Each year, when we turn the calendar forward, companies get busy churning out “Trends” lists. The message is: this is what’s hot now and what will be even hotter this year. You better get on the trend train or be left behind at the station.
Sometimes, these “trend” lists can feel like they are coming from the proverbial “they,” as in “They are all eating chocolate cake, you should be indulging as well.”
Are you keeping up with the Joneses online?
In digital marketing terms, it’s true that there are always new ways to connect with prospects. But the foundation of clear, informative communication on all your digital platforms never goes out of style. Indeed, one thing that is always on trend: using great content to connect with customers to drive sales up!
When it comes to updating your website, social media platforms and email marketing assets, we think it’s not worth getting overwhelmed with the trends. “What’s Hot” and “What’s Not” change as quickly as Google changes its algorithms.
Instead, Harmonia Media suggests that you focus on human connection. We are communicating on screens and via apps more than ever before. What you say and how you say it, especially online when the recipient might not quite follow or fully understand your intentions, has got to be Priority No. 1.
When it comes to marketing your company, communication, clear and concise, is not a trend. Or, if it is, it’s certainly been on the top of the trendy list since the beginning of time. Whether you are speaking face to face (or over a screen), by phone, by text, on Facebook or LinkedIn or any other platform, conveying a message that is:
A. Understandable to your listener
B. Informative and worth their time
C. Capable of causing the reader to take your desired action
Digital communication is still good old conversation–but in smaller bite-sized chunks that resonate quickly. It should almost go without saying that “quickly,” is quite key. Online, you have seconds to grab attention or be abandoned (or worse, trashed)! If you are being totally ignored, that’s also a content issue.
This is especially true on your website, your main digital hub. Assuming your SEO practices are driving traffic to your website, it’s the job of compelling content to keep potential customers there and poking around until they find what they want and buy it!
Consider the brick and mortar comparison: A person walks into your store and begins to look around. You say nothing. You are standing right there and are completely capable of welcoming them in, asking how you can assist and even leading them directly to what you most want to sell (or to what they just asked about.) But you allow them to walk around and browse. No communication.
Perhaps you get lucky and they find something that interests them. More likely, however, they walk out without having ever touched their wallet. They had no incentive to stay. They might have even been put off by your lack of desire to attempt to communicate.
In this scenario, you lost a sale because you failed to engage with a prospect who was standing in front of you! Just think about how easy it is to lose online prospects when you don’t go out of your way to roll out the red carpet, so to speak, invite customers to browse on your website or engage in conversation on social media.
It’s easy to make these mistakes online if you aren’t fully focused on creating a customer experience that draws the buyer in and brings their attention to the services and products you are selling in a way that makes them have to click and buy!
When you do a search for a particular product, aren’t you most excited about search results that draw you in–answer your question or lead you to a place where you can get what you need? Of course you are!
When you make sure to stay in conversation with your potential customer, from the moment they find you until long after they have purchased your product (think email nurturing!) they will not only remember you but they will also refer you to others. The opposite, by the way, occurs when someone gets to your website and gets frustrated with the experience. (It’s very similar to being ignored in a shop.)
Need some help with content? If you want to make sure your content provides a great customer experience, we can help. Reach out to Harmonia Media for a free consultation about your digital marketing strategy.
