Tag Archive for: digital marketing

Mastering the Art of Integrated Digital and Social Media Marketing

Mastering the art of digital and social media marketing is no longer an option. It’s a must. Digital and social media marketing form the backbone of successful brand strategies, offering unparalleled opportunities for engagement, reach, and conversion. Let’s delve into how digital and social advertising work hand-in-hand, and explore the myriad ways they complement each other to amplify your brand’s online presence.

Combining Tactics

Digital and social media marketing are two sides of the same coin, each enhancing the effectiveness of the other. Here’s how they create a synergistic effect:

  • Content Amplification: The content you create as part of your digital marketing initiatives possesses significant potential, which can be magnified exponentially through social media platforms. By sharing this content on various social networks, you can extend its reach far beyond your immediate followers, tapping into new audiences and sparking conversations. This not only enhances engagement with your brand but also drives traffic back to your original content, increasing its overall impact and visibility.
  • Data-Driven Insights: The rich reservoir of user data available through social media platforms is a goldmine for marketers seeking to refine their digital marketing strategies. By analyzing patterns in engagement, preferences, and user behavior, you can gain invaluable insights that inform the creation of more targeted and effective content. This data-driven approach allows for the optimization of ad placements, ensuring that your marketing efforts resonate with the right audience at the right time, thereby maximizing ROI.
  • Brand Consistency: Achieving a harmonious brand voice and message across all your online platforms is crucial for building a strong and recognizable brand identity. Consistency in your messaging and visuals across digital and social media channels not only reinforces your brand’s core values and promises but also fosters a sense of reliability and trust among your audience. This uniformity ensures that regardless of how or where a customer interacts with your brand, they receive a coherent and memorable experience that strengthens their connection to your brand.

Leveraging the Power of Social Media in Digital Marketing

To harness the full potential of digital and social media marketing, consider the following inbound and outbound marketing strategies:

  • Targeted Advertising: The advanced targeting capabilities of social media platforms allow for the delivery of highly personalized advertisements directly to specific audience segments. By leveraging detailed user data, including demographics, interests, and online behaviors, marketers can craft tailored messages that resonate deeply with their target audience. This precision ensures that your advertising budget is utilized more efficiently, reaching those most likely to engage with your brand. Consider hiring specific social media influencers that can reach your desired target market.
  • Engagement and Interaction: Social media stands out for its unique ability to foster immediate and direct interaction between brands and their audiences. This interactive environment is perfect for engaging with followers in real-time, soliciting their feedback, answering questions, and even addressing concerns. By actively participating in these conversations, brands can build a loyal community, enhance customer satisfaction, and humanize their brand, making it more relatable and trustworthy to their audience.
  • Content Diversity: The dynamic nature of social media platforms makes them an ideal testing ground for a wide array of content types. From engaging videos and informative live streams to interactive polls and captivating stories, the diversity of content formats available allows brands to keep their digital marketing strategies fresh and engaging. This variety not only helps in attracting a wider audience but also in maintaining their interest over time, leading to increased engagement rates and a stronger online presence.

Best Practices for Integrated Campaigns

For a seamless integration of digital and social media marketing, follow these best practices:

  • Unified Goals: It’s crucial that your digital marketing and social media strategies share common objectives, such as enhancing brand visibility, attracting more visitors to your website, or increasing sales figures. This alignment ensures that all your marketing efforts are pulling in the same direction, maximizing the impact of your campaigns.
  • Cross-Platform Analytics: Leveraging analytics tools to monitor your brand’s performance across various digital and social platforms is essential. This approach provides a holistic view of your marketing activities, helping you understand what’s working and what needs adjustment, thereby optimizing your strategies for better results.
  • Responsive Engagement: Promptness and authenticity in your interactions on social media can significantly boost your brand’s image. Being responsive not only shows that you value your audience’s input but also fosters a positive brand perception, encouraging your followers to become vocal advocates for your brand.

Crafting a Cohesive Narrative

Your brand’s narrative should flow effortlessly across digital and social media platforms, telling a consistent story that resonates with your audience. Here’s how to achieve this:

  • Consistent Messaging: Maintaining a uniform message across all your marketing channels is vital, though it’s important to tweak the tone and style to suit each platform’s unique environment. This ensures your brand’s core message is conveyed clearly, regardless of where your audience encounters it, enhancing message retention and brand loyalty.
  • Visual Branding: Employing a consistent set of visual elements such as logos, color schemes, and imagery across your digital and social media outputs is key to building a strong brand identity. This visual consistency makes your brand easily recognizable, fostering a sense of familiarity and trust among your audience. The obvious platform that can help you achieve these goals is Instagram.
  • Integrated Campaigns: Designing campaigns that effectively bridge digital and social media channels can leverage the inherent strengths of each platform, ensuring a cohesive and impactful marketing effort. This integrated approach ensures that your campaign’s message is amplified, reaching a broader audience and driving towards your unified marketing objectives.

