Limitations and Advantages of New Media in the Context of Building Customer Relationships - Assignment Example

? Media and Marketing Q. 3The role of new media is growing and it deserves a place in the marketing communications policy’ (Peelen 2006). However, traditional marketing techniques involve personal interaction with the consumer/customer. Evaluate the limitations and advantages of new media in the context of building customer relationships. Interaction is mandatory if one is to be successful in a marketing campaign. Traditional marketing methods are very effective in ensuring this. However, with the rise of new media which is rapidly replacing the older methods, marketers now need to devise new strategies that will ensure that their targeted customers do not feel left out (Duhe 2007, p. 26). Some companies are still making use of the traditional marketing methods which include publications, television, radio, telephones, billboards, postal services, face to face methods amongst others. Their counterparts instead make use of websites, emails, social media and video-conferencing in the same effort. It is important for any company to seriously consider its marketing strategies as these determine how effective their outcome will be in terms of winning them a satisfactory customer base. Speaking of personal interaction, new media has a major shortcoming especially when it comes to dealing with dis-satisfied customers. Take for example social media. Customers who may feel cheated after consuming a product because it did not match their expectations may chose to express their discontentment via social media channels such as Facebook, twitter or website blogs. This would adversely compromise the efforts of the company in brand building. Conversely, if a company subscribed to the traditional approaches of marketing communication, say, the use of telephones, all that the discontented customer would have to do is to call and air their grievances while the concerned company would have retaliated by apologizing and looking for a way of appeasing the dissatisfied customer. Schultz 2009, p. 33). Again, new media lacks that human touch that goes a long way in convincing customers to purchase a product. New media is often characterized by faceless interactions although this is not always the case (Hennig 2000, p. 23). Companies that choose to make use of the given social media channels like emails, twitter and blogs need to understand that when customers are not able to emotionally and psychologically connect with the product on sale as well as the people marketing it, there is likely to be zero engagement (Egan 2008, p. 94). The management should realize that it is not about placing the said product up for marketing as much as it is about appealing to the feelings and emotions of the consumers. Of much significance also is the question as to how companies intend to measure the attitudes and engagement levels of their customers as well as relationship outcomes. This is of importance mainly because the emerging media marketing methods do not adequately put this aspect into consideration (Mukerjee 2011, p. 88). Whereas a company may successfully measure the attitudes and behavioral data of their consumers, they may have to deal with the challenge of how to incorporate this data into their organizations. How does one tell whether the data presented there represents genuine feedback from a concerned customer, or it was the product of a joker who just happened to come by the site? Again, marketing campaigns conducted through Youtube or adverts placed within email pages may never reach the intended customer base and yet there would be no way of informing them (Garber 2007, p. 78). This might in the long run affect their ability to build their brand. Traditional marketing strategies are designed in such a way that before the company has incurred so much damage due to some of these unperceived loopholes, it will have acted on the feedback already received through the convenient means that it has offered to its customers. It would be bad to the new media strategies not to point out some of the advantages they have introduced into the marketing world. First, the assumption that new media completely inhibits interaction would be entirely wrong. This is because there is a high level of interactivity in some of these channels (Russel 2010, p. 56). For example, video conferences, very recent phenomena in media technology offers a chance for one to express themselves and to be heard, even though without direct face to face interactions. However the fact that one can still see the faces of his respondent through the computer means facial reactions of the respondent can be noted. Another example of the same is the virtual reality shows that have become rampant and which have replaced the old time television shows New media marketing strategies also help to build customer relationships in the way they offer diversity of choice, easy and quick access of information to customers. In most cases, consumers want the information they need to be easily accessible to them at the click of a button. Through such communication channels, diversity is also enhanced since the marketers can design their packages and express their art in their own unique ways and in ways that will be appealing to the eyes of heir consumers (Hair 2008, p. 67). In conclusion, we can see that obviously, the new emerging media marketing approaches cannot supersede the more traditional methods especially when it comes to enhancing interaction and therefore building customer relationships (Stafford 2005, p. 35). The new methods are limited in the way they may hinder brand building especially when dissatisfied customers express their opinions in public media such as Facebook or twitter. Again, the new marketing methods may be ill equipped in appealing to the emotional and psychological aspects of their targeted market mainly because they do not involve face to face interactions (Muehling 2011, p. 99). This way, if the feelings and emotions of the customers are not being roused by the product being marketed, they are least likely to purchase the item (Stafford 2005, p. 45).There are also some advantages to these marketing strategies in the way at times allow for consumer participation while allowing them enjoy diversity in their choices. Bibliography Duhe, S. C., 2007, New media and public relations, New York city: Lang. Egan, J., 2008, Marketing communications, London: Thomson. Garber, P. R., 2007, 101 ways to build relationships withyour customers, Amherst: HRD press. Hair, J. F., 2008, Sales management: a customer relationship approach, Boston: Houghton mifflin. Hennig, T., 2000, Relationship marketing:gaining competitive advantage through customer satisfaction and customer retention:with 24 tables,Berlin: Springer . Muehling, D. D., 2011, The relative influence of advertising evoked personal and historical nostalgia, Journal of marketing communications , 98-113. Mukerjee, k., 2011, Customer oriented organizations: a framework for innovation, Journal of business strategy , 157-164. Russel, E., 2010, The fundamentals of marketing,Tennesse: Ingram publisher services. Schultz, D. E., & al, e.,2009, Building customer-Brand relationships, New York city: Armonk. Stafford, M. R., & Faber, R. J., 2005, Advertising, promotion and new media,New York& London: Armonk& M.E. Sharpe. Read More