Social Marketing Communication Leads the Way In Good Times and Bad
The following article was published in the monthly newsletter ROOTNOTES
Recently I had the good fortune to be chosen by my peers as the newest member of the Executive Committee of the International Home Furniture Representative’s Association (IHFRA). It is an Association with almost 1200 Industry Members. There are a couple of events at the upcoming market for the benefit of the Industry that IHFRA is sponsoring. They also have good national discount programs in place that more than pay for the annual dues. Anyone in the industry is welcome to join.
I tell you this because as the new guy in the organization, it appears that a reason I got the job was because I shared with them all the great ways I think they can be a very viable force in the industry. Let’s face it, times have been tough for our industry and no one is anymore challenged than the middleman between the factory and the retailer. Many reps feel all they do is get squeezed on both ends and no one appreciates their efforts.
I believe the rep still has a valuable place to champion the retailer’s needs back to the factories. Manufacturer’s strength is making a good quality product that will sell at retail and deliver on time. The retailer’s job is to merchandise, promote, sell and service the manufacturer’s product. They don’t want to create the ideas, manufacture or worry about delivery. The rep’s job is to help both parties understand each other and make the relationship as smooth as possible. In other words, the good rep’s provide COMMUNICATION between all parties.
What I shared with the nominating committee is the need for the organization to be more proactive just like all rep’s need to be more proactive. We need to help dealer’s figure out ways to sell the product to the end consumer with Promotional Ideas. Those ideas in a free report at www.FurniturePromotions.com is one way to do that.
Reps need to help factories have the right product, delivered at the right time to the retailers so that the retailers can satisfy the customer. Working with retailers to set projections and communicating such to the factories is what I do with all my accounts so that we can stay in stock when the retailer needs it most.
But above all, communication is the key. My dealers get a monthly newsletter and hopefully find value in it. I am very intrigued with online social media and have begun to post to this blog. This is the best place to keep up with all my various marketing projects as well as get my contact info. You’ll also find me in social media as follows
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Mike.Root
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/mikeroot
Twitter: www.twitter/meroot
YouTube: www.youtube.com/meroot
People may laugh at this social media stuff and I am still just learning it, but based on early results, I believe it will be imperative for businesses to have a presence there to communicate with their customers. This nontraditional WEB 2.0 communication where you can interact with your customers online is hitting other industries. The furniture industry will be right around the corner. I will be communicating my progress in social media over time on this blog. I also will be sending out a weekly ezine with marketing tips so make sure I have your email if you would like to be included in this ongoing analysis of how the conversations we have with our customers are changing. Let me know what you think.
