It is no secret that marketers continue to engage in an ongoing battle to gain and retain customer loyalty. From the juiciest hamburger to the fastest computer, companies of all sizes are using tactics to gain customers they can count on to do more than just add to the cash register. Through their strategic efforts, companies want customers to be their marketing partners, helping to spread positive buzz about a particular company's products or services.

Over the years, marketers have followed each other and mirrored past successes in all facets of branding, advertising and promotions. And each step of the way, the customer found ways to avoid these tactics (think of TiVo and the Do Not Call list), prompting marketers to continue to search for the latest resource in their toolkit. Whereas in the past companies focused on simply branding products, they are now turning their attention to branding loyalty.

One newer form of marketing that combines the ability to break through the marketing clutter and at the same time foster an atmosphere of enhanced loyalty is customized media.

Rapidly becoming one of the most sought-after marketing resources, customized media enables companies to engage an audience on a more emotional level. As a result, customized media allows businesses to generate additional brand loyalty among current and prospective customers. Whether through specialty magazines, e-newsletters or content-specific Web sites, companies can now provide information that is specific to their customers' and prospects' needs to create a more satisfying experience.

The Global Customer

In realizing today's business climate, which naturally is to think global and act local, it is imperative to develop a close relationship with every possible customer, despite location. In doing so, companies can truly gauge a precise response to adjust their marketing efforts accordingly. More importantly, companies can reach out to different customer segments in a way that provides a succinct emotional appeal.

In order to manage this customer dialogue, many companies have turned to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technologies to track, analyze and respond to their customers. Although CRM has certain tangible benefits, the problem is that this level of implementation still falls short of what is desperately needed in a true branded loyalty environment, such as managed communications with customers.

A whole new industry of response management has flourished to implement the information technology required to acquire, store and manipulate customer-centric loyalty metrics. Thus, loyalty management has become a central strategy of every chief marketing officer across the world.


On-Demand Branded Loyalty

Savvy marketers are combining custom media vehicles along with these newer technologies to go even further by creating online loyalty panels. Here, Web site visitors are able to register with a company and provide feedback in exchange for some kind of reward - either updated information via e-mail, sweepstakes participation or promotion.

This panel not only promotes interaction with most committed customers, but also leverages their insights as consumers to monitor the viability of the marketers' programs. And because it is all done over the Web, the transfer of feedback and information can all be done simultaneously, creating an environment for on-demand branded loyalty.

Companies can use advanced technologies to go beyond traditional CRM functionality by managing the entire communication process, from the creation of a custom media Web site to the data collection process and one-on-one interaction with each customer.

By combining newer, more effective forms of marketing, such as custom media, along with today's advanced technologies, marketers will have a high-octane toolkit at their disposal that enables them to grow the brand and nurture customer loyalty. It is this combination and strategic vision that will propel companies into the next phase of marketing and categorize them among the next elite group of powerhouse brands.



Editor-s note: Katy Gewartowski is editorial director of Starmark Custom Publishing, a South Florida custom publishing house that specializes in print and online customer magazines, newsletters, Web-zines and direct response collateral. Starmark Custom Publishing leverages advanced communication marketing technologies from OmniPilot Software that enable global clients and small-to-midsize businesses to develop specialty Web sites, automate campaign marketing tools and manage two-way customer dialog in one, easy-to-use format.

For more information, visit StarmarkCustomPublishing.com or omnipilot.com.