Embracing the Future of Marketing

As we look toward the future of marketing in 2024, the integration of digital and social media marketing will only become more vital. Staying ahead of the curve requires a commitment to ongoing learning, adaptability, and a willingness to experiment with new technologies and platforms. By embracing the synergies between digital marketing and social media advertising, you can craft compelling, cohesive campaigns that captivate your audience and drive meaningful results.

The interplay between digital and social media marketing is not merely a strategic advantage but a necessity in today’s digital landscape. By understanding and leveraging this integration, you can elevate your brand’s online presence, engage more deeply with your audience, and achieve your marketing objectives with greater efficiency and impact. The journey towards digital marketing mastery is ongoing, and at its heart lies the powerful duo of digital and social media marketing, working in concert to propel your brand to new heights.

Empowering and Transforming Digital Marketing with AI

Introduction to AI in Digital Marketing

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not just a buzzword but a pivotal game-changer. AI and digital marketing are increasingly intertwined, revolutionizing how marketers approach their strategies. Embracing AI can significantly enhance your marketing efforts, from personalized customer interactions to streamlined operations.

Personalization at Its Best

AI excels in creating personalized experiences for users. By analyzing vast amounts of data, it enables:

  • Tailored Content: The ability to understand and act on user preferences changes the game. This smart system crafts content that feels tailor-made, from recommendations akin to Netflix’s model to targeted advertising, enhancing user engagement significantly. Stevens & Tate offers insights on leveraging such capabilities in Creating Content That Resonates.
  • Predictive Analysis: This technique is reshaping how strategies are formed. By analyzing user interactions, this technology forecasts future needs, allowing businesses to stay a step ahead. The result? Campaigns that not only meet but anticipate customer desires, as discussed in Predictive Analysis in Marketing.

Cost-Effective Marketing Solutions:

The deployment of this technology has been transformative across sectors:

  • Automated Customer Service: Virtual assistants and chatbots, working round the clock, have redefined customer service in retail, banking, and healthcare, significantly cutting costs. Retailers use this technology for real-time recommendations, while banks offer instant account assistance. Healthcare and telecommunications benefit similarly, enhancing efficiency without sacrificing quality. The impact of AI in customer service is further explored in AI and Customer Service: A New Frontier.

These systems constantly evolve, learning from past interactions to improve future engagements, thus becoming an indispensable tool in customer service.

  • Efficient Resource Allocation: This smart technology dives deep into the outcomes of various campaigns to pinpoint the most effective marketing channels. By doing so, it ensures that every dollar spent is used in the most efficient way possible, leading to a more impactful marketing strategy and improved financial outcomes. This precision in resource allocation not only saves money but also amplifies the reach and effectiveness of marketing efforts.

Streamlining Marketing Efforts:

  • Enhanced Lead Generation: By leveraging advanced data analytics, this technology sifts through data to identify high-potential leads with remarkable accuracy. This process not only streamlines the targeting process but also enriches the sales funnel with quality prospects. The result is a more efficient marketing strategy that not only captures interest but also fosters lasting engagement, leading to better retention and conversion rates.
  • Optimized Ad Campaigns: With the ability to make real-time adjustments, this technology ensures that advertising campaigns are always performing at their best. By continuously analyzing engagement and conversion data, it keeps campaigns aligned with audience preferences and behaviors, leading to more effective engagement and a higher return on investment. This adaptability means that marketing messages remain fresh and relevant, deepening the connection between brand and audience.

Customization of Products and Services:

  • Predictive Product Development: By staying one step ahead of market trends, this technology empowers businesses to develop products that are ready for the future. It uses predictive analytics to forecast upcoming market demands, enabling companies to innovate proactively. This forward-thinking approach is essential for staying competitive and relevant in rapidly changing markets.
  • Service Personalization: This technology takes personalization to the next level by analyzing individual customer data to tailor services and products. By understanding the unique preferences and needs of each user, it enables businesses to offer highly personalized experiences that resonate on a personal level. This customization not only enhances customer satisfaction but also fosters loyalty, making users feel truly valued and understood.

For further exploration of AI’s impact on digital marketing, resources such as Marketing AI Institute and Forbes Insights on AI provide comprehensive information and case studies.

 

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Overcoming the Cons of AI in Marketing

While AI offers numerous benefits, it’s crucial to address its limitations:

  • Human Touch in Chatbots: While AI-powered chatbots provide efficiency, integrating human customer service ensures a balanced approach. This combination offers the quick resolution of simpler queries through AI, while more complex issues are handled by humans. This hybrid model ensures that while technology streamlines the process, the human element preserves empathy and understanding, crucial in customer relations.
  • Balance Between AI and Human Creativity: While it is true that AI offers valuable data-driven insights, it cannot replace human creativity and intuition. The most effective marketing strategies combine AI’s analytical strengths with human creativity and emotional intelligence. This synergy ensures that marketing campaigns are not only data-efficient but also creatively appealing, resonating with the human aspect of the target audience.
  • Accuracy of Algorithms: The effectiveness of AI is contingent on the quality of data it processes. Inaccurate or biased data can lead to flawed outcomes. Therefore, continuous monitoring, updating, and refining of AI algorithms are essential. This vigilance ensures that AI remains an accurate and reliable tool in marketing, adapting to new data and evolving market trends.

