Finding the right mix in a world with so many digital marketing tools is big challenge for today’s marketers. During 2017, you’ll see traditional and digital media channels increasingly converge as messaging flows from planned paid media into real-time content across channels – and back again. Marketing is no longer a one-way street, but a multi-channel conversation that you can affect by your digital media strategy.
Digital marketing offers companies a few big advantages. It allows businesses to accurately target their audience, is less expensive to produce, provides data to inform decision making and – with proper management – can lead to greater ROI. As a result, ad spending continues to shift toward digital, with new ways to automate, control and manage digital marketing popping up everywhere.
We asked our digital team to make recommendations to keep you on top of the trends and help you decide how to spend your digital marketing budget in 2017.
1. YouTube – Over the last couple of years, video has emerged as the media of choice for both B2B and B2C markets. Cisco predicts that by 2019, 80% of all video traffic will be streaming video content. Successful brands will be leveraging video throughout the entire customer journey to educate and inform consumers, build relationships and increase sales.
YouTube video is a great place to start, but starting with the campaign development phase, you should be thinking about video content that is easy to adapt for different channels. Create a TV commercial that will play well to your digital clients, provide tutorials and tips that you can send in an email or post on your social networks. And consider finding a way to incorporate user-generated content to show your customers’ passion for what you sell or do.
2. Geofencing – This location-based digital marketing tool lets marketers target audiences with a relevant message when they enter a defined geographic area – making the customer experience hyper-local and very personal.
When using geofencing, it’s important to ensure that your messaging isn’t intrusive, but additive – providing a positive interaction with your customers and prospects. Always offer something of value to the consumer that tells them you know them and are responsive to their specific needs.
3. Marketing Automation – A CRM (Customer Relationship Manager), an ESP (Email Service Provider like HenkinSchultz Traffic), website analytics, call tracking, advertising online through social media or Google ads, and tracking all your sales internally – these are all powerful tools on their own. The trouble is, these systems seldom work together to track customer journeys and assist the sales team convert.
Marketing automation integrates sales and marketing bringing all these tools into one dashboard and allows your sales team to send messages that speak directly to customers and leads based on where they are in the buying cycle. Nifty and effective.
4. Advanced Segmentation – Before determining the message or channel, smart marketers will get to know and understand their ideal customers by creating buyer personas. It begins with paying attention to the data you’re gathering, asking the right questions, doing research and conducting surveys. You’ll want to get all the information you can, from basic demographics to what they read, their buying habits, where they get information and, if it’s relevant, how they feel about organic snack food.
Creating buyer personas can help you create personalized content that resonates with prospects, learn the best way to follow up after a sales call, and even fine tune the products you sell to better meet their needs.
5. Measure and Adjust – Data is power, at least for the digital marketer. When used properly and with intent, it can be the marketer’s best friend because it tells you about your ideal customer and his habits to help you segment your audience and create on-target communication. It can help you follow your customer’s path to conversion, adjust when the message isn’t hitting home and follow up in meaningful ways.
If you’re not using analytics to up your game, you’re missing out on one of the most effective digital marketing tools available today.
Technology is a gift to marketers. In the right hands it can help you reach your marketing and sales goals – and we can help you unwrap it. Get in touch with the HenkinSchultz Digital Marketing Team to get started.
