"Engaging" customers is a popular buzzword now. We don't want to market to customers; we want to connect with them and get them excited. But to do that, we need to know our customers, whether they come in a store or on a website. We need to keep our eyes and ears open--and plan accordingly. Truthfully, many of us barrel into campaigns without fully planning ahead, sometimes because the research is hard to find or we don't know where to look. Hopefully, these articles will help eliminate that hurdle. Read on to learn about planning marketing in general, how to recognize and woo online customers, and pitfalls to avoid in social media. Put it all together, and you'll have a better plan for engaging your own customer.

Scott Hersh
Director of Sales and Strategic Alliances