The use of AI in digital marketing offers a wide variety of useful benefits. From personalized customer experiences to cost-effective strategies and streamlined operations, AI is reshaping the marketing landscape. However, it’s crucial to maintain a balance between automated AI processes and the irreplaceable human touch. By thoughtfully integrating AI into your marketing strategies, you can stay ahead in the competitive digital arena, turning leads into loyal customers more efficiently.

 

holiday digital marketing

What’s Trending in Marketing For November 2023

Welcome to our November 2023 edition of “What’s Trending,” where we bring you the most relevant marketing trends and insights. Stay informed and ahead of the game with our curated collection of marketing trends and reports in winter 2023.

Noteworthy Marketing Trends and News

The Guardian view on festive marketing: stop spending like there’s no tomorrow

In 1998, a British newspaper introduced “Black Friday” as a post-Thanksgiving shopping phenomenon in the US. Today, global spending on advertising during the festive season is predicted to reach a record £9.5bn. However, the environmental impact of promoting overconsumption is a growing concern. The Guardian explores the idea of banning or regulating ads to address misleading environmental claims. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is criticized for its lax approach, with only a small fraction of environmental ad complaints investigated. Tightening regulations is proposed as a step toward aligning advertising with the urgent need for climate-conscious practices.

Microsoft Advertising Shares Holiday Season Marketing Playbook

Elf A SelfieMicrosoft Advertising provides insights in its Festive Holiday Marketing Playbook to help businesses enhance holiday sales. Key points include understanding the timing of revenue peaks around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, leveraging deal-seeking behaviors among consumers, and capitalizing on search for online and in-store purchases. The National Retail Federation predicts a 3-4% increase in US holiday spending. Advertisers are encouraged to align strategies with the ‘Cyber-5’ period and utilize search for targeted advertising. 

Kid Rock’s anti-Bud Light campaign, sparked by the beer brand’s association with a transgender model, has now shifted to target Kellogg’s-owned Froot Loops in Canada. The cereal faces a boycott after promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion on its boxes, urging kids to practice pronouns. Social media users criticized the move, with some accusing it of “woke indoctrination.” Froot Loops’ digital library, tied to the promotion, offers diverse topics for families. The backlash reflects an ongoing trend of brands facing criticism for perceived political messaging, following controversies like Bud Light’s partnership with a transgender model and Target’s transgender branding frenzy.

Find these articles interesting? You may like: Creating Successful Holiday Marketing Campaigns

Learning Marketing Trends and Ideas

Micro Moments: A New Consumer Behavior in Marketing

Successful businesses understand that consumer behavior in marketing does not stay the same. Consumer behavior changes based on a variety of factors, including new tools and ways of using those tools. The smartphone drastically changed consumer behavior in marketing. This happened somewhat recently, yet people already spend roughly 3.5 hours a day on their phones. The way that a person interacts with their phone is much different than how they interact with TV, magazine ads, or their computer. As a result, marketers must expand the ways in which they engage with consumers in order to continue capturing their attention. Continue to read here

Essential Website Updates for Senior Living Communities

According to a study by the Pew Research Center, as of 2021, 73% of adults over the age of 65 in the United States use the internet. This number has been steadily increasing over the years, highlighting the importance of a strong online presence for senior-focused businesses. This article will explore key website updates that senior living communities should consider. The goal is to stay relevant and provide the best possible experience for their audience. Continue to read here

The Brand Loyalty Of Generation X

Consumers like certain brands. They develop a trust that the brand’s products are of the right quality and a good value. That trust, along with other positive emotions, causes consumers to develop brand loyalty, where they tend to buy certain products from particular brands now and into the future. How brand loyalty works depends on many factors, age and status in life being two. It is critical to understand how a particular generation develops brand loyalty. The insights gained by this understanding make marketing to the generation in question much easier. Let’s look at Generation X for example. Continue to read here.

Download Our White Paper Guide To Learn How To Perfect Buyer Personas For Your Business

Recent Marketing Trends, Reports, and Updates

2024 B2B Tech Marketing Trends: The Year Of Authenticity 

As 2024 approaches, marketing trends point to a shift from traditional content to richer experiences, a return to genuine human interactions amid automation, and a move beyond numerical dominance in analytics. AI’s role may bring humorous hiccups, emphasizing the value of human intuition. Niche specialists are expected to dominate the influencer landscape. Return on investment will extend beyond financial metrics, and marketing strategies will shift away from linear funnels to dynamic customer journeys. Hyper-personalization is seen as a double-edged sword, requiring a balance between relevance and privacy. Success in 2024 involves revisiting core values and creating meaningful connections.

Ogilvy reveals key influencer marketing trends for 2024

The report cites how live streaming across social platforms will continue to be a critical medium. Sixty six percent of brands already report that creator-led content delivers more ROI than traditional ads. Influencers could see revenue opportunities through live streaming over traditional subscription models as more platforms integrate payment schemes. 

