Recognising the importance of social media, The Rocket Marketing Group have launched themselves into the world of Facebook and Twitter to actively engage with members of their benefits & savings programmes.

Rocket began their foray into this fast-moving field in 2010 but stepped up a level in early 2011 by creating a brand new Social Media Executive role. They employed young entrepreneur Jelly Gassman to fill the position and have since been working on a strategy to communicate with existing members using social media.

“Rocket are doing exactly the right thing by developing a social media strategy to engage with their club members,” says Jelly, “They are an inspiring company to work for – other businesses ignore social media at their peril.”

With its straight-forward benefits and obvious appeal, Rocket chose their 241 Hotel Club – offering two nights for the price of one in over 300 UK & Ireland hotels – as the first of its products to be represented on social platforms. Ideal for their target market, Rocket turned their attention to Facebook and created a snazzy page for the 241 Hotel Club. With regular updates and a personal voice, the page represents a community for people to swap travel tips.

To entice members to engage on Facebook, Rocket have launched a competition that runs exclusively on the 241 Hotel Club Facebook page and requires entrants to ‘like’ the page in order to enter. The prize is a fantastic two-night hotel stay for two in a 4* Crowne Plaza London hotel, plus theatre tickets for two to a west end show.

Finding the competition on Facebook couldn’t be easier – just click here. You can also follow the 241 Hotel Club on Twitter @241HotelClub.

241 Hotel Club - Facebook competition page

The competition is open from 01/04/2011 and closes at midnight BST on the 31/05/2011. No purchase or membership necessary to enter. T&Cs apply.

The Rocket Marketing Group is based in Brighton. They specialise in developing, implementing and managing loyalty & membership programmes and consumer rewards, driving customer retention and generating incremental revenue. If you are interested in Rocket’s range of consumer rewards or membership programmes, please contact us on 0845 241 2135.

How many times have you come off a phone call, left a shop, or finished reading an email, and thought ‘Wow! What great customer service!’?

Not many, I’d guess.

Real noteworthy service has unfortunately become the exception rather than the norm. That’s why it can make all the difference in highly competitive markets. In fact, the U.S Chamber of Commerce estimates that 68% of customers who leave a company do so because they feel undervalued.

Clearly, the way you treat your customers has a huge bearing on the loyalty they show to your business in the long term.

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The Rocket Marketing Group have signed an agreement with Pitch TV to provide a brand new bespoke savings club exclusively for Pitch customers.

The Pitch Moneysavers Club is fully branded in line with the look and feel of Pitch’s TV channel and website, and is designed to give their customers great savings on a huge range of products.

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How many times have you come off a phone call, left a shop, or finished reading an email, and thought ‘Wow! What great customer service!’?

Not many, I’d guess.

Real noteworthy service has unfortunately become the exception rather than the norm. That’s why it can make all the difference in highly competitive markets. In fact, the U.S Chamber of Commerce estimates that 68% of customers who leave a company do so because they feel undervalued.

Clearly, the way you treat your customers has a huge bearing on the loyalty they show to your business in the long term.

Sadly, many companies forget this, especially during difficult economic times. When faced with a recession, businesses tend to prioritise sales over customer service, regarding their sales department as the arm of the business that brings in revenue, while customer service is seen as non-profit making, and therefore expendable.

The problem with this approach is that it ignores the vital role that customer service plays in generating continued consumer loyalty, and, as a result, revenue.

Concentrating on sales may bring in more revenue in the short term, but if you lack the resources to service these new customers correctly, they probably won’t stay with you for very long. Furthermore, existing customers may feel undervalued and subsequently move to your competitors, forcing you to put even more costs and resources into customer acquisition to replace them.

Business research company Gartner estimates that it’s around five times as expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to retain an existing one, so it makes clear financial sense to concentrate your efforts on keeping the customers you already have. Happy customers also provide an invaluable asset in promoting your business through word of mouth, helping you increase revenue without increasing your acquisition costs.

Retaining customers does not have to be an expensive process, and there are several simple methods you can employ to keep customers happy and generate long-term loyalty.

Firstly, don’t make claims about your product that you can’t back up. You will only serve to heighten expectations to a level that you cannot service, resulting in your customers feeling frustrated and disillusioned. Investing in the resources to ensure complaints or questions are quickly resolved is also hugely important. The longer it takes you to answer a customer’s query, the longer you give them to find an alternate company to do business with.

Simple acts like sending your existing customers rewards or incentives to shop with you again is a great way of generating sales and increasing loyalty. This can be done through regular email communication, creating another touch-point with your customers. Asking for feedback is also a great way to show your customers that their opinions matter to your business, and that you’re listening to their concerns. It also allows you to see your business through their eyes, so you can examine where your company is meeting expectations, and where it has potential to grow in the future.

First published in The Argus, 09/10/10

London in the Autumn is a fantastic place to be. The Summer crowds have departed, the aroma of roasted chestnuts fills the air, and the parks are full of crunchy, rust-coloured leaves to crunch through. It’s a perfect time of year to enjoy a short break or weekend away to the capital, and make the most of the great museums, galleries, attractions and bars on offer.

London can be an expensive place to visit, but with a bit of planning you’ll find that you can spend an action-packed weekend there without breaking the bank. Train companies regularly offer special discounts on fares to London, and National Express are currently offering coach tickets to the capital for as little as £1. Even hotel accommodation can be found relatively cheaply if you know where to look. The 241 Hotel Club for example, offers visitors two nights stay for the price of one at hotels across the UK, with over 40 available in the London area alone.

So what should visitors on a budget be looking out for this Autumn?

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The Rocket Marketing Group have created a brand new bespoke membership programme exclusively for sit-up channels – The Privilege Savings Club.

The club has been fully branded in line with the look and feel of sit-up’s home shopping channels, and has been designed specifically for their viewers.

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The start of Autumn can be a pretty depressing time of year. The evenings begin to draw in, there is a definite chill in the air, and that two week break in the sun is soon just a distant memory as you settle back into the daily grind of work.

Sound familiar? If so, a short hotel break in the UK may be just what you need to beat the end of Summer blues, while providing a fantastic opportunity to see Britain’s Autumnal beauty in all its glory.

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Companies have always looked to instil loyalty in their customers. It’s an invaluable way of increasing customer retention, generating incremental revenue and growing a business.

Loyalty can be encouraged through a variety of methods, including e-marketing, offering consumer rewards and demonstrating excellent customer service. But perhaps the most effective way of forging a lasting relationship with your customers is by asking for, and acting on, their feedback.

With this in mind, The Rocket Marketing Group present their 5 Top Tips for generating and utilising customer feedback. Read the rest of this entry »

The Rocket Marketing Group has successfully passed its yearly ISO:9001 accreditation assessment with the British Standards Institution (BSI). Assessors found no outstanding issues and praised Rocket in their assessment report, stating they showed a ‘strong focus on customer service and development of the organisation’.

The annual assessment is designed to review the ongoing capability of Rocket’s Quality Management System in meeting ISO 9001:2008 standards, and to identify opportunities for further business and system improvements in the future.

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Email marketing has become one of the primary methods of communication for companies looking to generate incremental revenue from new and existing customers.

The strengths of email as a marketing tool lie in its ubiquity, speed and economy, and when used correctly it can be an invaluable tool to generate revenue, drive customer retention and encourage repeat business.

However, with so many companies trying to capture the public’s attention, the competition for click-throughs is fierce, and there are important considerations to keep in mind when starting an email marketing campaign.

With this in mind, The Rocket Marketing Group present a guide to the dos and don’ts of email marketing.

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