With predictions for online marketing in 2015 in full force, I of course decided I needed to chime in. Little to my surprise, social media, content marketing, and native advertising were among the top contenders, but I decided to take a different approach with my predictions.
Every business has different goals such as sales, brand awareness, customer retention, cultivating relationships, etc. Each goal requires the use of different marketing tactics in order to achieve the desired outcome. As an online marketer, it should be a given that we are on top of the latest trends and tactics and that we understand when and where they are best used to serve the business/clients. So it begs the question, why are we focusing on which tactics we will throw in to the marketing mix in 2015? We need to go back to where it all started – the customer. Believe it or not, they do hold all of the answers your business requires to succeed; you just need to uncover them.
Marketing Prediction for 2015
In 2015, my prediction (or should I say my hope) is that more marketers and businesses will begin to understand the true importance of customer experience. It has been a timeless tale from marketers past that they know and understand what their ideal customer wants; yet it is that same ideology that has taken down business after business over the years.
In my opinion, as marketers we need to help businesses in 2015 move away from the sell and start telling the story. Each business came to be based on the need of a specific type of customer. Customers are smarter than ever and have access to tools and information that have enabled them to dodge interruptive brand messages and instead seek out information when they’re ready. Customers are now looking for a shopping experience, not just a product, which is where the story comes in to play.
Share Your Story
Each business has its own story, typically developed surrounding their lead character(s) known in marketing terms as the buyer persona(s). Buyer personas are fictional, generalized characters that encompass the various needs, goals, and observed behaviour patterns among your real and potential customers.
Understanding your businesses’ story and the role your buyer persona plays in it will ultimately guide your marketing and sales efforts as a whole. Cultivating the perfect story will tell you the type of content to develop and which marketing tactics to deploy. It is important to note however, that your story as well as your personas are never static; they continually evolve over time and can be documented by analyzing and interpreting the data we have at hand.
Capitalize on Big Data
Just as our customers have access to tools and information to improve their online experience, we also have access to ones that can help us create the ideal customer experience and in turn directly impact sales figures. Customers generate a vast amount of detailed information online and businesses need to make it mandatory in 2015 to make sense of the data and continually be on top of refining its story to keep its personas and customers happy and engaged.
Need a hand crafting your businesses’ story and sharing it with your prospects/customers? Give us a shout and we can help you develop an online marketing campaign that lets your story do the selling, not you!