Predicting the top 5 digital marketing trends for 2024 

Over the past year, significant changes occurred in the digital marketing space: the DOJ’s antitrust lawsuit against Google finally going to trial, Apple’s iOS 17 introducing more privacy-centric features that upended the tracking status quo, the EU issuing multi-million-dollar fines against Criteo for GDPR violations, streaming TV overtaking linear TV in viewership, the collapse of MediaMath, Amazon’s impending launch of ads on Prime Video, and—finally—Disney and Spectrum agreeing to a revolutionary new model for linear TV programming and the ways that content providers and multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) work together. See the top 5 digital marketing predictions.

Read Article: What We Can Learn from Viral Video Marketing & Examples of How It’s been Successful

How to Leverage Influencer Marketing for Your Brand’s Success

Starting a business is one challenge, and building it into a success story is another. Several startups fail due to factors ranging from poor planning and ineffective marketing strategies to economic downturns and operational inefficiencies. As far as marketing is concerned, there are several lessons to learn from some of the most successful companies. In the sections below, we’ll discuss influencer marketing and how influencer collaboration with the right influencers can be a recipe for business success. You’ll also learn how to maximize influencer collaborations and make this marketing strategy work for you.

What is Influencer Marketing, and Why Does it Matter?

 

As the name suggests, influencer marketing is a technique where you partner up with a popular figure or celebrity to help promote your products or services. Influencers can be individuals or a group of people with a huge following, especially on popular social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok.

Whether your business is a startup or an established entity, influencer marketing can help drive brand awareness, increasing traffic and conversions. It’s worth noting that every business is unique, and how effective influencer marketing will be for your business depends on factors such as:

  • Nature of the business. Beauty, lifestyle, and fashion businesses have a natural fit with influencers, while those in the B2B sector may find this marketing technique challenging.
  • Online presence. A robust online presence, characterized by a well-designed website and active social media profiles, will attract the best influencers and may translate to better conversions.
  • Target demographics. The influencer’s ready audience should be your preferred target market. Otherwise, a mismatch will see your marketing campaign struggle.
  • Choice of influencer. Consider the influencer’s values, reputation, and audience engagement before striking a partnership deal. More on this later.

Besides having an engaged and loyal following willing to buy your products or services, influencers put a personality and face to your brand, making it more reputable and trustworthy. The right influencers will also push your product or services to a broader audience, thanks to the varied platforms they’ll use to promote your brand.

How Can You Leverage Influencer Collaborations to Drive Business Success? 

Most influencers have great ideas on how they can partner with you to market your brand. Even so, you may specify how you want them to promote your products or services. And while there’s no wrong or right way to promote your brand, some influencer marketing techniques are more effective than others. Here are a few ways to leverage influencer marketing for maximum impact:

Try Podcast Endorsements

According to PEW research, 49% of adults in the United States have listened to a podcast in the past 12 months. Therefore, it makes economic sense to partner with podcast hosts to promote your brand among their loyal following. To make this strategy work best, you want to sponsor specific episodes of several podcasts your target audience is already subscribed to.

Use Influencer Content as Paid Ads

Standard ads on social media platforms rarely convert since everyone sees them as a nuisance. However, this won’t be the case if you partner with an influencer and let them create a social ad with their face or voice on it.

Use Brand Ambassadors 

Over the years, businesses have used brand ambassador programs to build trust and win customers. With this technique, companies tap into loyal customers who already use their products or services and partner with them to recommend their brand to their following or audience. This program works well when the loyal customer you want to pick has a huge following that can convert easily.

Try Contests and Giveaways 

With this technique, you’ll provide your influencers with a product or service they can reward or give to their followers. You can modify this technique to have the influencer’s followers like your brand’s page or post. The giveaways may come in the form of contests or challenges meant to boost social media engagement, brand following, and awareness.

Gift Influencers and Obtain Honest Reviews 

Another way to leverage influencer marketing is to gift an influencer your product or provide them with your services for free and let them give their followers an honest review of what they think about your product/service. If the influencer thinks your product/service is excellent, they’ll recommend it to their followers. Otherwise, they won’t.

How to Identify the Right Influencers for Your Target Audience 

Before comfortably trusting an influencer to promote your brand, you must follow due process throughout the sourcing and selection stages. The right influencer for your brand is someone you can trust and who believes in your business. Here are a few things to look out for when choosing an influencer to partner up with:

  • Relevant audience. Not all influencers have an audience that resonates with your business or target demographic. Do your research to ensure you partner with someone who will directly add value to your business.
  • Brand Values. The right influencer will have values that resonate with your brand and target audience. You can check the influencer on social media platforms to learn more about their values and belief systems.
  • Communication and professionalism. One of the pillars of the 4Cs marketing model is effective communication. Customers always want to know how buying your product will benefit them, meaning the influencer should do a great job selling your brand. Similarly, you want to work with a professional influencer who has strong communication skills.
  • Content Quality. As much as the influencer is authentic, trustworthy, and meets the brand alignment metrics, you also want to ensure the content they produce meets your expected quality standards.

Bottom Line

Whether turning your employees into influencers or picking celebrity figures to partner with, influencer marketing is generally a true and tested technique. The goal is to choose a trustworthy person with a reasonable social following committed to walking the marketing journey with you, one step at a time. Use the tips above to guide you throughout the influencer marketing campaign, and where necessary, seek professional help from a reputable marketing company.

