Interactive Marketing

Interactive marketing is a revolutionary new trend in marketing that treats each marketing transaction as a personal conversation between the customer and the company. TriMark Solutions takes this idea to the next level by creating a truly interactive B2C experience between customer and business. For our clients, our Interactive Marketing strategy focuses primarily on the unique concept of Customer Engagement and Interaction. TriMark does more than simply place an ad in front of the relevant targeted customer, we entice them to interact, communicate, and engage!

The definition of interactive marketing comes from John Deighton, a Professor of Business Administration at Harvard, who was the founding co-editor of the Journal of Interactive Marketing. Deighton's simple yet powerful definition of Internet Marketing is, "The ability to address the customer, remember what the customer says, and address the customer again in a way that illustrates that we remember what the customer has told us." (Deighton 1996).

During TriMark's Interactive Marketing campaigns, we entice and persuade open communication between client and consumer, placing our clients in a position to listen to what their customers have to say. Together, we then utilize this valuable information and feedback to improve every aspect of a company, including products, customer service, marketing efforts, and more! Simply put, our interactive marketing plan gives customers the attention and service they truly deserve via maximized customer engagement and online interaction.

Although similar, Interactive Marketing and Online Marketing are not the same concepts. Online Marketing is the concept of placing a highly relevant ad in front of a targeted online searcher precisely when they are searching for a product or service. Interactive Marketing take this same approach, however it entices, rewards, or otherwise persuades a direct communicative response from the targeted audience.

For example, sending out a survey through a mass email marketing campaign would be considered a part of interactive marketing as long as the data gathered from the survey will be used to better serve customers. Aside standard text and display ads and email marketing, interactive marketing campaigns can also be administered through online surveys on the company website, social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc), SMS messages, or interactive research booths in high-traffic public places.

The wildly popular ecommerce site Amazon.com is a powerful example of the use of interactive marketing. As customers make purchases and record their preferences in books, they are then shown book selections that match not only their preferences but recent purchases. Here, Amazon is gaining valuable information from customers on their book preferences, and then displaying customized ads and suggestions for books that meet each customer's individual tastes and preferences. This strategy will immediately increase site time on site, visitor happiness, repeat customers, and most importantly sales.

Strategic Interactive Marketing Campaigns allow customers and potential prospects to participate in the process of building a brand's image in a certain market, as well as in the mind of the consumer. One such example of this process is one of TriMark's local clients, Sparians Bowling Boutique & Bistro, who strategically utilized a compelling Interactive Marketing campaign before their doors were even open. After gaining a loyal fanbase on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, Sparians started a blog asking followers to vote and help choose what types of foods, uniforms, and specials the upscale bowling boutique would offer. These interactive blog posts were dubbed "Sparians Feedback Fridays", and helped create a high level of loyalty and customer engagement during the Sparians Grand Opening. Although the point of the blog posts was not to advertise or sell, creating these personalized B2C conversations helped generate a much higher turnout for the Sparians Grand Opening and more sales and revenue during the first several months of business.