We’ve just promoted Megan Thoume to Account Manager, she represents the next generation of top local talent, executing impactful social campaigns, creating first class video content and planning media engagement to perfection.
Megan recently completed the Squared Online Digital Marketing Course. This is the first of a series of blogs where Megan share’s her digital marketing insight.
Digital technologies are advancing at such a rate that they are causing disruptive change on an unprecedented scale.
The pace of adopting new technologies is quickly accelerating. According to the Boston Consulting Group, it took the telephone 75 years to reach 100 million users worldwide, in comparison with WhatsApp and Instagram which took less than 3 years.
What does this mean for the communications industry?
Technology has disrupted the traditional linear customer journey. In the past it was as simple as seeing an ad in a magazine and then going and using the service or buying a product. Mobile and social media have revolutionised customer behaviours. There are now so many new ways for businesses to connect with consumers and we need to utilise the benefits technology brings to ensure we meet the changing customer demand.
Thanks to technology customers can purchase anytime and anywhere, which gives businesses the opportunity to reach billions of potential customers. To make sure you are reaching the right people, online ads can be used to target those with specific interests which will increase the chance of potential customers making a purchase. Ecommerce is growing rapidly with 93.5% of global internet users having purchased products online (OptinMonster, 2019).
Customers should always be at the heart of decision making and keeping up with customer needs is key to becoming and remaining successful.
How do you know when to use technology?
Technology shouldn’t be used just for technology’s sake. It should be used to improve the customer experience. The first step is to map your customers’ needs and wants in relation to what your offering provides. The Value Proposition Model can help clearly define the value you bring to your customers.
- Jobs – what ‘jobs’ do your customers need to get done? What do they want? It could be completing a task, saving time/money or it could be an emotional response for example being entertained.
- Problems – what problems do your customers currently face?
- Benefits – what benefits do your customers gain from doing the ‘job’ the way they currently do it?
- Problem solvers – how can your business solve these problems? Is there a technological solution?
- Benefit booster – how can your offering make the current benefits even better?
As communication experts we create convenient experiences that allow two-way engagement with customers, whenever they choose to engage. There are many digital ways to communicate with your audience – email, texting, social media etc.
How can technology be used to delight customers and meet a need they perhaps didn’t know they had?
Companies like Sophora, a global beauty brand, have leveraged technology to enhance the customer experience. One of the ways they have done this is by using an augmented reality app so customers can virtually try on their makeup.
This campaign was hugely successful and provided Sophora’s customers with a new and exciting way to help them choose the right products for them.
Tip: Remember to make sure your marketing strategy targets customers at each stage of the customer journey and not just those that are thinking of buying. You should have a plan for how you will reach those who don’t know they need your product yet, those who know what they want but don’t know who to get it from, those who are ready to buy but need a final push and repeat customers. This can be done through Google Ads, newsletters, videos, blogs and more, just make sure your call to action is different depending on which stage of the journey the customers/potential customers you are trying to target are at.
Technology provides communication experts with a wealth of data, and by analysing the data in the correct way we can understand our customers more than we’ve ever been able to before. The more we know about our customers the more we can refine our campaigns and products to further improve the customer experience and grow as a business.
Keep a look out for the next blog where we will delve into the purpose of having a purpose.