Part 1 of 3 in a series.

Isn’t marketing about colors, and paper, and design? Perhaps. But it has to be much more than that now. That’s why your organization’s marketing executives and employees need to be smarter, innovative, and strategic. If all you have is a marketing person that either can’t do or is unwilling to do much more than design pretty flyers (and Heaven help you if you’re still taping things to doors and walls,) then it’s time to get someone that has the required skills to bring your organization’s marketing efforts to a more sophisticated level.

Your organization’s marketing and branding efforts should be transitioning from “telling” to “interacting.” Other words are “engagement” and “experiential.”

Go to your marketing personnel right now and ask them to describe experiential or engagement marketing to you. If they can’t, it should scare the hell out of you – or at the very least, it should concern you greatly.

So stop reading and go ask them….right now.  Of course, I want you to come back and read the rest of this when you’re done!

There is a dangerous belief among some marketers that simple surveys constitute engagement or experiential marketing. They don’t. They never will.  Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:

The “post-transaction” telephone survey: Does this sound familiar – “we are contacting you today to ask about your recent experience with XYZ Company. With 1 being the lowest and 7 being the highest, please press the number that would describe how satisfied you are with your latest transaction.” So….you press your number and then hear: “Thank you. Your response has been recorded. Good-bye.” Click.

What’s wrong with this survey?

First, the use of the word “satisfied” taints it from the beginning. As an executive of XYZ Company, I don’t want to know if people are merely “satisfied.” I want to know if they are “ecstatic.”

Next, there is no opportunity for the survey respondent to provide any kind of actual, useful feedback. The robot that called simply hangs up after the number is pushed. Too bad you can’t change your answer after being hung up on. I certainly don’t feel “satisfied” after being cut off and I am so far away from “ecstatic” that I forget the meaning of the word.

Finally, there is no focus whatsoever on allowing the organization’s patrons to help “create the brand.” Branding is being redefined. It’s no longer just about messaging – it’s insanely deeper than that now. The best organizations are encouraging and rewarding their customers for helping them to build their brands. In essence, the ecstatic (not merely satisfied) customers are becoming unofficial employees and very official brand ambassadors for the companies.

How? Part 2 of 3 in this series will be posted next week. Stay tuned!