Convergence is the key word for marketers to remember if they want to truly relate to their customers now and in the future, according to Jeffery Hassemer, SVP Global Product Strategy and Marketing for Experian Marketing Services.
Hassemer told Loyalty 360 that convergence is how customers view today’s brands.
“We don’t look at a brand any differently whether we’re in a retail store, on a website, using a tablet, or computer,” he explained. “They want it to be seamless. Where markets are going is convergence -- converging systems and converging technologies into something they can organize around in this new customer paradigm -- convergence of marketing to a cross-channel state.”
Tasks previously conducted in silos must be conducted by one group in one organization in a coordinated fashion, Hassemer said.
To reach the goal of convergence, Hassemer listed five disciplines marketers should consider:
The ability to accept data, to cleanse it, link it together, and prepare that information to be used by a marketer. Being able to query and execute that data at scale – asking the database a question and getting an answer.
Define a segment and get a campaign out the door. Being able to do that in a timely manner across multiple channels is an emerging type of discipline.
Execution: Execute messages at scale. We send over 3 billion email messages a year.
Predictive analytics in real time and at scale.
Being able to integrate all marketing channels and all customer experiences.
Hassemer offered some advice for brands struggling with customer loyalty.
“I’d focus on the customer experience,” he said. “Focus on what you’re trying to make the customer feel when they’re interacting with your brand. I hear the term conversation thrown out by marketers. It’s a falsehood to call our relationship with customers a conversation. What I’m looking for is information that will help me in my buying cycle. The companies I buy from are the ones that make it easy for me to get that information. If you’re struggling with loyalty, you have to create that customer experience that your customers are seeking from you.”
With any journey, Hassemer noted, brands need to know where they are now to get to where they want to be. Being able to do that requires a level of sophisticated marketing that isn’t always attainable. Hassemer explained Experian’s Marketing Sophistication Curve.
“We have four key categories in The Marketing Sophistication Curve: channel execution, channel optimization, multichannel marketing, and cross-channel optimization,” he said. “We can map a very pragmatic approach to move them up the curve to see increased ROI, increased customer loyalty, and improved advocacy. It’s been a really powerful tool for us, and it’s good at driving relevant results in a particular channel, and then they want to coordinate that with every channel. It gives them an honest assessment of where they’re at, and then gives them a road map of how they can move up the chain, and that’s what brands need now.”