by John Stanley

One of the keys to maintaining a successful business is interaction with the consumer. Most of us rely on face to face interaction, and alas, it often fails as we are relying on a number of people on our team. This Christmas, I received a number of Christmas cards from clients, all of which were appreciated. But one stood out, the card from Brownfalconer. I include a picture of the card with this article.

What made this card stand out was that it created an interaction between the receiver and the giver. They have targeted the card very well; it is a real “toys for the boys” marketing campaign.

The lesson we can all learn from this card is that the more we interact with our consumer, the more we are likely to be top of mind in the consumer’s mind.

Take a look at your marketing strategy and ask yourself how you are using interaction to grow the awareness of your business. In today’s marketing environment, it needs to be more than “old fashioned customer service.” I am not knocking that, but it’s just that it normally does not make you stand out from the crowd.

Brownfalconer did it by creating a cut out Christmas card, an interaction that could take place without a human face to the business. Each consumer could take their own time to interact.

Think about your strategy for 2012 and think about the following points:

1. Are the team “day makers” and interacting with your customers or are they just serving and processing people?

2. Have you developed an interactive marketing campaign that allows your consumer to engage with your business at their leisure and in their own time?

3. Are you making it easy for the consumer to interact with your business?The more you can engage the consumer in 2012, the more successful your business will be.

Now excuse me while I get my scissors and cut out a car…

John Stanley of John Stanley Associates provides conference presentations, workshops and consultancy to the retail industry in 30 countries. He can be contacted at john@johnstanley.com.au.