The assignment is about Marketing Management, respond in around 16 pages (4,000 words) refer to content only - cover page and table of contents not included in the count. All pages to be numbered.
MARKETING MANAGEMENT:
Read the following extract and ansveer the questions that follow. U-Haul Moves In on Social Media Conversations.
A retooled social strategy allows marketers to get In on every stage of customers moves.
Moving can be a frustrating experience.
In fact, anyone who's ever moved knows that it can be downright expensive and time consuming For those masons, throngs of people often attempt to cut out the middlemen—Le. those pricey, sometimes stoic, movers And in the midst of a major move, people often take to social media to voice their concerns, frustrations, or even triumphs. That's why marketers for moving equipment and storage company U-Haul say that they needed to find a way to identify their customers' social conversations and address them—quickly its extremely Important for us to have an open dialogue with our customers and potential customers online,' says Tont Jones, social media director for U-Haul International When our customers are talking directly to us about our products and services, we find those to be the most Important to engage in—immediately.' Jones says responding to customers Is imperative to swiftly dissolving customer problems and bolstering the brand's reputation. In fact, she says that during the company's peak months in the summer, customers send more than 20,000 messages that address everything from good or bad customer service In U-Haul stores, to problems with equipment and weather–related problems, or even tweets of Icy when a move is complete.
The sheer volume of tweets and other social mentions, however, can make those social conversations difficult to respond to or even identify. So in January 2012, the marketing team at U-Haul began using social listening tools from 13rinkir to pick up on those important conversations happening on social media
'We have escalation cues,' Jones explains. "So, for example, If a customer is complaining about a breakdown with their equipment, or if they're physically in the store complaining about the service that they're receiving, we're going to address those quickly because we're able to track those messages " Jones says that marketers at U.Haut organize social conversations with tags—or subject codes—that categorize topics of discussion And with thousands of messages now sorted out, U-Haul's marketing team has set a stringent standard respond to complaints and comments on social within 30 minutes during operating hours
She says that can be a challenge because the brand's name is so ubiquitous that marketers have to sift out conversations which may not be talking about the brand at all. U-Haul is a household name. The term U-Haul' is used in a lot of common phrases, or it's used in associations that have nothing to do with our brand. It's extra noise for the [marketing) team. So we really try to focus on those mentions directly around our products and services,' Jones says 'All of social media has been a really great way for us to get that messaging out quickly.' she continues. "Ws a great way for us to tap into a community that we've established already' in fact, marketers at U-Haul have taken social conversations one step further with the brand's NIJHaulFamous hashing campaign, which encourages customers to share their U-Haul photos on social media and at UHaulFamous.com for a chance to get the shots plastered on the side of a U-Haul truck Customers have submitted more than 18,000 photos, more than 5,500 trucks display those personal pies. We want to show them that the move is not about U-Haul, it's about the customer.' Jones say Jones and her team say that continuous conversation and engagement is working. They say response times are up with about 70% of all issues resolved in a half hour, about 49% are addressed in fewer than 15 minutes With social analytics and listening tools, marketers at U-Haul say they're now able to track link referrals and record conversion metrics.
With this retooled social strategy, Jones says that U-Haul has managed to help customers at every stage of their moves, share customer stories, and get in on daily conversations. 'Ws a lot of fun. It's a great way to increase that positive sentiment of our brand, to extend the conversation,' Jones says. "Irs really a way to celebrate them. It's all part of a bigger experience—their experiences. And (through soczalt we've really been able to celebrate that."
QUESTION 1:
1.1 Appraise the effectiveness of U- Hauls attempt to use social media to respond to customer queries and complaints.
1.2 Discuss the various types of marketing metric tools that U•Hauls can use, and the resulting importance of using these tools on U- Hauls social media campaign.
QUESTION 2:
Critically assess how U- Haul could use strategic planning to their advantage by taking into account the following factors.
• Marketing and Customer Value
• A Holistic Marketing Orientation and Customer Value
• The Central Role of Strategic Planning
QUESTION 3:
Critically evaluate how U- Haul used marketing research to their advantage. Your discussion must indude the steps undertaken by U- Haul.
QUESTION 4:
Kotler and Keller (2009:160) argue that managers who believe the customer is the company's only true profit centre consider the traditional organisational chart obsolete. With the rise of digital technologies like the Internet, today's increasingly informed consumers expect companies to do more than connect with them, more than satisfy them, and even more than delight them. With regards to the above information analyse the process and importance of customer perceived value, in gainingcustomer loyalty and increased brand equity for U- Haul.