Friday, August 10, 2012

The Hybrid Agency and 2020 Transformations Strategies

Today I would like to introduce you to our new hybrid agency called Stratejis Business and Marketing Transformations and our new offices at the  Synergy Centre at 290 Picton Ave., Suite 101, in Ottawa.

The rational for opening the centre was to provide a safe and creative environment where a variety of creative individuals could have their own businesses but work and network together in a cooperative environment that would allow each to share their services with the other, pay each other a referral fee and have the use of all the services without the overhead of a traditional advertising or marketing agency.  So we have Robin Sauve from Bamboo Branding and Adrian Abbott from Action Man Media as part of our group my company Corporate Coachworkz/Stratejis and have a variety of other companies with whom we do business and share our expertise.

My new incarnation, Stratejis Transformation Strategies is a division of The  Corporate Coachworkz  and focuses in on working with companies, individuals or organizations on developing 2020 Transformation strategies and plan.   It allows a company to go through a 5 step process using our Level  4(TM) marketing methodology to help them transform their business or organization.

The process is actually quite simple, where where you, where are you now and where do want to be.  It sounds simple enough however there are a variety of steps that a company will need to go through if it really wants to transform its business or the way it markets its products to customers.  See www.stratejis@bogspot.com for more information on the 5-Step Process and tips provided by Kamal Hassan is the Founder, President and CEO (Chief Excitement Officer) of Innovation 360.

The key point about a transformation strategy is that companies " will" be required to change their marketing approaches and change how they do business because of the Internet and the integration of mobile devices into the marketing mix.  They will also need to change process, structure, product selection and customer service and customer integration as well as all aspects of their sales and marketing for 2020, because 2020 is going to be a " whole new ball game".

For example the other day we had a rather long meeting at the centre which went into the traditional lunch hour.  One of the attendees asked if we could get some sandwiches and keep going.  Someone ( I suspect because of all their traditional advertising ) suggested Subway.  I looked the others and asked if anyone know where is there a Subway close to the office.  Adrian pulled out his cell phone and within seconds said, "there is one 3 blocks from here, lets go I will give you the directions on the way."

This simple step demonstrates that we are going to need both the marketing integration of outside and inside an organization, including outbound ( traditional advertising) and inbound ( Internet, new and social media) to support a product.  Product awareness is still going to be required and the building of a brand is still going to be required, however the mobile generation is going to require easy access points of entry and guidance about how to purchase products as well as a process for purchase.

People are still going to want to buy, we just need to give the customer the tools and the approaches to continue to carry out the purchase.  This is going to be a huge transformation for a lot of traditional companies especially those who have put a lot of focus in on bricks and mortar and expect customers to come through the door.

For example, many retailers are still using flyer's as source of new customers.  Many are finally getting smart, collecting email addresses, developing loyalty and information programs and marketing directly to them with emails, but that's it.

There is limited customer engagement with transient customers looking for a place to spend their money.   For a real marketing transformation in retail its going to take some hard work and its going to take a lot of looking at the current way you carry out your business, not just the marketing of your business but your business as a whole.

For example, we still have those businesses that treat a customer as if they are a nuisance.  Especially in Canada where customer service is appalling in both restaurants and in big retail stores. Its no wonder that Sears, Zellers and The Bay are all struggling to get new customers.  The mobile customer could care less, he/she can get anything they want wherever they want.

As business owners, it should become the first question you ask yourself when you get out of bed in the morning.  Where will our company be in 2020?  If you can't answer that question, then you will need to start today looking at where you want to be and developing a plan to get there.

Just like those companies that did not think web sites or telephones would catch on, the new customer is totally mobile and its going to take some time to figure out what you need to do an you better get started.

Kensel Tracy is Marketing Coach, Senior Partner in the Corporate Coachworkz and a trusted adviser with Stratejis Business and Marketing Transformations.  He can be reached at kenselt@sympatico.ca

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