Tag: customer relationship

Have you changed your focus?

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Look back 50 years and marketing was a very different beast. Products had longevity, people invested in long life items, rather than the disposable society we are fast speeding towards. Audiences were naïve to what went on ‘behind the scenes’ and adverts were often viewed with trust and respect. The use of mass media was the only way to reach your target audience, but it worked. The brand was in charge of the relationship and the marketer sat in the driving seat.

Fast forward to 2018 and people expect more, much more. The consumer has taken charge. The focus has made an unusual shift, away from the product, and now lands firmly on the consumer and its interactions with the brand, both online and offline. Brands’ definition of success now encompasses the interactions and conversations taking place with users, and even between users themselves. Companies are striving for better engagement, which leads to a better understanding of its target audience, which comes round to improve the engagement further. It is a constantly evolving cycle, with the aim of building long-term sustainable relationships.

To achieve this engagement, communication with your target audience needs to be regular and consistent. It needs to reach them where they are, online or offline, and it needs to be truly interactive. One way messages pumped out to mass audiences are no longer going to win the brand race. Even with the best messaging and a great product, users want to get to know the brand in this interactive social environment before they invest their time or money.

As users increasingly interact with brands, and each other, online, it is becoming more difficult to control the image of your brand.  User-generated content, reviews, forums, social posts all have the power to add to or to subtract from your brand. The number of areas that users now expect a brand to deliver on is constantly expanding. To truly be a success a brand needs to have a strong online presence, be cost and time efficient, use an integrated approach to marketing, engage with its users, and that’s not to mention the principles and values that are now considered so important for a company to demonstrate.

With so many variables it can feel at times like it is an insurmountable task. This is just the new marketing normal. If you haven’t already now is the time to shift your focus externally, no longer is just about your product, its about your users and how you encourage them to build a long term sustainable relationship with you. And if you can pick up some advocates, and even super fans, along the way then you are on the path to success. It is time to align better with your target audiences core values and really become a customer-focussed business. How do you do that? This is where the marketer steps back into the driving seat. Don’t have a marketer? This is where you contact us!

 

Digital Culture

Stepping Into The Digital Culture

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It seems like the term digital has taken over our lives. Everything from the watch on our arm to the fridge in our kitchen seem to have joined the digital revolution going on around us. How are we adapting to this new digital landscape and ensuring that our companies and brands are embracing it in the best way. The first step to truly immersing yourself in the digital world is to understand the developing digital culture.

Digital culture is a big step away from the business cultures many of us were used to. It is not confined by location, there are no physical boundaries, no socio-economic, racial or ethnic divisions. Digital culture is open to anyone with access to a digital device and an internet connection. We are increasingly augmenting our reality with the use of a variety of devices, moving from an analogue experience to a connected digital version. This growing and evolving digital culture revolves around a set of core values which we will review below.

Creativity

Digital technology has changed the way we experience the world, particularly marketing, we have moved from passive messages to disruptive experiences, with digital devices now part of our every day lives. We live in a world of innovation where we are encouraged to experiment and innovate. To stay ahead of your competitors you need to embrace the opportunities that digital tech provides and push the boundaries, before someone else does.

Equality

The digital world is open to all that have the ability to access it. Putting aside that access issues display a level of socio-economic inequalities, the digital platform has flattened the playing field considerably. Any company who has access to the internet has the ability to reach millions of people the world over, something that would have been impossible for all but the largest corporate companies in the purely analogue era.

Empathy

Digital technology has allowed us to become more responsive than ever. For companies, we can become receptive to the needs and wants of our target audience and adapt our offerings, messages and communications. Empathising with your audience is no longer is a luxury, it is expected.

Integrity

With people becoming more tech savvy and far more security conscious the onus is on brands to become more transparent in their business practices. The internet gives people far more access to check every aspect of a companies culture, finances, and service to name but a few. Due to this shift in customer access companies have been forced to become more honest and trustworthy across all of their business functions.

Knowledge

Everyone has become an expert since the arrival of Google. The answer to any question is just a search away. No longer can you waste hours debating a matter over a drink, in mere moments the internet can resolve many a dispute. But what does this digitally driven knowledge mean for brands. The internet and digital devices have made brands infinitely more knowledgeable. The digital world has brought with it a more data driven knowledge for companies, specifically about their customers and target audiences. You can now analyse every visit to your website or like on your social page. It is allowing for far more personalisation and targeted content and marketing.

