Listen up. It’s about to get real. This isn’t marketing in 1992 anymore. 10,000 channels, fragmented audiences, and a 24/7 hyper-connected “help me NOW” expectation from consumers.
It’s not you – it’s them. Take a breath, grab a pen, paper, and your thinking cap – and lets break down what you need to be successful in 2015.
The following are impactful approaches to providing access and engagement for customers + social media and content strategies that brands need to consider to gain subscribers, influencers, customers, and flat out kill it in 2015.
In short:
- Make mobile a priority (mobile first strategy)
- Hire professional journalist/writers
- Repurpose content
- Develop rent to own content strategies
- Develop professional editorial practices
- Become a media company
- Understand it’s not about simply creating content – it’s about creating passionate subscribers for your brand
- Data driven intelligence embedded in the marketing, creative, and decision making process
- People don’t want to be SOLD, but they love to BUY from those they know and trust
- Conversion is a journey, not a destination
For the full description – read below:
1. Make mobile a priority (mobile first strategy)
Statistically, Americans look at their phones 150 times a day- about every 6 minutes. Our smartphones have become much more than communication devices. They schedule reminders, keep our bank accounts at our fingertips, navigate us to the nearest Starbucks and update us on the stock market. The world has become a much smaller place thanks to these pocket sized devices we obsessively keep by our side all day. And, with 40% of consumers’ time online spent on their mobile devices, it is in your best interest as a brand to cater to these consumers. Be sure your website is mobile-friendly, have the ability to create sales via mobile device and consider SMS advertising.
2. Hire professional journalist/writers
Your Company’s website says a lot about your brand. In fact, it makes such an impact that no matter how good your brand is, if the content on the website says otherwise, it could hurt your business. Hiring professional journalists and writers to create the blogs, articles and other content on your site will go a long way. By having writers who specialize in search engine optimization it could be the difference between having your company show up immediately when keywords are Googled, or not showing up at all. Spending a little more and hiring professionals will pay for itself ten times over when your company trumps other brands in every online search.
3. Repurpose content
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges marketers face is how to create good content. Quality content helps your acquire new customers, increase brand awareness and position your brand as a leader in your industry. Repurposing content is one way to keep customers coming back for more. When doing so, consider going for longevity. Evergreen content is great because it leaves room for you to rework the piece while also being timeless. You can have months of content by starting with an evergreen idea. Repurposing content also means writing it for multiple audiences. The wider range the content reaches, the more potential customers you will reach. Lastly, repurpose the content and publish in a number of mediums. From ebooks to presentations, white papers to blogs, keep the content fresh by switching it up.
4. Develop rent to own content strategies
Reach new costumers and gain followers by guest posting on authoritative sites that drive traffic back to your own site. Perhaps, the greatest aspect of guest posting is that it allows you to enter an already-established community. You can share your message, entice readers and then draw them back to your own site. Guest posting allows you to connect with new people, which can ultimately benefit you, if you do it right. It’s a good idea to use those professional writers/journalists that you hired for your own site and have them do the guest posting for your brand. When you add value to a discussion on another website, over time you convert readers over to your own page. Be sure that you are adding valuable content to the site, if you are simply selling, asking or hawking your own agenda, you will not gain followers.
5. Develop professional editorial practices
There’s nothing worse than sloppy or poorly written content. Even a simple typo on your company’s website can make your prestigious brand come across as cheap and unprofessional. Every piece of content on your site as well as every blog or article you post as a guest, should be thoroughly edited. You should even proofread every email you send. No doubt your industry is highly competitive, this leaves no room for error. Developing professional editorial practices and ensuring everyone in your company implements them will keep your reputation as a professional in your field.
6. Become a media company (Red Bull, Coca Cola, River Bend Pools)
No matter where you look these days, brands are turning into media companies – or at least trying to. What separates media companies from everyone is that media companies are content machines. They are pushing content day in and day out and flooding the internet while getting their content to be ubiquitous. The content is shared globally through social media and it’s appearing in searches when people search for topical information. Media companies are also agile. Meaning, they pump out content effortlessly. There is not a lot of red tape to get the content out there, it just is.
7. Understand it’s not about simply creating content – it’s about creating passionate subscribers for your brand
The truth is, just creating content isn’t enough. You can pump out content all day long, but if no one is reading it, than it is useless.By engaging your customers, keeping them, and having them spread the word about your brand, you will have them for life. Initially grab their attention with SEO and keep them coming back by engaging them with valuable content. Most of all, create brand loyalty. When you are loyal to your customers, they will be loyal to your brand. Listen to what they want and really take into consideration their suggestions. One of the best ways to do this is by engaging with your customers through social media. This intimate connection brings you close to your customers and them close to your brand.
8. Data driven intelligence embedded in the marketing, creative, and decision making process
The best business decisions are driven by data. Top organizations operationalize business intelligence and embed analytics in their DNA. While a company’s marketing can be fun, engaging and creative, the best types of marketing are not just pretty pictures and words, there is a calculated and deliberate plan behind it all. For ultimate success, everything you put money towards to advertise and market your brand, should have a significant reason behind it. By using data and analytics you should have confidence that the outcome will be worthwhile and grow your business. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take risks, it does, however, mean that you have thought out and based your actions on intelligent data and decisions.
9. People don’t want to be SOLD, but they love to BUY from those they know and trust
Your customers will become passionate about your brand if they trust it. They will be in it for the long haul if you as a brand are as loyal to them as they are to you. It should be a mutual respect. By engaging with your customers on social media and being transparent, they will continue to be fans and followers. Once you have gotten them to this label, you do not need to sell to them anymore. They will buy from the brand they love. They will encourage their friends, family and strangers to do the same. The more valuable content you can put on your brand’s website and share through social media, the more engaged your customers and fans will become. They will share and spread the word about your brand – practically free advertising for your company.
10. Conversion is a journey, not a destination
Gaining new customers and increasing brand awareness will not happen overnight. By building a foundation of strong value and proving to your current customers your worth, you will continue to gain customers. By building your brand at a steady pace, you will create respect and loyalty. Your brand should be forever developing and changing to keep up with the trends and developments in your particular industry.
By working from your audiences’ perspective and providing critical value, you can connect both online and offline to draw customers in and move them to become loyal followers. Every element of the brand optimization should be fine-tuned to what the company as a whole stands for; what audiences can count on; what they care about; and where they learn about what’s offered. Overall, creating a bigger impact, more response and significant results is what will keep a company alive and successfully improve the brand’s future.
Read more at DigitalSpaceConsulting.com and for even more content like this make sure to like Digital Space on Facebook and follow on Twitter.
About Digital Space Consulting
Digital marketing and strategy agency based in Dallas, Texas. We specialize in digital marketing, digital messaging, website design, social media management, video, web analytics, training, and web content management. Our focus…Empowering brands and customers by enabling them to research, relate, and engage with each other. The Digital Space Consulting team is entrenched in execution and creating a blueprint to get our customers from here to there.
Rogue Marketing : Sep 28, 2015 4:00:55 AM
Rogue Marketing