As we enter a world where the consumer is king, it’s more important than ever to monitor social media sites and respond to consumers and potential consumers accordingly.  While social media is a fantastic tool in your marketing kit, it’s important to remember it’s not just your sounding board to your consumers, it’s also another communication channel for consumers to tell you what they like, what they want and what they do not like about your brand and the people and products/services associated with your brand name.

Social media is also another tool that can help you grow your database.  When a consumer communicates with your via social media, it’s just as important to record that interaction as it is to record telephone or email correspondence between your brand and the consumer.

A recent Forbes.com article, “10 Brand Marketing Trends that Should Dominate 2013,” it was stated that database management is going to control the success– or failure — of your marketing campaign this year.

“Turning that data into actionable metrics and initiatives will be the more challenging step, and it’s one that all brand marketers should be concerned with in the coming 12 months and beyond.”

With new technology and communication tools it is easier than ever to collect information regarding our target audiences, but it’s not quite as easy to generate the data into usable information.  This is where database management and automation tools will become an integral component to your marketing mix this year.

What does all of this information tell us?  It’s simple, as marketers we need to find ways to develop creative and relevant communication between your brand and its consumers.  Using database and cross media marketing tactics, you’re brand will see a greater reach and frequency from its message and ultimately a greater return on investments.

Timothy Freeman

President

Print & Graphic Communications Association