A CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) or similar advertising professional is faced with a somewhat challenging task – not merely to find customers but to find a business audience that is an ideal, targeted source of those customers. This is not always easy; as such things as marketing accountability come into play. In simple English what this means is knowing where customers have come from and being able to repeat the process of finding them. The internet age has made all of this, if not always easier, then at least more immediate and high tech. However it should be noted that the internet has not climbed so high as to be in the position of being the only tool a marketer has to work with. The internet works in conjunction with more “grassroots” marketing knowhow, and the entire phenomenon essentially boils down to a conversation with the marketing public – a give and take that lets marketers know who their audience is and how to reach them.
Bearing all this in mind let’s take a look at some of the ways to identify that ideal customer base that is just waiting to join in this advertiser – consumer conversation.
Social Media
Social media is fast becoming one of the chief ways for advertisers to identify who’s who and what’s what out there. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Digg, and Squidoo are great ways for a business to enter into dialogue with their customers and gauge interest. These sites have a kind of dual function in that a company can advertise while it also tests the market. They are mostly free services so there is no costly ad budget that must be factored in. Again, it’s all about conversation – having a means of meeting more directly with customers and assessing their real likes and dislikes from a marketing perspective.
Blogs
Along the same lines are blogs. These are more of a one way communication but there is still the sense of seeing what customers are after in a current, day to day framework. A CMO might look at a blog or several blogs dealing with the subject area pertaining to their business, and with careful research and notes, get a clarified picture of the marketing climate. They might also consider leaving comments with links to web pages and such, though care should be taken to make sure the advertising intent is not overly obvious. In fact the intent in commenting may not be so directly commercial – simply asking a question could yield valuable insights into the thoughts of a target audience.
Forums
Forums in some senses combine the best of both worlds. While they don’t have the clout of social media sites, they have the informational content of blogs (sometimes) and the conversational appeal of social networking. The whole point here is to get a dialogue going – to put out questions or topic for discussion and see where they lead. And that kind of thing is just what a CMO should be after if he or she wishes to reach the right audience.
Getting advice from other CEOs
Again we’re dealing with the dialogue idea, but in this case it is not with customers, but rather with other advertising professionals. Each CMO has his tricks and tips, and these can benefit other marketers who ask them in a friendly way. This is informal information exchange at the professional level and has always been, and continues to be, a primary way for professionals to augment their knowledge and skills.
So hopefully you’re getting the general idea. The link between advertising and communication has often been noted, and in the internet age, where communication is king, this is true even more so. An audience is not something to aim and either hit or miss, it is something to talk to and with.
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