Company online strategy finally important?

e-consultancy have recently released their 2009 online engagement report. Here are some highlights from the Exec Summary carried out amongst 1,300 marketers (2/3 of which are UK based):

• only 45% have a defined online customer engagement strategy
• 51% say that a deteriorating economy has led to a greater emphasis on customer engagement
• 38% say they are focused on increasing value from the customer, whilst 34% say it is about creating value for their customers

The survey also asked them which channels they will focus on:

• 59% say e-newsletters,
• 41% user ratings & feedback,
• 37% user generated content,
• 36% blogging & 36% branding in social networks like facebook.

What is the situation in Central Europe?

I think we are lagging one or two years behing the UK. Online strategy is more a rarity today and also user rating and feedback and generated content are important only to small number of companies. However I often hear companies´ representatives to express a desire to build customer engagement online, but many of them have little idea how to do this, which channels they should use or what they should measure.

In addition, to achive results online you have to have well synchronized relationship of a skilled company marketer and an experienced advertising agency or direct marketing agency with digital departement. It takes time to play well together but there are already some CE examples - let´s take a look at successful czech WOM campaigns.

Polls

There are thousands of polls, surveys as a baseline for decision on marketing strategy or tactic.
But do we act upon results?

Most of the time no. Or not enough.
Managers, usualy not experienced enough or less connected with marketing profession still prefer their personal opinions in the end. I feel that this would be better...

In this situation I love to use the words of marketing guru Sergio Zyman: If you buy all the production, I act upon your preferences. Until then, let´s respect the customer.

People don´t trust company blogs

According to Forrester research only 16% of respondents trust in information found on company sites. 77% believe in personal recommendation, even 28% believe in email and 25% dmail from a company or a brand. Does it mean that companies should give up blogging and get back to traditional communication vehicles?
I don´t think so.

First: a company shold be specific in expectation, topics to communicate and needs on the market and accordingly select the mean. I think for long term awareness blogs are very effective.

Second: get credibility. Depends if you want to build renome for the professionals in the company, or change/build awareness for your product or brand.

Example? In Spring 2008 we in Microsoft Slovakia also considered how to get closer to public with informal communications which may send traditional press releases to the past. There were 2 possibilities:

• create company blog on our platform feeded by our internal profesionals, or
• create external plaftorm to blog for selected external bloggers, specialists in the field.

Despite the fact that we employe skilled professionals and that it was more challenging from development and time perspective to choose the second option was right decision. Not only looking at the results on Forrester above, but based on figures and feedback.

Based on my experience I believe that company specialist after a year loose the consumer/business partner insight which makes engagement of external contributors particulary important. About this in one of my following posts.