In a landmark treatise on marketing economics published six years ago, the renowned economist Philip Kotler predicted that the primary focus of all marketing activity would gradually include a growing emphasis on customers and the role customer communities would play in determining market success. We will tell you in a moment how this is relevant to you in your relentless pursuit of online entrepreneurship but first, let us look at Kotler's magic list and perhaps admire him for his ability to peak into a crystal ball with a definite sense of purpose. The transitional trends Kotler predicted included:

• From product-centric marketing to customer-centric marketing
• From make-and-sell marketing to sense-and-respond marketing
• From owning assets to owning brands
• From owning assets to owning brands
• From vertical integration to virtual integration (outsourcing)
• From mass marketing to customized marketing
• From operating only in the marketplace to also operating in cyberspace
• From pursuing market share to pursuing customer share
• From focusing on customer attraction to focusing on customer retention
• From transaction marketing to relationship marketing
• From customer acquisition to customer retention and satisfaction
• From mediated marketing to direct marketing
• From marketer monologue to customer dialogue
• From separated planning of communications to integrated marketing communications
• From single-channel marketing to multi-channel marketing
• From the marketing department doing the marketing to everyone in the company doing the marketing
• From exploiting suppliers and distributors to partnering with them

So there you have it. Every transitional trend Kotler predicted in 2006 is a reality today and those businesses who have devalued the importance of a proactive customer engagement strategy have fallen on the wayside in one form or another. The reason why you have scored is because you have unknowingly paid heed to Kotler's call for actionable customer service. Here are three tips that will help you sustain the momentum and literally assure you of unbridled growth if Kotler has his way.

Customer Engagement through Social Media

As long as your online business has a way to remain in constant touch with your customers, engage in a two-way dialog and reach out to them for their benefit, it doesn't really matter whether or not you are on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Many of us seem to be getting caught up in the global social media frenzy and are focusing more on the means than on the end. It is therefore not just important but critical that we readjust the course if necessary and pay attention to social media in the larger context of customer engagement and not in the context of technology. As Norman Mailer has rightly said, "technology is the Devil's most brilliant creation."

We recommend that you consider setting up a Facebook Group on your Facebook Fan Page and encourage your senior employees to participate actively both in their personal and official capacities. They can take turns doing so since time is always of the essence and senior management tends to stay busy. Use Twitter not to promote your business but to promote your customers' interests. Your business will get promoted indirectly and your customers will thank you for your engagement. Send out Tweets that will help your customers learn something new, save a few bucks or improve the quality of their lives.

Near-instant Customer Feedback

Now we aren't recommending or even asking you to respond to customer inquiries in sixty seconds flat. Having said that expecting that a matter will be addressed and issues will be resolved amicably in a timely manner has become the customer's primary expectation and rightly so. After all, they are the ones who pay our bills. Live chat has a major advantage in this context because like a phone conversation, the response is instantaneous. E-mail responses should go out in 24 hours or less. Telephone-based customer service should be provided with minimal hold time and should be outsourced to a different civilization only if the off-shore BPO organization meets and exceeds stringent quality standards established by you and not by them.

Customer Recognition with a Personal Touch

Ever wondered why so many folks get excited when friends and family wish them a happy birthday through Facebook's birthday reminder service? The answer is simple we all love and crave recognition. Facebook was among the first to integrate event felicitation within social media and so it is no wonder that more visitors visit Facebook today than they visit Google. Set up your own happy birthday messaging service for your customers with the help of dedicated software which your technical administrator can upload for you.

The Proverbial Bottom Line

Facebook and Twitter are here to stay and so is LinkedIn. What will eventually determine success is how successful you are not only in generating a never-ending customer stream but how well you are able to sustain them and convert them into repeat customers who return to your website or e-commerce portal for more fun, excitement and a sense of fulfilment.