With more and more consumers worldwide not only adopting the internet but all other things digital including smart phones, tablets and social media, we’re now seeing a changing landscape for businesses. It’s a landscape that gives less preference to big brands, and more preference to those who engage and excite their customers across all their digital touch points. This outlook is highly competitive and one that allows easy and open access to all sorts of information about your company, products and brands.

We should understand the role of search engines for high visibility; this is not entirely attributed to strategic keywords. In fact, your on-page SEO has to be a comprehensive and cohesive approach in securing uniformity and consistency in design. This includes gripping and eye-catchy images, along with templates that are easy to load and access. Content also has to be centralized and streamlined to ensure optimal readability. Furthermore, it should contain visible and embedded links, along with PPC, LSI, and especially social and mobile media integration.

How does your business stay competitive in the current digital age? Here are some present day approaches and relevant tips to tweak your digital marketing efforts to keep your business booming and engaged with your customers throughout your digital channels.

The current trend

We see a common trend happening across different industries, from the start-up space to enterprises and lifestyle companies alike. Many brands want to convert, not connect: they want to A/B test, analyze data and optimize content.

It’s becoming more and more important to ensure businesses take a holistic view of their companies and communications, managing and integrating all channels to ensure they share a common and consistent voice and message. From start to finish, each customer across any channel should experience your brand in a consistent approach.

The biggest trend in digital world as shown by what will make the most difference to your business (or your clients if you work for an agency or as a consultant), i.e. which digital marketing technique will give you the most uplift or incremental benefits.

Image credit: livingonline.com.au

Here is the full alphabetical break-down of activities which helps explain the results:

• Big Data (including market and customer insight and predictive analytics)
• Content marketing
• Communities (Branded niche or vertical communities)
• Conversion rate optimization (CRO) / improving website experiences
• Display (Banners on publishers, ad networks social media including retargeting and programmatic)
• Internet of Things (IoT) marketing applications Marketing Automation (including CRM, behavioral Email marketing and web personalization)
• Mobile marketing (Mobile advertising, site development and apps)
• Paid search marketing, e.g. Google Ad Words Pay Per Click Online PR (including influencer outreach)
• Partnerships including affiliate and co-marketing
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Social media marketing including Social CRM and Social Customer Care
• Wearable’s (e.g. Apple Watch, activity trackers, augmented reality)

Role of emotion in branding

The net effect was a consistent spike in traffic after launching their new site, and a greater level of user “stickiness” on the new digital channel. By creating this intimate level of connectivity through vivid imagery and a rich visual story, you will be able to empower your users and customers to view your brand through a different lens, and foster their growth as your ideal brand advocate.

When you design for web, mobile and digital channels, think about leveraging imagery and content that your users can relate to: in other words, what will speak to them and drive them to further connect with your brand.

Personalized marketing

A deep investigation of the decision journey often reveals the need for a plan that will make the customer’s experience coherent—and may extend the boundaries of the brand itself. The details of a customer experience plan will vary according to the company’s products, target segments, campaign strategy, and media mix. But when the plan is well executed, consumers’ perception of the brand will include everything from discussions in social media to the in-store shopping experience to continued interactions with the company and the retailer.

When brands feel empowered to design to drive delight, there’s a fundamental shift in the way they’re perceived across their vertical, and by their user and customer base. Connectivity is the ultimate power tool in the digital landscape, now more than ever.

Intersection of creativity, data, media and technology is the only line of attack of the online marketers to fit in the big picture. Content marketers should segment their email list so they can broadcast email people who like the topic of the new content.

The idea is to send email subscribers to the most relevant content possible you can tag subscribers based on interest, where they opt-in, lead source and what they buy for. This will help you identify sub-groups of your main emailing list.

Unique selling proposition (USP)

 

“The factor or consideration presented by a seller as the reason that one product or service is different from and better than that of the competition.”

A unique selling proposition, more commonly referred to as a USP, is the one thing that makes your business better than the competition. It’s a specific benefit that makes your business preferable to the other businesses in your market.

User’s experiences define how pleasant or easy a person finds your digital channels to use. This could include your website, social media engagement, in-store digital devices and more. With the internet providing countless alternatives to consumers, ensuring your user experience is maximized across all your digital channels will ensure your customers don’t get frustrated and start shopping elsewhere. An excellent user experience is no longer “nice to have”. It is imperative to staying competitive in today’s market.

Here’s how to uncover your USP and use it to power up your sales:

• Put yourself in your customer’s shoes
• Know what motivates your customers’ behavior and buying decisions
• Uncover the real reasons customers buy your product instead of a competitor’s

Once you’ve gone through this three-step market intelligence process, you need to take the next–and hardest–step: clearing your mind of any preconceived ideas about your product or service and being brutally honest.

The way ahead

Customers are more dynamic now than ever before. Customer expectations change almost daily. What is considered a “want” today may be a “need” tomorrow and “outdated” the day after. The speed at which consumer’s attitudes and behaviors change mean that businesses must collect customer data and perform customer analytics.

Only these organizations which put customer analytics in place will be able to exploit digital channels and data sources to ensure they remain informed and ahead of the services they provide and products they offer. The beauty of digital is that data is generally much easier to collect and analyze than other marketing mediums.

Businesses are exploiting these mediums by selling and advertising their products & services directly to the prospects. It makes use of both push and pull marketing strategies to execute your online campaign. With its increasing popularity several digital marketing companies have came into existence. They encompasses digital marketing services like Online Banner Advertising, Pay Per Click or Cost Per Click, Search engine Optimization, SMO, EDM, Wireless text Messaging and Instant messaging, Blogging, Video Streaming, SEM on the broader side.

About Author:

Amy Porras is a lead Digital Marketing Strategist.  She has led online marketing programs in Web Design, Web Development, Search Engine Optimization, Pay per Click Advertising and Online Marketing Campaigns, Social Media Marketing Strategy.