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True interactive marketing builds relationships

Interactive marketing is a conversation, not a one-time transaction. The definition of interactive marketing comes from John Deighton at Harvard, who says interactive marketing is: "the ability to address the customer, remember what the customer says and address the customer again in a way that illustrates that we remember what the customer has told us."

Interactive marketing is not the same as online marketing, although interactive marketing can be helped by the internet and technology.

In interactive marketing, marketing is a conversation, not a one-time transaction. Examples of technologies that facilitate interactive marketing are customer databases, the internet and call-centres.

Interactive marketing mediums include:

• ECommerce

• Emails

• SMS

• Direct response TV

• Face to face or field marketing

• Viral marketing (including social media)

• Webinars

A common trend among organizations is the increased attention to customer engagement and service. Many are finding that more profit can be made when time and effort are put into listening to the consumer and customizing services around them even though to many it seems counter intuitive - perhaps due to the perceived loss of control.

Interactive marketing is all about service and the act of listening to a customer and remembering what they are interested in. The technology of the web makes it easier to not only remember products that a customer has purchased, but offer a variety of options based on what they like and what they have said. Returning visitors to websites can find lists of previously viewed items, which not only improve "the shopping experience", but allow them to feel that the company values them.

It is important to remember however that interactive marketing is about customer engagement across a range of channels and also means keeping the customer happy and making sure they know that their input is not only worthwhile, but valued.

By encouraging customers to participate in programs that are easy to understand they are more likely to spread the information among family and friends bringing a wider audience. Interactive marketing strategy includes incorporating all aspects of a customer's experience, including the way occasional angry clients are dealt with and how complaints are handled.

At present, the fastest-growing interactive marketing activities are social media marketing, permission-based e-mail and online promotions/incentives. Qualitative data suggest that the rapid growth of interactive marketing, mainly at the expense of traditional media advertising, seems likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

Interactive marketing is really just an extension of direct marketing and customer relationship management (CRM) where recording and measuring the 'personal' details of your customers and their behaviour so that you know the results and effectiveness of your marketing campaign started.

The overwhelming urge with interactive marketing is to jump in with both feet and start doing something.

The CEO starts a blog, the website undergoes an aesthetic "Web 2.0" redesign, a marketing coordinator is tasked to optimize the website for search engines, and the list of disjointed tactics goes on.

Good direct marketing has always been about intelligent, targeted communication in the right place at the right time about the relevant benefits of your product or service. The joy of the internet and the convergence of technologies via digitalization is that memory of customer engagements is made easier and improved, but it still needs to be thought about, planned and executed.

That's what we offer: well thought through campaigns with detailed planning and effective execution.

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