In an era when consumer products and services rapidly commoditize, the customer experience has become the point of brand differentiation. It matters more than ever before - as evidenced by an increasing number of businesses adding a Chief Customer Officer to their executive leadership team. A good experience has the power to unlock a lifetime of loyalty and advocacy. A bad one can be relayed across the world with just the click of a mouse. More than 86% of customers say they will simply stop using a brand after one bad experience, and 82% of customers will communicate their bad …

I recently spent my entire weekend with cheerleading moms in Dallas, at the National Championship and, ironically, in our downtime, there was a lot of discussion about stores and brands and their marketing efforts. It was fascinating to listen to. (If you know anything about Cheer Moms, you know we are not short of opinions!)

The word "engagement" has become a buzzword for marketers lately, but many brands do not fully understand its definition: to ignite excitement that leads to participation. A call-to-action does not always need to equate to a transaction. Yet, not every campaign must directly sell a product in order to be considered successful. In many scenarios, brands have grown their businesses by building relationships with their target audiences, eventually turning consumers into brand advocates. For many, social media has become the driving vehicle for consumer interaction. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have transformed the meaning of campaigns in order to sell a …

Customers are valuable. We all know that, of course. We work hard, strategize, and spend good money to acquire them. We brainstorm what they might want from our products and services, and then we try to give it to them. We do everything within our creative powers to engage them and keep them engaged.

Conferences and trade shows are nothing new for marketing professionals. They can be a great way for brands to network with current and potential customers as well as interact with peers. However, conferences also require a good deal of preparation, time and money, so if you are investing, it's critical to prepare a conference presence that will pique visitors' interest and encourage them to stop and ask questions.