E-CRM and Home and Away

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is the marketing led process of building and sustaining long-term business with customers. Add the E in front, to make it E-CRM, and now we are talking about Electronic Customer Relationship Management (E-CRM). E-CRM is all about exploiting the internet’s digital communication technologies to maximise sales and continue usage of their online services.

(Startup Nation, 2018)

Some strategies of E-CRM include –

- Database and datamining technologies

- Personalising web messages

- Improving online customer service facilities

- Email and social media marketing (Chaffey, 2016)

Home and Away is a long running Australian soap TV series, that shows 4 nights a week on Prime Television. Whether you are an avid fan, or have never watched an episode, I don’t think there is an Australian that wouldn’t have a soft spot for this classic Australian series. The romance and drama filled series has a heavy online presence, however there are some elements of their E-CRM activities they could improve.

(Home and Away, 2018)

Home and Away is present on all the major social networks, with active Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts and a combined following of over 1.9 million people. It also has its own official website, where fans can go catch up on the latest episodes, check out behind-the-scenes footage and see cast interviews. There are many ways fans can engage with Home and Away on the internet!

However, fans do not have the opportunity to sign up to a ‘Home and Away’ newsletter and receive frequent website updates. This is a huge E-CRM strategy that Home and Away is missing out on. By providing frequent updates of new episodes, interviews, behind-the-scenes and alike, will create more traffic to the Home and Away website, generate more clicks on their content and over-all create more engagement between their consumers. By using their fans information, they could be emailing them with new episodes, or their favourite cast member’s interview, to connect with them on a deeper level.

Home and Away Website (Home and Away, 2018)

Email marketing is a key way to personalise messages and information to consumers, it also enhances their online experience with the company through connecting with its viewers. Customer engagement refers to the repeated interactions that strengthen the emotional investment a customer has in its brand (Chaffey, 2016). Home and Away is missing this opportunity to strengthen their digital relationships by not offering this service.

A second E-CRM engagement strategy Home and Away does not utilise enough, is responding to comments on its social media platforms. Whilst there is no denying their excellent social media presence, they could increase their consumer engagement with fans by engaging with their comments on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter posts. Engaging with customers, or in Home and Away’s case, Fans, is vital to build relationships. However, Home and Away is sacrificing these relationships by not utilising this.

Home and Away is a much-loved show by many Australians, and it will probably still be for many years, despite their E-CRM strategies. However, if Home and Away wants to build a stronger relationship with its online fans, they should start engaging with their fans online and consider having email subscription, that way no one will ever miss an update!

References –

Chaffey, D. and Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2016). Digital marketing. 6th ed. Harlow (GB): Pearson.

Home and Away Website, (2018), 7 PLUS - Home and Away, [Online] Available at: https://homeandaway.7plus.com.au[Accessed 14 Sep. 2018].

Startup Nation, (2018), 5 reasons why your start up should use a customer relationship management solution, [Online] Available at- https://startupnation.com/manage-your-business/startup-customer-relationship-management-solution/[Accessed 14 Sep. 2018].