Learning from the Best: 10 Examples of Great Website Design 

Building a website is simple. But designing a website that meets all the modern web design requirements and works for your unique customers and business is challenging. Most companies create compelling websites but end up sacrificing performance or the user experience. Others prioritize simplicity and convenience but end up with poorly optimized sites. In the sections below, you’ll explore 10 examples of great website designs to inspire your creativity the next time you design a website.

1. Dropbox

 

If there’s one website that has done a great job designing a super rsponsive website, it’s got to be Dropbox. This cloud storage and file hosting company has made sure that every site visitor, regardless of the device they use to access the site, enjoys the best navigation, graphics, and content.

Every aspect of the site design, from the font color to the navigation buttons, has been carefully customized for every device, ensuring compatibility and interactive experiences for the varying screen sizes.

For instance, on the desktop, a small arrow directs users to scroll down for more content, helping to minimize the bounce rate. However, this is absent on the mobile version, as users are more likely to scroll down easily.

2. Freshbooks

 

 

Freshbooks is an accounting website with one of the best homepage designs, thanks to the simple and minimalist copy, inspiring visuals, and the strategic use of white space in web design. The site also uses a perfect blend of colors with easy-to-spot CTA buttons. There’s also a well-organized navigation system that makes it easier for first-time site visitors to find solutions to their complex accounting problems.

3. Walmart

 

 

Walmart is one of the leading online marketplaces offering a one-stop shopping experience. The retail giant has prioritized convenience by streamlining the checkout process. Once you’ve selected the items you want to buy, you won’t be taken to a new checkout page. Instead, an on-page checkout sidebar allows you to complete your shopping without even signing up. A cart storage option saves your cart for up to three days if you forget to complete the checkout process or are distracted while on the site.

4. Nike

 

 

Nike is one of the leading sportswear companies whose success is rooted in simplicity and convenience. The same is reflected on its website, which prioritizes a minimalist design and easy navigation. Nike’s checkout process, for instance, is one of the simplest yet super interactive. If you enter the correct information during checkout, a green checkmark appears, allowing you to continue shopping.

There’s also an auto-fill address feature that saves you time during checkout. By simplifying the time-consuming steps and focusing on web design principles that boost conversions, Nike has successfully attracted and even retained more converting prospects.

5. Uber

 

 

Uber falls into the category of companies that prioritize their homepage design, and it’s obvious why. Imagine landing on the Uber website and reading through needless copy, images, or videos before requesting your ride. Now think of a ride-sharing or service company that has made its home page simple, straightforward, and effective. You need to choose what you want, and you’re directed to the service almost instantly without going through the tedious sign-up process.

 

  25 Website Must Haves For Driving Traffic, Leads & Sales

 

6. Wired

 

 

WIRED, a leading technology magazine and online publication, is among the many sites that have done a lot to improve the user experience. When you browse through the site using a PC or desktop, you’ll find multiple columns and a handy sidebar, but switching to your mobile transforms into a single column for smooth navigation.

The company also pays keen attention to details, such as adjusting image ratios to fit perfectly on each device. And for even more simplicity on mobile, they’ve combined search and newsfeed filter icons into one button.

7. Slack

 

 

Slack is a business messaging app that’s been in the market for nearly a decade. The brand is known for its focus on simplicity, and they have successfully made it one of their competitive advantages. Slack has ensured that its site is easy to access and navigate, no matter the screen size of your device.

You’ll see customer logos in a neat three-column layout on a computer. But they have switched it to a single-column design on mobile phones for better viewing. And their call-to-action buttons? They span the whole column on tablets and mobiles, so you won’t accidentally click something else.

8. Shopify

 

 

Shopify has built a reputation as one of the leading e-commerce website builders thanks to its robust features, comprehensive support, and intuitive user interface. The Shopify website is one of the few that has managed to strike a delicate balance between site consistency across devices and enhanced user experience.

If you access the official Shopify website from a desktop or phone, you’ll find that most things remain unchanged except for the CTA buttons and a few menus. Additionally, Shopify is among the few sites that enjoy impressive web page speeds despite using graphics-intensive image carousels.

9. IBM

 

 

As one of the leading technology companies, IBM has set an excellent example for companies looking to create a fully-immersive site experience. The company has gone the extra mile to make its site not only responsive but also interactive, unique, and modern.

When you land on IBM’s homepage, you’ll be greeted with a responsive background, interactive videos, and a bold CTA. And while the IBM website is far from simple, it has incorporated complex design tools, from AI features to game-like functions, to create an immersive site experience.

10. Airbnb

 

 

Airbnb uses some of the best design strategies, such as easy navigation, a consistent color scheme, and text minimization, to ensure user-centricity and enhance the customer experience. The homepage, for instance, displays lightweight graphics consisting of images and short, engaging videos.

All the media elements on the homepage have been carefully chosen to engage and convert without compromising site performance. The images of stunning rentals, from all across the globe, for example, create a sense of urgency and encourage site visitors to book their dream Airbnb.

