Nowadays, marketers are giving importance to customer journey mapping. They also talk about customer journey and how they can reach decision makers at the right point of the customer journey. Customer Journey Maps are useful as they describe an ideal customer engagement model from the customer’s perspective and can also help us to understand the customer story of various specific customers. Many marketers are putting emphasis on enterprise customer architecture and its ability to successfully support customer experience regardless of the particular journey that the customer is on. Read more at:  http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/integrate-my-jde/customer-experience-initiatives-customer-journey-vs-customer-architecture-70937

A customer visits your site or product, checks the available options and services offered. Then he decides to go along with you or not.  Good business policy is to give a personal touch to each customer so that they feel at home each time. But taking care of their needs at each step becomes a time taking process if done manually. On the other hand automation makes it more smooth and effective. If CRM is practiced along with automation, it sets everything into a correct perspective.

Read more about it in the article written by Inside-CRM at http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/five-ways-marketing-automation-and-crm-go-together-like-peanut-butter-and-jelly-70904

Those using Predictive Analytics easily outpace those who don't. There is a clear incremental sales lift in the marketing campaigns which consider predictive analytics. Every organization strives to achieve a higher return on investment (ROI) from that spend on marketing. Predictive analytics help creation of unique customer profiles by analyzing the data.  Read more about how Predictive Analytics can be useful in B2B marketing in the article written by Laura at: http://blogs.forrester.com/laura_ramos/15-07-02-the_power_to_predict_can_give_b2b_marketers_an_unfair_advantage

If customer experience is better then only customer will be loyal to the brand and according to many surveys, customer experience improves sales. Thus, investing in improving customer experience is not typically an investment, but a sales opportunity. It becomes more important in case of online websites as there are a limited number of interactions to impress the customer. Word-of-mouth is a significant and cheapest source of marketing that directly affect the targeted audience. This reputation of a firm is affected by a customer’s experience. So to conclude, improved customer experience will result in improved sales, better reputation and loyal customers. Read more at: http://www.business2community.com/customer-experience/invest-improving-customer-experience-01418769#WJErvfXdbvlskeWL.97

It's all about customer experience - make it better using Data Driven Marketing! It's important to treat them like true customers by taking them through personalized life cycles. Normally, customers are expected to feed the website with lots of data regarding their preferences and personal details. So there is a lot of data in the hand of an owner. But the value lies in effectively scaling data and analytics to enrich their journey. Thus, planning the marketing strategies by keeping in focus the results of this data analytics. The article written by Kevin Lindsay digs deeper into the power of Data Driven Marketing at: http://blogs.adobe.com/digitalmarketing/personalization/strength-in-numbers-best-practices-for-data-driven-marketing/

This New Year, let's look back at the marketing experiences throughout 2015. We have learned that the fundamental concept of digital marketing is unaltered, no matter which industry we target. But, it teaches us to adapt to changing habits and practices of customers. Here are 3 digital marketing truths you should keep in mind - 1) to grow our presence across different channels, mobile is the only channel that has grown so rapidly. 2) Removing barriers across different channels so that your customer is able to communicate better. According to customers different preferences it's necessary to use data management platforms for organizing information. 3) Use of automation to use right content at the right time. Read more at: http://www.business2community.com/digital-marketing/top-3-digital-marketing-truths-take-away-2015-01413555#Cll3tXd2oAKuqhgF.97

Nowadays, many businesses have discarded content marketing because it has many things to create and promote that it has become time consuming. But, today's consumer need more information about brand relationship and trust. Social media is becoming an important source of information through various channels. Organizations should drive people to that blog or to other pages on the website where they can get things of value and it should be done very effectively. Nicole Boyer (a valued contributor to Business 2 Community), writes in her article about some ways to make your social media promotion the best it can be. They are -  1) Use related visual which engages more consumer to like and share information 2) Headlines does count, so it as to be catchy and appealing. 3) Choose the right platform for posting content according to the target audience. 4) Multiple posting is also becoming trendy to gain attention by changing names or headlines. But you should know the perfect time for re-sharing. 5) Try to keep the conversation rolling by adding comments and feedbacks from readers. Lastly, get everyone to share your post. Read more at: http://www.business2community.com/social-media/get-social-9-ways-promote-content-brand-social-media-01411863#pBWAtI7cbRYeEqG8.97

