We want to hear your thoughts on how you feel about customer loyalty.

What are you doing to keep your current customers and let your dedication to customer service shine through when you gain new ones?
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The talk from Twitters critics is that it is cooling off—that it is not a viable source from which to engage and connect. The article that I am going to feature today, comes from Advertising Age and certainly gives a reason to second guess that particular viewpoint. Hey, it may be worth a second look if you have already written Twitter off.
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In light of the response that I have received from some of my Linkedin Group members about the posts that I have shared—regarding social media—there is still a discomfort in moving ahead for many companies and business people. There are many others that are diving in and can see that this is now the best way to get leverage with their customers in this new soft economy—preparing for the robust but different future. We know that if you create the right strategy to begin with (know what your goals are before you start) you can and will be successful. Better yet, focus on the target market that has the spending and decision making power. Yes…I’m talking about women. They use social media and spend a significant time online. They love to share information and they want to engage with the companies that will fulfill their needs and address their challenges (because they understand). And the end benefit is that your company will gain a brand evangelist and a repeat customer that spreads the word to others like wild fire!
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I have had an interesting discussion with one of my group members from Linkedin. Yesterday, I posted a blog article regarding IBM’s upcoming  social network—as a way to Share what I have to say with a professional audience and provide better exposure for our business bcad Group and our agency Share. For those that do not know Linkedin, it is a social networking community for professionals—where you can connect with business people and through those connections have access to their connections. It is a great way to create exposure for your business and your services. Gain new insights, network for knowledge and learn about other peoples experiences.
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This post comes indirectly through one of my dear friends and colleague, Theresa Stephen. As we are both New Yorkers, living in Toronto, Canada, we often share info about what is happening there— although we’re focused on different industries.
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Happy Earthday Everyone.  I have been talking about customer engagement since I began this blog.  For most brands the goal is to sustain continuous, ongoing relationships with customers.  Listening to and engaging with your consumers will allow you to actively be able to solve the challenges and concerns they have in their lives and fulfill those needs—bringing about change that will enhance their life. And in doing so, have them commit to an ongoing relationship with you. Better yet, they’ll share who you are—what you do and how YOU helped them—with others.
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There is another great article going around the twitter world. I also saw it on a couple of blogs from Marketing Profs. Jason Baer wrote the article and I will give you the link here to read it. http://twitpwr.com/aDf/ What he says is exactly what we advise our clients, both current and potential,  when they tell us they want to implement social media. “It’s fantastic that interest in social media is so high, but I’m alarmed at the number of brands and agencies that are ready to jump into social media to take “advantage” of audience concentration in Facebook, Twitter, and other fast-growth outposts. What’s lacking in most social media programs is an actual strategy. If you don’t know precisely why you’re in social media, with whom you want to engage, and how you’re going to measure success, you’re not ready to start.”
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In the last couple of weeks I have been talking to several potential clients about how they can integrate social media into their marketing mix and how will they determine whether it is beneficial or not. Linkedin is turning out to be very beneficial for me as I connect with businesses both here and abroad and find ways for us to partner with one another. The article below provides the most superb overview regarding social media and measurement steps. I got this from Ed Stilava who posted the article on Linkedin—a social media community for professionals—and he got it from  Econsultancy Digital Marketers United. It is this vast net of engagement with like minded people, who can share an infinate amount of info relevant to YOU, that can then be shared as I am doing with this post. That’s what makes social media so powerful.
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