Bottom Line

In today’s interconnected world, online presence significantly influences marketing, customer engagement, brand identity, and business growth. However, the discussed 10 examples of exceptional website designs emphasize that merely having an online presence for the sake of it is insufficient.

To truly make an impact, you must rethink every aspect of your online presence, considering not only how your website looks but also how customers can access, browse, and interact with it. Moreover, it is essential to incorporate these considerations into your digital strategy and plan regular updates to your website and its features.

 

 

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What’s Trending In Marketing For August 2023

Hello and welcome to our August 2023 edition of “What’s Trending,” where we bring you the most relevant marketing news and insights. This month, we dive into the revival of an infamous fast food mascot and explore current trends to watch out for in the summer of 2023. Stay informed and ahead of the game with our curated collection of marketing updates and reports.

Noteworthy Marketing News

 

Quiznos eyes comeback as they bring back Spongmonkeys mascots. 

In a new ad campaign from the famed sub sandwich company plans to bring back the creepy corporate mascots, the Spongmonkeys. After years of decline and a 2014 bankruptcy, Quiznos is making a comeback by franchising new locations. The quirky rodent-like characters aim to revive the brand’s popularity. With just over 150 locations left, Quiznos is determined to regain its place in the restaurant industry and attract customers with the nostalgic return of the Spongmonkeys. Read more here. 

Twitter loses almost half of advertising revenue since Elon Musk takeover.

Since Elon Musk’s $44bn acquisition of Twitter in October, the platform has faced a substantial 50% drop in advertising revenue. The company’s anticipated sales growth in June did not materialize, though July showed some promise. Musk’s cost-cutting measures, including laying off about half of Twitter’s staff, aim to address the platform’s struggles. Meanwhile, rival app Threads has gained traction with an estimated 150 million users, while Twitter grapples with heavy debt and negative cash flow. Despite challenges, Musk aims to turn the platform around. Linda Yaccarino, the new CEO, emphasizes video, creator, and commerce partnerships to boost ad sales. However, the road to recovery may be prolonged due to pre-Musk revenue declines and competition. Read more here.

Netflix scraps low-tier ad free plan.

Netflix’s ad-free $9.99/month basic plan is being discontinued in the US and UK, impacting both new and returning members. However, existing users have the option to keep their current plan until they decide to cancel. Alongside this move, Netflix is introducing a new $7/month plan with commercials. This decision is part of the company’s strategy to diversify its revenue streams and remain competitive in the rapidly evolving streaming market. Notably, Netflix’s recent emphasis on its ad-supported tier has yielded positive results, attracting nearly 5 million monthly users and creating an enticing opportunity for advertisers. Read more here.

Improving Your Marketing Program 

 

Core Difference Between Buyer Journey vs. Customer Journey.

Discover the core difference between the buyer journey and the customer journey in this insightful article. Uncover the stages consumers go through before making a purchase decision and how businesses can nurture relationships post-purchase to build brand loyalty and create brand ambassadors. Learn valuable strategies to engage customers and ensure the long-term success of your business. Don’t miss out on these essential insights! Click here to read the full article.

The Importance Of Lead Generation Content Marketing.

Learn the power of lead generation content marketing in boosting your business growth and attracting potential customers. Discover how to create compelling content that converts prospects into loyal leads, standing out from tough competition. Quality content with specific purposes and formats, along with consistent publication, helps build trust and credibility with your audience. Don’t miss this opportunity to transform your company’s online presence. For a consultation, visit the link below and take the first step towards a successful content marketing strategy. Click here to read more.

8 Reasons to Invest in OTT Marketing.

Discover the top 8 reasons to invest in OTT marketing. With close to 200 million streaming viewers expected in the next few years, OTT advertising reaches a massive audience. Target your audience more effectively using GPS and behavioral data. Unlike traditional TV ads, people engaged in streaming content are more likely to watch entire ads. Personalized OTT ads improve engagement and yield better data on viewers. Flexible campaigns allow real-time adjustments for improved results, and A/B testing helps fine-tune your strategy. Paying for ad views, OTT ads offer a cost-effective and high ROI approach to complement your inbound marketing efforts. Read more here. 

Recent Marketing Reports, Updates, and Trends

 

As we enter the peak of summer ’23, the advertising realm is abuzz with thrilling trends. Artificial intelligence continues to transform content creation with innovative and easy to use tools such as, chatGPT and Jasper.  Among Gen Z, Instagram Reels reigns supreme as the favored social medium, offering brands an avenue to showcase authenticity and engage viewers. Short-form videos dominate summer marketing campaigns, while Influencers maintain their impactful role in fostering genuine connections. These are just a few of the key trends shaping the industry this season. To discover more about these trends and beyond, explore the full article here.

How does ‘Estimated read time’ in your meta description impact SEO?

In a recent poll by Search Pilot, the impact of adding “estimated read time” to meta descriptions was examined. While many believed it wouldn’t affect organic traffic, some thought it could be positive. However, the majority’s prediction was correct, as the display of estimated read time had no noticeable impact on site traffic. This finding highlights the importance of SEO testing and being cautious when following competitors’ actions. The article showcases the significance of user polls in understanding marketing trends. Read more here. 

