I recently ran across some of my old text books from college while decorating my home office. Yes, I AM “that girl” who keeps her college textbooks—but only the ones from my marketing and advertising classes, I promise!

While reminiscing about the four “Ps,” the product life cycle, the consumer decision making process and other lessons I learned—I realized that while most of the marketing principles I learned in school remain true today—the world of marketing is evolving quickly before our eyes.

For one thing, consumers primarily use the Web to research products and services rather than relying on sales representatives for information. SEO and marketing automation software are invisible tools that help marketers track and predict behaviors of their customers and prospects. Brands are given faces and personalities with social media tools like Facebook and Twitter—I predict that in the next three years, having a company Facebook or Twitter page is going to be as expected as having a Web site.

As marketing professionals, it’s in our best interest to keep up with industry trends and continue our education. There are plenty of Webinars, luncheons and online tutorials happening everyday that are just as valuable as our dusty old textbooks.

What is the biggest marketing change you’ve seen during your career?

Today, Canyonites celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the invention of skee-ball.

Ok, maybe we didn’t actually KNOW that skee-ball was invented in 1909, but we’re certainly happy that we got to play.

We spent our lunch hour at Peter Piper Pizza, where an intense skee-ball tournament was held between four teams of highly competitive co-workers. Muscles were pulled and voices were strained, but a good time was had by all.

photo courtesy of mikesalibaphoto

A quick round of arcade games was just what we needed to keep us energized after a hard work week.

Thanks to the Canyon Culture Club planning committee for helping us celebrate this momentous occasion.

On average, the cost of finding a new customer is five to six times more expensive than keeping a current one. So, what can a company do to ensure that their best customers stick around?

Create a customer loyalty program.

Most of us are familiar with customer loyalty programs—just look in your wallet or purse. I’m sure you have a slew of loyalty cards.

I’m personally a fan of DSW’s rewards program. This shoe retailer’s rewards program is so fantastic that I focus my shoe shopping solely (pun intended) at DSW. I actually feel GUILTY purchasing shoes elsewhere and have to put up blinders when I walk through department store shoe departments to avoid the temptation. Now that’s a powerful rewards program.

However, creating an effective loyalty program is more than just sending out punch cards. You must tailor your program to your customer base. Learn more about your valued customers—explore their demographics, behaviors and attitudes and you’ll be able to deliver rewards that resonate with them. Make sure your program recognizes, rewards and treats your customers in outstanding ways.

Don’t forget that rewarding your customers pays off for you in the long run—loyal customers spend more money and are more likely to recommend your business to others.

Do you find yourself frequenting businesses that offer rewards or incentives? What do they do to retain your business?