Getting potential customers to trust your products and services and rally behind your brand has always been an uphill task. In recent times, this challenge has been further complicated by the increasing number of distractions, thanks in part to the broader reach of the internet. These have made it extremely difficult to capture the attention of potential buyers, which has, in turn, made an already challenging business environment even more difficult.
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The following digital marketing tactics will help you gain competitive advantage within your industry on your way to becoming a great seller.
Even with its many benefits, many businesses still ignore the potential of having a solid social media strategy. Many of those that recognize the value of social media often get it wrong when designing and implementing strategies associated with social media.
Social media is a significant facet of digital marketing. In the U.S, for instance, over 70% of the population is on social media, with many of them on two or more social media platforms. This represents a huge opportunity for businesses, especially because businesses can use it for free and augment it with other facets of their digital marketing campaigns.
A good social media campaign starts with a solid definition of target audiences. This entails knowing everything about the target customer, including their preferences, demographic profiles, lifestyles, and needs. Additionally, with 1.7 billion people globally accessing their social media accounts on mobile devices, always ensure your social media pages are visible on mobile.
#2. Content still rules the world, now more than ever
There’s an explosion of content currently sweeping the digital world, which is also one of the key reasons why your customers are more distracted than usual. Content creators are fighting for the little attention available on the internet – from video-sharing platforms such as YouTube to blogs and social media platforms with varying levels of helpful content. As a result, customer engagement has become a challenge for businesses that fail to adapt to the changing needs of the modern customer.
Plus, with the explosion of gadgets witnessed over the past few years, marketers often make the mistake of splashing their messages across multiple devices and channels first without determining the core purpose of their content.
Digital marketers need to adopt a content-first strategy when designing their marketing strategies. Marketers need to determine what their brand is all about then infuse the brand’s message into the content before spreading it across different channels. Therefore, a great seller will start by optimizing their content for customer engagement before spreading the word across different devices and channels.
#3. Customize the cross-channel experience
Once you’ve determined the message and image behind your brand, it’s time to spread your wings, albeit smartly. Your marketing channels are probably the most dynamic aspect of your marketing strategy and should never be treated with the one-size-fits-all mentality. Each visitor who lands on your site is probably on a different stage of the buyer’s journey and should be treated differently.
If you typically make sales through your website, you can start by identifying and describing your visitor personas. For instance, if visitors land on your site from an ongoing sales or discounts campaign, then you’d most likely want these visitors to view the most discounted products first when they get to your website.
You can even achieve a 20% increase in conversion rates by simply spreading the optimization on your landing page to other pages on your website. Plus, you don’t have to spend tons of cash doing it – tools such as Google Tag Manager can be very effective for customizing content according to visitor personas.
#4. Stand out
Apple is one of the few companies that still manage to turn a simple press conference into a global event. Apple has managed to build a formidable brand around being different and going north when everyone else is headed south. When everyone else was building standard applications for standard hardware, Apple concentrated on challenging the status quo by reinventing design standards. As a result, you have one of the biggest name brands globally.
Being different means that your products and services will remain etched in the minds of potential customers even when you’re not actively promoting your brand.
#5. Optimize your ad spend
There’s been a general increase in the average ad spend by brands online, largely due to many brands switching from offline advertising to digital ads. For instance, Adobe frequently spends close to 70% of its overall marketing budget on digital campaigns. Therefore, as competition grows, the cost of a generic online ad campaign has become expensive, which places additional strain on marketers to deliver.
This is why great sellers must optimize marketing channels to ensure only the most effective platforms are included campaigns. Additionally, because paid campaigns are impractical in the long term, marketers need to invest in referral and repurchase programs that promote deeper customer engagement and loyalty.
#6. Build a community
In a noisy digital world where everyone is hungry to connect, smart marketers can benefit immensely by building a community around their brands. Taking advantage of community networks can be a good way of acquiring brand ambassadors and 3rd party advocates made up of satisfied buyers who are already loyal members of your customer base.
When building your community, remember to stay as authentic and original as possible. Build and nature your voice as a brand and a seller and always avoid the temptation of sending sales messages just because you have the platform. These will make you come off as too sales and might make your customer base lose trust in your brand.
#7. Embrace tech trends
Finally, always remember that technology is your friend. With tech trends such as big data and IoT becoming more ingrained into everyday life, it’s important to use the tools available to you to make better decisions for customer engagement and retention. When used correctly, these tools can have a lasting impact on ROI and overall customer satisfaction and engagement for online businesses.