Hootsuite’s Social Media Trends 2023.

The 2023 social media marketing landscape presents challenges due to economic uncertainties. Despite this, social media marketers enjoy increased budget and autonomy, as the profession matures. Successful marketers will carefully assess opportunities and consider long-term impacts in their strategies. The 2023 social media trends report offers valuable insights to navigate this defining year in the industry. Embrace these trends to optimize marketing strategies amid the evolving social media landscape. Read more here. 

 

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Customer Engagement Strategy

Building lasting customer relationships is one of the key challenges affecting most companies in today’s business landscape. Many are now investing more into their customer touchpoints by visualizing the customer journey, boosting customer satisfaction, and providing a seamless experience before and after purchase.

The ideal approach to customer engagement depends on several factors but should typically involve providing value, support, and resources. It also means making it easy for customers to do business with you while solving their problems quickly and efficiently.

The customer-centric aspect of your business should be felt right from marketing, and sales, to customer service. Your goal is to drive true engagement and encourage long-term loyalty that will eventually grow your customer base. Below are three steps you can take to boost customer engagement in the New Year:

1. Use Customer Feedback to Drive Improvements

The secret to being relevant in today’s customer-centric world is to give your customers what they want. But how can you give them what they want if you don’t understand their needs? First, you should know who your customers are and the problems you want to help them solve. That’s why you should prioritize their feedback throughout the customer touchpoints.

Some popular ways to engage with customers include: conducting online surveys, engaging in social listening, making random but regular phone calls, participating in events and meet-ups, etc. Regardless of where or how you seek customer feedback, ensure that the customers feel safe enough to be open and honest with you. That said, some feedback is just there to be observed, and you don’t need customers telling you what they want.

For instance, a high abandoned cart or bounce rate on the business website is one feedback you can observe and use your judgment to respond appropriately. In this case, for instance, the shipping cost may be high and needs to be lowered. Or your customers are forced to register before buying products, which complicates their overall site experience. A high bounce rate could also indicate a poorly designed website, unclear offers, or a poorly responsive/interactive site layout/theme.

By paying keen attention to your customers and their behaviors, you can learn a lot and find ways to boost their experiences. You can also request customer feedback to help you establish and develop your brand identity and to target your ideal market demographics.

2. Leverage Modern Technologies

Another way to enhance your customer experience strategy this New Year is to use modern technologies. These technologies don’t necessarily have to be complicated, provided they make your business processes more efficient. For instance, adopting B2C/B2B marketing automation, such as chatbots, can guide site visitors and enrich their experience on your website.

The other technologies you might consider integrating into your overall business strategy to boost customer engagement include:

  • Virtual and Augmented Reality. AR and VR are no longer the dreaded technologies they once were. Today, businesses embrace these technologies to enable visual and more refined customer journeys. If your products are compatible with most AR/VR apps, such as Google Lens, you’ll have appealed to a larger audience.
  • Cloud. If migrating part or all of your customer-facing operations to the cloud sounds revolutionary, it’s because it actually is. The cloud offers several opportunities, from increased flexibility to rapid scaling capabilities. This will see you communicate and address customer issues across different channels from one central location.
  • Leverage data analytics. Data is one critical element that can greatly improve your business operations if used properly. You can use data analytics software to gauge customer behaviors and make high-level decisions that positively impact customer experience.

3. Create a More Customer-Centric Culture 

Most modern businesses emphasize customer-centricity and great company culture, but very few practice what they preach. In fact, only a few have fully integrated a customer-centric culture into their business operations. And it’s easy to see why this is the case.

According to a recent CMO Council report, only 14% of marketers say customer centricity is a crucial aspect of their businesses, and only 11% believe their customers would agree with that statement.

Changing the key aspects of your company culture to make it more customer-centric can be challenging. There would likely be a lot of resistance, even from the customers themselves, but it’s a crucial step to building a culture that truly puts the customer first. Some key steps you can take to create a customer-centric culture include:

  • Sensitize everyone in your organization to understand and empathize with customers.
  • Hire for customer orientation and customer experiences.
  • Ensure employees have access to customer feedback and insights.
  • Link employee culture to customer outcomes.
  • Reward employees who focus on customers and provide great customer experiences.

Besides implementing the tips above, you should also make the customer experience everyone’s responsibility. You can further enhance your efforts by embracing the 4C marketing model focusing on the consumer, cost, communication, and convenience.

The goal is to facilitate direct interaction with customers and encourage employees to intervene directly and build long-lasting relationships with your customers.

Final Thoughts 

Your customers deserve the best, and you want to create unique experiences for them. This is especially the case when they are interacting with your products and services. One critical step to enhancing their experience is to understand their needs and commit to their growth journeys in ways your competitors can’t.

The goal is often to amaze your customers and keep them coming for repeat business. It’s worth noting that there are many ways to accomplish your business goals, but some techniques are more sustainable and effective than others.

