital marketing is mentioned, the word social media immediately comes into play. Generally, this includes Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, depending on the business model and overall strategy. Whatever the platform, it is important to utilize it by creating two-way dialogues with customers and engaging with them. This heightens both customer and brand experience.
Apart from social media, it is also good to consider diversifying, using other marketing tools such as e-mail marketing, SEO, SEM, virtual reality and augmented reality. Careful planning, execution and evaluation of each tool and its effect on the business must be undertaken on a regular basis. Remember not to overuse these tools, however.
When it comes to responding to customers, the rule of thumb is to respond to them as soon as possible. Technology has heightened the need for more immediate response, most especially since there are customer relationship management tools that are readily available in the market. A perfect example would be the integration of chatbots to ensure that each inquiry or concern is attended to immediately and appropriately.
The same rule holds true for digital sales, that is, to know your customers. Understanding the persona of buyers will allow you to prepare your pitch and sell in a more personalized or targeted manner. In this way, it will become easier for you to equip your sales team, if any, with more information and techniques on how to close the deal more effectively and efficiently.
At the end of the day, it all boils down to statistics or what is also referred to as data analytics. It will always be to our advantage to capture data, interpret and analyze data and from there, integrate them into the overall strategic plan.
(To be continued)
Dorelene Dimaunahan is an entrepreneur, educator of the country’s top universities, a host and an author. She is also a Certified Franchise Executive, Certified Management Accountant and a Certified Human Resources Practitioner.
This column accepts contributions from the business community. Articles not exceeding 600 words can be e-mailed to boa.secretariat.@gmail.com.