Interview with Spur Interactive CEO Steve Latham

Social media has changed how we think about marketing. Word of mouth has always been the most influential with regard to purchase decisions but historically word of mouth was limited on how far it could travel. Today word of mouth can circulate around the world in a matter of minutes. Steve Latham, Founder and CEO of Spur Interactive, knows how to maximize the social web and provides a clear overview of the opportunities and challenges for brands. Voice of the customer and customer feedback are integral to a holistic customer management strategy today. In this podcast Latham gives Customer Management IQ’s Blake Landau a sneak peak about the voice of the customer, how brands can make waves online and fight customer inertia. There are a myriad of ways people can share and exchange information and when customer start to move from anxiety to action you want to be there to engage with them.. Today customer retention is non-negotiable. The market landscape is always changing and competitors are trying to deliver unique or incremental value to your customers. Social media marketing provides a compelling way to do this. Marketing is no longer a speaker phone but rather a telephone. It’s about a two-way conversation and a dialogue. . According to Latham if your brand has gotten comfortable, fat and happy by relying on your market share or your history and legacy, you will be at risk. More aggressive, savvy companies will take your customers from you. Latham will be moderating a panel at IQPC’s Customer Feedback Week conference on “Using New Media to Listen to Customers” on September 22nd in Atlanta at the Omni Hotel.