Efficiency

With the move into digital everything becomes faster. This is both a blessing and a curse. We all expect instant gratification now, with mail delivered in an instant, deliveries that arrive within hours, and on line access to almost any resource you need at your finger tips. Companies have had to become super efficient to satisfy its customer and stay ahead of the competition. Whilst challenging to maintain, this increased efficiency has been benefit for companies. It has allowed them to advance their services, becoming more agile to meet the needs of its ever more demanding customers. 

Openness

As we have said above it has become of top importance for companies to be transparent in their business operations. Customers are placing authenticity high on their list when it comes to choosing a brand to do business with. They also want to develop a relationship with the brand. Social media has opened companies up to a much more personal relationship with its customers, who now expect a two way conversation.

Unity

With so many touch points between a company and a customer, it is more important than ever that companies take a holistic approach to their external communications. There needs to be a fully integrated approach across the whole business to ensure that the key messages of the company are behind every customer facing moment.

 

These value should be at the basis of your companies online presence. By succeeding in these areas you are one step closer to be the answer to your customers problems. The digital world show no sign of slowing down, with new innovations being released almost daily these values will no doubt evolve and change over the next 10 years. If you are still getting to grips with this emerging digital culture and need some guidance get in touch with us now and we would be happy to help.

 

 

 

digital giant

Keeping up with the digital giant

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As digital media slowly takes over our lives, both socially and in business, so does marketing evolve to meet the changing world around us. Whilst traditional marketing platforms such as radio, TV and print still have their place they are being quickly dwarfed by the digital giant. And things in the digital world are quite different and forever changing. It has changed the way that marketing works and we have to change with it or be left behind.

Gone are the days when companies could simply push a message out to the world through a TV ad and that would be enough. Customers expect much more now. Not least they expect to have control. They know what they are looking for, when they want to look for it and where they will go to find it. It is for this reason that companies need to be digitally savvy. Customers now have access to an online world bursting with information sources. Companies now face the difficult task of being in the right place at the right time. Content marketing and social media have become core to a companies marketing mix, using these platforms to target prospective customers with a defined need. In fact, it is the customer who is proactively self-selecting this content to provide a solution to their own problem.

Further to this, it is not just about putting the content out there and forgetting about it. Customers expect a dialogue, they want to interact with your company. This provides a great opportunity to develop long term relationships between company and customer. However, you should be aware that this new wonderful digital age has taken it one step further, customers are now interacting with other customers as never before. Social media, forums and reviews all open up a whole new way for people to research and connect with a brand. This can be a daunting thought, a whole other potential marketing platform that is completely out of your control. However, the benefits of this new arena are huge if you can manage it right. Happy customers spread good reviews and positive sentiment about your brand.

The traditional marketing platforms that we are all used to allow communication from one company to many customers. This is easy to achieve, however the same message goes to every customer segment and is poorly targeted. It results in a high level of wasted opportunity. Digital media has brought about the option of more one-to-one communications. Emails, landing pages and even adverts can now be customised and personalised to a specific audience and even a specific customer. Messages can be highly targeted and focussed. Amazon is a prime example of personalisation done well. If you have an amazon account, it appears to knows your preferences, your needs and the way you like to shop. More and more customers are expecting the personal touch from brands. Making your customer feel special is no long a luxury it is a requirement.

One of the biggest differences that can be seen with the move towards more digital presence is the need to always be on. It is not enough to have one TV advert or a page in a magazine. Life has picked up pace and customers now expect a 24/7 presence from brands. Continuous communications are now the norm and it is not uncommon to see the same brand on several touch points throughout your day. In a world where we have all become time poor, being there when someone has the time, whenever that time may be, is now vital to success. Companies need to have online profiles and promotions throughout the web, and these need to deliver key messages on a regular basis in order to keep your customer base engaged and potential customers interested.

The digital market place is constantly evolving and it can seem like a challenge to keep up with the latest trend. What is more confusing is that there is no one right formula for a brand, each and every company has a different offer and a different message to get across. The keys is finding the right balance for you and one that you are able to maintain. If that all seems like too much that’s what companies like us are here for so if you need help or just want to know more get in touch with us now!