3D printing technology was first used in 1980s, but was mostly limited to government and industries that time. Later in 2009 it became commercially available for consumers. Despite its more and more consumer-friendly models introducing in market, 3D printers continues to be out of the financial reach of average consumer. Makerbots costs $2,000 which is by the way still not bad compared to the price tag of industrial printers ($5.000-$10,000). There are some open source projects happening to make technology make more widely accessible. Others are providing customizable services through internet options. Global 3D printing market takes into account shipment from OEMs in automatics, consumer products, healthcare, aerospace and defense. Due to which its expected to boost the marker from 1.95 billion to 11.07 billion. Industrial side is what pushing the technology forward in automotive sector contributing 21.2% to the global market.  Honda and Peugeot have used 3D printers which are released in files so that anyone can achieve that design. Read more at: http://www.technavio.com/blog/car-parts-body-parts-3d-printing-showing-no-signs-slowing-down

Nowadays, Marketers are re-examining the role of TV advertisement in digital age for making budget modification, as very few are tuning in TV to watch your ads. The number of Youtube viewers are increasing marketers are blending it and new viewing trends to learn new ways of drawing customers. The first driver of Youtube visitors is it  variety of content such are mash-up of memorable events, movies trailers etc. This has lead many personalities to entertain online which are rather becoming more famous among viewers according to a survey. Secondly, Youtube is gaining respect in media industry as it garners credibility to views as reach metrics Third drivers has to be the cord- cutting movement as people are purchasing digital programs instead of cable or satellite which offers them the flexibility of when and what to watch along with engaging in their other important business simultaneously. Moreover, these viewers preference offers analytics opportunities to understand the changing trends in peoples preferences. Read more at :- http://www.cmswire.com/digital-experience/are-you-really-reaching-customers-with-tv-ads/

Unprecedented growth of e-commerce industry, has given marketers a hard time to acquire and retain shoppers. The retailers need to have the right insight in collecting analyzing data as well determining the actions that will resonate with consumers and deliver best experience. 1) Marketers need to have a long sighted approach towards consumer lifecycle and tactics within their acquisition. It helps in identifying the consumer goal from specific interaction and what this long term engagement will offer to shoppers. 2) The shoppers needs to develop the capability to anticipate shoppers actions and to do marketers must learns individuals likes and dislikes, their interests and most of all be able to discern individuals intent from collected rationalized data. 3) E-Commerce brand should use ensure that their data must be collected from each interaction and across every touch point to create one cohesive customer experience. Lack of persistent communication within various interaction units hurts the data aggregation and analysis. Read more at: http://www.cmswire.com/digital-marketing/keep-one-step-ahead-of-your-e-commerce-competition/

Millennial B2B buyers are becoming the target market. These new B2B buyers know exactly what they want from vendors. Wendy Marx (President of Marx Communications), writes in her article about how to get more B2B leads in 2016. Her suggestions are - More Storytelling and Less Selling, Authenticity in Social Media, Quicker Response Times. Read more at: http://www.business2community.com/b2b-marketing/4-ways-generate-b2b-leads-2016-01413701#RwIt6BQB75HxdP5T.97

A tagline can speak to an audience with authority and elegance. So, companies give importance to taglines. Yet many company taglines fall flat. Lee Frederiksen (managing partner at Hinge), addressed in his article about three critical questions: 1. what the taglines are supposed to do? 2. What is a good tagline? And 3. How does a company tagline fit into an overall brand strategy? Read more at: http://www.business2community.com/branding/elements-successful-brand-tagline-01408688#DAZTHAmiP5xzxxVx.97

The modern B2B marketplace is becoming very big. It is not enough to market the perfect products and services to fulfill specific needs; you must be prepared to deliver targeted messages to specific segments of the population to generate sales leads. In this article Dave Orecchio (author), writes how personalization helps in B2B sales lead generation. Read more at-  http://www.business2community.com/b2b-marketing/personalization-can-help-b2b-sales-lead-generation-01408216#yU8XudpWvVBbZKOT.97

