April 20

CRM and Marketing Strategy

It’s been discussed how a current customer relationship management system, CRM, can effectively allow the creation of a target market segmentation as the first step of a small business marketing strategy. This segmentation answers the WHO aspect of building a marketing strategy, which then leads us to the WHAT, WHEN and HOW steps. Knowing to whom you plan to market opens the flood gates of possibilities for the rest of the marketing strategy.

What do you Plan to Say?

Once you select the target market segment you intend to reach out to with your current marketing push, you can decide what it is you plan on promoting based on that segment’s needs or common ground. Perhaps they share a shopping cycle and you want to increase their buying in their “off season” – perhaps a discount on products that drive their interest would be one idea. Perhaps your selected target market segment share an interest in a specific product or product line, then maybe you could upsell them on related products or accessories.

When do you Plan to Say it?

As in the example above of the companies within a target market segment that share a buying cycle, the “when” of your plan depends on the specific criteria of your selected target market segment. You don’t want to try and increase sales with clients that have just passed their most current buying cycle, so perhaps the marketing strategy for that segment goes on the blackboard for a few months down the road.

Timing is everything in marketing, so be sure you deeply understand the timelines your marketing segments follow for best results.

How will you Reach them?

A marketing strategy specifies the media that will be used to drive your marketing plan. Often times, companies launch a multi-tiered marketing plan that includes a blend of traditional and web marketing to extend the reach of their marketing message as far as possible. The trends of your selected target market segment from your CRM system will help you determine the best mediums to utilize for your marketing plan. If your current clients and prospects are active in Social Media, have email accounts, work online for their jobs or fall more in line with the traditional marketing practices of postcards or mailers can all be determined by your CRM notes and records, as well as some light research on the part of your marketing staff.

CRM records are a stand-alone, powerful resource to drive your small business marketing strategy. Keep your notes as detailed as possible to ensure the most targeted marketing for your business.


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