Riding the waves! Without a doubt, times are really changing. Almost everything is done online these days—including digital marketing. Many marketing efforts are now being done online for a number of reasons. A lot of interactions involving brands now take place via the Internet. This could mean having changed guidelines on how to do the branding. Apparently, the context these days is very different from what we had before.
The platforms for branding have changed over the years. Hence, company owners and branding strategists must employ the necessary steps in order to adjust to such changes. In line with this, there are some things that business owners or brand strategists need to consider. But before that, if you are confused about what digital marketing really means, check out this article.
Sound human
With this, it means you have to remain conversational in connecting with your target consumers using digital marketing techniques. For instance, if you use Twitter to advertise your product or service, you can write in the first person (“I” or “We”) in each tweet you compose. This helps in giving a face behind the screen.
AT&T executive director of digital and social media Chris Baccus once noted that it is essential to try to be a part of a conversation instead of plainly controlling it. Brands can certainly use social media in promoting their messages. However, this should not sound as an ordinary press release. Otherwise, you are giving your followers a reason to unfollow your Twitter account. This decreases your chances of expanding your client base.
In case you have committed a mistake in an update, do not feel too worried about it. If it is as simple as a spelling error, most followers would not actually mind it. Just make sure you follow it with another post saying sorry about it. It actually adds up to the human face you are trying to portray. Mistakes naturally happen and your followers would find it amazing if you remain true to yourself. Do not delete the previous misspelled tweet, and let it stand.
Determine what you really want
Each brand using social media as a marketing platform do it for a reason. Make sure you know your reasons and goals before you start. If you have identified reach and engagement as your main reasons, you might want to base your assessment on the qualitative aspect of the digital marketing campaign. You need to know what the people and check your effectiveness. This is more helpful that basing your success on the number of updates posted.
One great example to cite is the case of MTV. Its main goal is to crystallize communities through brands and programs.
One of the hosts shown in MTV, while promoting a new show, was able to establish a passionate community even before the actual show was televised. It can be an eye-opening experience as it shows that the approach can mean a lot and pre-promotional phase is as crucial as the actual promotion strategy. The MTV executive director later on claimed that they managed to build a community even before the formal launching.
Listen then respond
It is really frustrating when you asked a question, and you did not get a response. Put yourself in the situation of consumers eager to know something about a brand, but the company seems to ignore queries. This can bring a negative impression and put the business in bad light. The @XboXSupport should be cited as a great example of an ideal Twitter account for businesses. On the average, this account sends at least 5,000 tweets each week. This can even hold a Guinness World Record for sending the most number of responses via Twitter. Their average response time is between three and five minutes making it very impressive for its target consumers.
“Social listening” is a great behavior that businesses should adopt if they are using social media platforms. It is a way of showing people that you really care about them, and you have a good customer service support.
Digital marketing has made branding a lot easier. There are now many options in terms of the channels or media available where companies can devote their marketing campaigns. It can be a lot cheaper too since there is no need to allot millions of dollars on traditional television or print ads.
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