Content Marketing , Digital Marketing , Management Mondays , Mobile Marketing , Public Relations , SEO
October 16, 2019
Top Mobile App Development Trends to Watch for in 2020
Technology is growing and advancing at a rapid rate. Things that we never thought would exist are now part of our daily lives. From the invention of the home computer, the smart phone, and now the rise of AI machines, technology is evolving exponentially. One of the areas of tech that is growing the fastest is mobile technology. Over 80% of Americans own a smartphone as of February 2019 and the world of technology has improved with the growth in the number of users. Companies large and small are catering to the mobile platform with new developments. The customer experience is being vastly improved to be quick, easy, and painless. This is adding to the already existing convenience mobile technology offers. As the platform of choice shifts towards mobile in a big way, new trends will emerge. Over the next two years, the mobile industry will roll out many new improvements. Here are a few that we expect to see by 2020. More Proactive Apps Artificial intelligence might sound like a far-fetched idea, but the technology is already in use throughout mobile apps. AI is helping customers get what they want within a matter of seconds, all thanks to intelligent […]
Content Marketing , Customer Behavior , Integrated Marketing , Project Management , Social Media
October 8, 2019
Customer-first Marketing: 4 ways to know thy customer and capitalize on their interests
Customers are human. They are complex and changeable and yearn to feel valued and understood. As marketers, we tend to focus exclusively on demographic characteristics to lump them into groups to target. But the wants, needs, interests and values of a customer cannot be determined from this simple means of segmentation. Customer-first marketing uses a customer-centric approach and goes much deeper than traditional methods to glean a clearer understanding of what consumers care about and feel strongly connected to. Customer-first marketing focuses more on customer behaviors than on business goals and desires. It’s not an easy shift to make but certainly a necessary one. To increase brand loyalty and relevance in this competitive digital era, you have to show customers that you “get” them. They crave this empathy and want to align themselves with brands who value them. And that calls for engagement beyond simply what your company has to offer them. It means understanding what buyers like and care about and then interacting with those interests, often without mentioning your products/services. Personalizing content and campaigns to consumer preferences leads to increased acquisition rates, engagement and buyer loyalty. And loyal customers are worth up to 10 times as much as […]
Digital Marketing , Mobile Marketing , Project Management
October 2, 2019
Programmatic marketing: What you need to know
RTB. DMP. DSP. SSP. It might seem like Greek at first, but programmatic marketing and its terminology aren’t all that complex. And this strategy can be one of the most efficient and profitable for your marketing budget. If you’re not already using programmatic advertising, you’re missing out on a more intelligent way to reach your target audience. In fact, over 80% of all digital ad spend in the U.S. is programmatic, and it’s expected to increase to $66 billion by next year. From basic definition to tips for success, this post has all the essential programmatic marketing information you need to know. Programmatic marketing defined Basically, programmatic marketing is the use of software to buy digital ad space. This strategy uses data to determine which ads to buy and for how much money, often in real time. Programmatic systems continually coordinate to target individuals based on what they are most likely to engage with and at a time they’re likely to do just that. Largely automated, programmatic buying does rely on algorithms and technology to buy the advertising. However, even the best technology is futile if your messaging is irrelevant or poorly crafted. With programmatic marketing, the time saved on […]
Content Marketing , Customer Behavior , Project Management , Public Relations , Social Media
September 24, 2019
5 tips for conducting effective target audience research
A clear understanding of your target audience is essential to marketing success. It should shape everything from your brand’s tone and messaging to your content style and distribution. And knowing your audience isn’t as simple as having a typical customer in mind. True depth of understanding comes from careful target audience research. This research, including analytics and internal information, can help you nail down a well-defined target audience. In turn, the insights you glean will guide your marketing efforts and help you better reach your ideal customers. Read more to learn about the most effective ways to conduct audience research. First things first: establish a baseline for your target customer. Then, revisit. You know your industry well enough to know generally what types of people are attracted to your products/services. Record your vision, and return to edit it after each further step of analysis. Consider demographic information like gender, age, occupation, income, education level, location, family status, etc. Also include pain points, interests, values, hobbies, lifestyles and online behaviors. Once you delve into the following research methods, you will likely be surprised at how your definition of your ideal customer will change with deeper insights. Improve audience awareness with Google […]
Content Marketing , Customer Behavior , Project Management , Public Relations
September 19, 2019
Brand storytelling: 5 ways to create a customer-centric narrative