Content marketing is expected to increase in demand in 2016 and beyond. Content is important everywhere, whether it is a blog, app, video or news and has the potential to enhance brand awareness, attract leads, and even help customers complete the buying process. Organizations must have some strategy for content marketing. Al Gomez (a valued contributor to Business 2 Community), writes in this article about some content marketing tips based on statistic reports. Read more at: http://www.business2community.com/content-marketing/important-will-content-marketing-2016-01407039#03DwAQ6OLxoPKkpw.97

Retailers face hectic flurry for organizing and planning for big sales, poor inventory management system can sabotage your sales even with great customer services. Negligence may lead to small discrepancies such as colour, sizes which can destroy customer relationship and cost valuable revenue. Accurate and timely delivery requiring effective management of omni-channel system is crucial for customer satisfaction beyond friendly services. Small to medium business should focus on mobile access, real time access of disparate data, sales forecasting and product management for prior inventory. Delay in information and updates of innovated products and services will lead to disrupt business as it leads to unrealistic promises which can’t be completed in time window. Your need to empower your sales person with latest technologies and real time inventory information. Delivering products to customer on time is as sales, when investing in newer solution, its important to plan for short and mid-term growth. Changing inventory multiple times would cost resources, but will be necessary if you fail to take proper decision now. Read more at:- http://www.cmswire.com/customer-experience/dont-leave-customers-empty-handed/

Daniil Karp (a valued contributor to Business 2 Community), writes in his article about some B2B marketing trends in 2016. They are - Marketers Using Cross-Channel Strategies Will Win, Customer-Centric Marketing Will Become a Must-Have, Interactive Marketing Will Be the Next ROI-Maker, and People Will Define Marketing Technology Success. Read more at: http://www.business2community.com/b2b-marketing/4-b2b-marketing-trends-watch-2016-01409718#GtmhYRTjS2FRY4rt.97

Most manufacturers now use content marketing, according to a recent study. Yet only 26% say their efforts are effective. The struggle for more than half of these manufacturers is understanding the audience and knowing what marketing content is most effective. More than 60% said that converting web site visitors also was an immediate issue related to their marketing efforts. Peter Kowalke (journalist and editor), in his article writes about all these challenges can be solved with CRM and also writes about some ways that you can better integrate and use your CRM for marketing advantage. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/six-tips-for-integrating-your-marketing-with-your-crm-70786

Planning a marketing campaign is an important part and it requires methodical effort. If one spent time for planning, it will help in the success of the campaign. One should be clear about the target audiences. Once you have decided on your target audience, you need to decide how to appeal to them more effectively and be sure your message includes both an offer and a call to action. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/making-a-marketing-campaign-70767

This year's blockbuster Black Friday and Cyber Monday saw more than ever selling which implies that in future, marketing will be imperatively focused through internet transactions. International survey suggests that more than 151 people shop online. Buyers hit physical stores for available door busters. With online shopping, they get to browse around other brands and pick other things of interest. The Interactive Advertisement bureau reports that people still visit showrooms to double check prices of commodity before purchasing online. Soon special days like black Friday and Cyber Monday would loose their importance. Read more at:-http://www.cmswire.com/digital-marketing/what-you-need-to-know-about-new-retail-realities/

More CEOs are recognizing established companies as a more formidable competitor than an outsider. In order to excel in today's game changing competition, we need to understand what game we are playing. At the beginning, employees understand their jobs, later they lack this capability as the company emphasizes more on organizing customers and products rather than their actual reason from where they started. The KPIs stays disconnected from customer needs, leading to disruption of business. Game changing innovation requires us to 1) Step outside of our organization silos by thinking new products and services from customer point of view using newer technologies. 2) Use right incentives and metrics to cannibalize the market in long run assisting employees to link their efforts to over company's strategies. 3) become faster and flexible to respond to the inevitable shifts by simplifying existing decision making processes. Read more at:-http://timoelliott.com/blog/2015/07/3-key-steps-to-game-changing-innovation.html