How can digital marketing help with those inevitable updates? In any business, it is inevitable that a product or service will need to be updated. Many times, especially in the IT services industry, a scenario like this will be the only time a customer will engage with their vendor.

Constant software updates are the norm in today’s IT world. With seamless internet available in many locations across the country, it is becoming more and more acceptable to update apps on an iPhone, software on a laptop etc. for customers to get the latest and greatest offerings. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that customers are happy about the updates. Customers are creatures of habit and some don’t embrace change very well even though it might not be in our best interests to do so. For example, my own spouse once refused to update her personal finance software (i.e., Money ’95) and lost all of her data when Microsoft stopped making it and sold it to Intuit (makers of Quicken).

So while change it hard for some, a little marketing communications can go a long way to help customers accept its inevitability. And with the increased use of social media, your customers can receive marketing messages almost instantaneously.

The following steps detail some of the best practices when marketing updates to your customers:

• Market your update well before the change occurs. Companies need to attain a delicate balance here. If you market too early, your customers may forget about the upcoming change. Market it too late, and you risk running into significant customer dissatisfaction.
• Tell the customers the reason behind the change. There needs to be a “Why” here; otherwise your customers will question the logic behind the change and your company will risk looking incompetent. Statements like “In response to customer feedback . . .,” or “Due to Federal regulations . . . . ,” will help customers understand and in some cases they may even sympathize with the change.
• Don’t make it a one-and-done. If your update is six months out, don’t just send out a memo and assume everything’s fine. Follow up with your customers at least every month. Not only will this push the customers to anticipate and plan for the change, this will also give you a great opportunity to market your update’s benefits.
• Follow up after the change is made. Assuming that everything will be fine after the update is made is not a wise course of action. Your customers may need further support and this will also give you a chance you market the success of the change (i.e. “now our customers are able to do . . .”).

An example of marketing updates to customers was Apple’s latest operating system release (iOS) for iPhone and iPad product lines. Apple informed their customer base at least a year in advance of the new release. Although, rumors had been circulating for some time. The tone of their messages was of anticipation in that Apple highlighted all the new features in the iOS release. Using a marketing mix of social media (LINK YOU TUBE AD) and traditional media, Apple’s release generated a tremendous amount of excitement. Months after the release, Apple still offers support for customers making it a resounding success.