Narratives compel us. They’re familiar. They’re memorable (22 times more memorable than facts, according to one psychologist). So it’s no wonder that in an era of constant digital sharing and connection, companies who master brand storytelling are achieving – and maintaining – a global following. Businesses can engage with potential customers and make lasting impressions if they tell compelling stories about who they are and what they represent. But too often, brands focus their stories on promoting their products/services. They feign caring about world problems without real action. And they share text-heavy descriptions, facts and statistics with their audiences instead of more engaging, visual posts. For brand storytelling success, customers must be at the center of the narrative. This doesn’t mean you can’t ever mention your products/services, but they should come secondary to the real, human element at the heart of your message. The customer should be the main character of your narrative because consumers want to do business with honest, empathetic companies. A Sprout Social survey revealed that honesty ranked highest among a list of behaviors consumers want from brands. What’s more, the most empathetic companies are among the most profitable in the world. One of the best ways […]
Content Marketing , Digital Marketing
September 11, 2019
4 Infographic Marketing Tips From the Pros
Creating infographics have been one of the most widely used content marketing strategies for the past few years. Infographics are great for grabbing people’s attention, explaining important concepts, and sharing statistics. Unfortunately, as more people began to realize the power of infographics, everyone starting creating them for their websites and their quality started to go downhill. In a world where everyone is trying to increase brand awareness and generate more sales using infographics, it’s more important than ever that you take the time to create high-quality visuals for your readers. If you’re hoping to increase your web traffic by as much as 12% by adding infographics to your website, check out this quick and simple guide to creating powerful visual content and creating strong infographic marketing on your site. To that end we’ve compiled some of the best tips we’ve heard along the way to build strong infographic marketing strategies for your site.
Content Marketing , Customer Behavior , Digital Marketing , Mobile , Mobile Marketing , Social Media
September 3, 2019
Message Marketing: Bring audiences from conversation to conversion
Social media platforms, like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, are attractive to marketers for obvious reasons. However, the popularity of mobile messaging apps surpassed that of social media apps back in 2015, and the gap only continues to widen. It’s no surprise then, that these apps offer serious message marketing potential. More than half of U.S. residents will use a messaging app by 2022, with the most popular Facebook Messenger app alone projected to reach 138.1 million users. Not only this, but when it comes to business, 56% of users would rather message a business than call and over 50% are more likely to shop with a business they can message.
Ever since the birth of the internet, consumer feedback on businesses have increased in quantity and importance. Online reviews expose the experiences—both positive and negative—of real customers to everyone. This means the perception of every single customer matters. Responding to negative reviews can affect their perception. Some people take this new reality lightly and ignore online review sites like Yelp and Google My Business. However, this could be hurting their businesses more than these companies realize. Why? Because 86% of consumers reveal they read online reviews for local businesses, according to Bright Local.
Customer Behavior , Digital Marketing , Ecommerce , Integrated Marketing , Mobile Marketing , Project Management , Social Media
August 21, 2019
A Beginner’s Guide to Using APIs For Business
To be a functioning professional in the digital e-commerce environment it’s important to be as present and multi-functional as possible. Mobile apps offer the perfect opportunity for business owners to connect with their target audiences. APIs or Application Programming Interfaces are what allows one piece of software to share information with another. Although invisible to the user almost everyone has interacted with and most likely benefited from an API. APIs give businesses the ability to embed maps, process payments and run different apps in conjunction with each other. Using APIs with some or all of the following applications can help better integrate your business, improve customer interactions and streamline your business operations.
Content Marketing , Customer Behavior , Digital Marketing
August 13, 2019
Micro-Moments: What they are and how to use them
In the age of digital assistance, consumers plan before they experience, even if only for a moment. They want to know as much as they can about what they’ll be getting into and minimize unwanted surprises. Google reports that 91% of mobile users search for information on their phones in the middle of a task for ideas or inspiration. Those “intent-rich moments when a person turns to a device to act on a need to know, go, do or buy” are called micro-moments. Micro-moments aren’t merely a trend but a shift in buyer behavior, making a huge impact on consumer decisions. Understanding those micro-moments are key to successfully delivering what people want, when they want it. And your brand will stand out among the crowd if you can anticipate these moments, provide relevant content, and deliver an optimized, consistent experience across channels.
