The three cardinal sins of marketing

Consumers are now demanding that businesses embrace multi-channel and share information across multiple online and offline networks, from Twitter and Facebook through email to coupons. If they contact you on Twitter then you need to be able to reply on Twitter.

The proliferation of marketing channels over the last five years has significantly impacted on the way consumers expect to be treated by brands, according to new research from Experian Marketing Services. As more and more people embrace the multi-channel environment in their own lives, sharing information across multiple online and offline networks, consumers are now demanding that businesses do the same.

Eighty four per cent of consumers said they would no longer buy from an organisation that failed to take account of their preferences, purchasing history and other customer information. More than half would actively recommend and endorse a company that effectively managed and linked its customer data to inform marketing campaigns.

Additionally the survey found that almost half (43 per cent) would make additional purchases or return their custom to an organisation that had correctly marketed products to them based on their personal situation. Almost three in five (57 per cent) said they would actively recommend the company to others, while 26 per cent would go out of their way to leave a positive online review. Meanwhile, 22 per cent would sign up for promotional emails and 32 per cent would sign up for an organisation's loyalty scheme.

According to the survey there are three cardinal sins of marketing;

• Trying to sell them something they said they did not want (52 per cent)
• Contacting them in a way that they had flagged as unwanted (45 per cent)
• Offering them products they have already refused (36 per cent)

And by doing any one of the above would be enough to make them vote with their feet and take their business elsewhere.

Nigel Wilson, Manager Director, Data & Analytics at Experian Marketing Services, said, "Personalised marketing campaigns driven by the insight gained from a complete picture of customers through a Single Customer View (SCV) across all channels from website to social media to call centre can bring hugely positive results for businesses, yet there is growing intolerance of brands that fail to get the basics right and some clear evidence that marketers are struggling to effectively link their data."