For example, it’s often easier to use customer discounts to keep customers, but it may not be a sustainable strategy. However, implementing a customer-centric culture may take a longer time to yield results, but it can be an ideal long-term customer engagement strategy.

As a business owner, you need to know that every business has unique attributes, and you may need to combine various strategies to build your ideal customer engagement strategy. The three customer engagement strategies we have highlighted above aren’t exhaustive but can guide you to develop a solid customer-focused business.

 

How to Create a Senior Living Marketing Plan

You must invest in a robust senior living marketing plan if you want your senior living facility to stand out from the competition. Statistics show that approximately 2% of seniors live in assisted living facilities in the United States, translating to about 810,000 people.

This population lives in nearly 30,000 assisted living facilities. Competition is stiff among service providers as the demand for assisted living facilities and services continues to grow.

A well-defined marketing plan can be the answer you need to beat the competition. It should clearly define your objectives and explain them in a way that boosts your return on investment. This post guides you on developing a senior living marketing plan that works.

The Importance of Marketing for Senior Living

Retirement communities and senior living facilities are among the expensive and lifelong financial decisions people research extensively before making a decision. With the advent of the internet and other technological solutions, 40% of seniors can now use the internet to research their options.

Therefore, consider having a digital marketing plan that makes it easy for seniors and their loved ones to find your senior living community. The following tips can increase interest in your senior living facility and boost occupancy levels.

1. Define Your Business Goals

When marketing your senior living facility, your marketing plan must have specific, strategic, and measurable goals. Create a list of what you want to achieve through your marketing strategy, for example:

  • Increase brand awareness
  • Increase sales
  • Improve your facility’s online presence and drive more traffic
  • Build and nurture relationships with the current community
  • Attract and convert new prospects
  • Improve retention rates

Each of these objectives may require a different approach to marketing. While identifying the objectives, establish what’s missing, what you could do better, and where your facility falls short. Your marketing plan could help you work on these areas for more effectiveness.

2. Update Your Website

Ask yourself how easy it is for people to navigate your website and find the information they need. Even for individuals who are not tech-savvy, using your website should be seamless. It also should load quickly, given that most websites have an average bounce rate of 45% on mobile devices and 43% on desktops.

Your site’s bounce rate indicates the number of people who land on your site’s landing page and then leave immediately. If your site takes time to load, visitors are likely to leave as soon as they open the page, which is bad for your marketing efforts.

As the virtual door to your senior living facility, ensure your website meets the following qualities:

  • It has a friendly and simple design
  • Is visually appealing, with attractive brand colors and images showcasing your facility’s amenities
  • Quickly loads on different devices
  • Has freshly updated content, images, and information
  • Downloads quickly to enhance Google’s ranking metrics

If you don’t have a website already, consider creating one. You could hire a senior living marketing agency to do the work. Experts can get you a customized website that stands out from the crowd and sets you up for success.

3. Use Content That Resonates with Your Audience

Your audience craves content that educates, engages, and informs them about various aspects of your senior living facility. Your job is to ensure that you avail it to them in the form of the following:

  • Blogs with keyword-rich content
  • Premium content that entices readers to share their email addresses
  • Social media content
  • Automated email marketing

This list of content marketing strategies isn’t exhaustive. It would help to brainstorm with your marketing team about the other types of content you can incorporate into your senior living marketing plan.

4. Focus on the Potential Return on Investment, Not Just the Budget

Marketing a senior living facility is a financial concern because it costs money. It’s natural to worry about the marketing budget, especially when it’s insufficient. Sadly, cutting corners or scrimping can cost your marketing efforts in the long run. A marketing plan should be extensive enough to reach the following:

  • Seniors and families who have just started considering assisted living as a retirement option
  • Potential residents looking to sign up for your services
  • Seniors who are comparing different living facilities
  • Families of seniors already living in your facility

With such a large audience to reach, your marketing plan should entail various marketing approaches to satisfy the needs of the different groups. That translates to a budget of between $20,000 and $30,000 to initiate a marketing plan. You also must inject an additional 6-10% of your annual revenue for ongoing marketing.

When you consider all these expenses, it can be tempting to drop your senior living marketing plan. However, that should be the last thing on your mind. Instead, focus on the return on investment you can potentially gain from your marketing plan. Partnering with a reputable marketing agency can help make this a reality instead of a far-fetched dream.

5. Check What People Are Saying About Your Senior Living Facility Online

Negative online reviews can dramatically hurt your marketing efforts and damage your reputation. Ensure you have someone in your marketing team respond to the concerns people raise as soon as possible.

Doing so creates the impression that your community is willing to make things right when they go wrong. Your viewers and potential clients would rather see a good response to a bad review than no response at all.

Getting Started with Your Senior Living Marketing Plan

Your strategy for marketing the senior living facility is crucial to improve its occupancy. At first, everything can feel overwhelming, and you may not be sure what to do to achieve tangible results. Above are a few tips that could bring your senior living facility to the forefront and create brand awareness.

The list isn’t exhaustive, and there is much more you can achieve with the help of experts from a senior living marketing agency like Steven & Tates. With a multi-disciplinary marketing team on your side, it’ll be easier to think through a marketing plan that works.