Marketers strive for ways to attract and retain loyal customers and one way is to create lasting marketing value. Companies want passionate brand advocates — you know the type? They are the dream customers who write engaging reviews, generate exciting word-of-mouth endorsements, and purchase the very latest company brands. Because a brand impression can last for days, if not months or years, marketing must trod out of the starting gate, bold and efficient, armed with marketing muscle and data.
I strive to make a strong tie with the customer from the inception. How best can we expeditiously and effectively communicate with our product users? Short term, why does the customer pick up the package? What graphics, tone, and text conveys the brand message? Long term, how do we cultivate this relationship through email, social media, advertising, promotions, and other tactical elements? At Zircon, we want to create “stickiness”. What is the glue that will hold us together with our customers? We want to captivate their attention for not just mere seconds, but for hours while the tool is in the customer’s hands and have our admirers tells their friends about their positive Zircon experience.
Marketers are constantly testing the results of a campaign. Leads are quantified from the latest industry tradeshow, media hits are counted, email open rates are examined, sales are tallied, return on investment is calculated and more. These marketing statistics point to success or areas for improvement. What sticks out to the customer, retailer, and consumer’s mind about the campaign and will the brand effect have legs to continue onward well past the campaign’s expiration date? Through the years, the Zircon brand has taken different twists and turns, but all in response to customer needs. For example, when asked for smaller, more nimble tools, Zircon responded with ergonomically designed stud finders that work well at any angle.
Creating lasting value begins with the customer. From a strategic and from a tactical viewpoint, when the customer is front and center in the decision making processes, then, we’re heading in the right direction. Beginning with the key marketing concepts, the customer is the star of the show. Other companies may go astray and put only the product front and center; unfortunately, disconnected companies blindly float out of focus from the customer’s eye. My goal is to lead the value discussion, put it on each marketing deliverable, and make it last for years to follow.
As a real life example of how Zircon is passionate about our customers, please take a look at our blog, “The Dog Ate My StudSensor“.
It’s invigorating to think of the customer – we anticipate his needs, we act upon them, we measure our results and we start over again. With anticipation, each new campaign brings an opportunity to further solidify the customer bond.
Sharpen your tools with Sharon as she shares her key insights of the tool world and her impactful marketing strategies and tactics. Follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook. 
Zircon’s Marketing ToolBox 