5 Takeaways from Youtility by Jay Baer

High quality customer care is the best marketing tool that exists. The companies that put service first find acquiring and keeping customers easier and more cost effective. Marketing makeovers should begin with the fundamentals of providing value and delivering on the promise. Most people know this intuitively but moving from knowledge to execution is challenging in a world of interdepartmental conflicts and corporate politics.

Youtility, the New York Times Bestseller by Jay Baer is one of the best business books I’ve seen on the dynamics between service and marketing. It is filled with examples of companies using helping people to drive sales and growth. Any marketer with doubts about how care generates revenue would be wise to read this book. The information will change the way you think about marketing forever. Here are five takeaways:

1. Instead of trying to be amazing, focus on being useful. This is a breath of fresh air after all of the hype about how being remarkable is required to be successful. Being useful is easier to do and has a longer positive effect.
2. Greatness is a process that requires perseverance and time. Jay says, “By making helpful marketing a never-ending part of your company’s cultural DNA, you enable greatness to emerge whenever and however it can.”
3. Your customer expectations are defined by global experiences instead of select industries. To be competitive, you need to know what your customers expect and be willing to offer it even if your company is the first in your industry to do so.
4. Apps are replacing brand in determining corporate value. As mobile activity increases, tools to access services and products provide introductions to prospects and keep customers engaged.
5. The number of sources required for a buying decision almost doubled from 2010 to 2011. If people are searching for information to help them buy, shouldn’t your company provide it?

The book is an easy read and contains statistical information to support the key points. Reading it will inspire ideas on how you can improve your company’s future.

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