We can confidently say that digital marketing is no longer the “wave of the future” — the future is now. And brands have been jumping on board with it in order to stay relevant and on pace. To be a key player in a crowded market, it’s vital to stay up to speed with the current and upcoming trends of the digital landscape. Technology is always changing and the way people consume content is as well. Marketers have to be ready to move and adapt their strategies for driving brand awareness.
MORE THAN A LEAD
Gone are the days of the shotgun approach to marketing. Bombarding your audience with ads and click baiting them with hopes of capturing their attention is no longer an effective means of lead generation. If it ever was one.
People want to be valued. They want their voice to be heard. They want to be seen as more than just a potential lead — they want to be seen as a person looking for a need to be met, or problem to be solved.
Marketers are having to rework their strategies to become less transactional, and more personal. When it comes to your brand, people want more than just a product or service — they want an experience. And, that’s what keeps them coming back for more.
GROWING RELATIONSHIPS
Be the consumer for a moment and ask yourself these questions:
- What do I look for in the brands I choose to engage with?
- Are they trustworthy? What allows me to trust them?
- Is there something that keeps me coming back for more?
Sometimes this is a matter of preference. When it comes to digital marketing, there are those who will engage with content simply because of how it looks, known as the “aesthetic” (those on Instagram know all about it). And, those who engage simply because they are a fan of a brand’s values.
The look and feel that a brand puts off can be enamoring. But, consumers may also be drawn in by the idea of getting to be a part of something more that the brand has to offer — like community.
Take Peloton as an example. This brilliant model for an indoor cycling (and now treadmill) class that happens in people’s homes, has grown at an impressive rate since its launch in 2014. Whether you’re a dedicated Pelaton -ian…(or whatever you’d like to go by), or you’ve never biked in your life — chances are, you’ve seen their marketing and you know they’re doing something right.
With more than 600,000 subscribers (and counting) paying $39 a month, the question isn’t about what they’re doing that makes them so effective, it’s why they’re doing it. If you spend 5 minutes reading about the company, you quickly find that it’s all about community.
It’s people centric, not lead-centric.
As a marketer, it’s important to note that it’s not about how many people see your content, it’s about getting the right people to see it at the right time and knowing why they are there.
With Peloton, people have a place to connect, a sense of belonging and a way to better themselves. This company knows their audience well and is driven everyday to meet individual needs. That’s why they’ve committed to producing 12 hours of live videos each day (which is a A LOT of content). Subscribers can engage via live stream or download their favorite instructor-led class in their home and on demand. Not only that, but there’s intentionality. Instructors know who has joined the class, and will often call on and encourage “at home” riders by name.
It’s marketing made human.
There’s leveraging power in consistency. When you’re putting out consistent content that’s meeting the needs of your consumer every day, trust is established and relationships can grow.
TRUST THAT GOES THE DISTANCE
Not everyone has to be a Peloton, but here are some key takeaways we can all learn from:
- Create a brand experience built for connection.
- Know the needs of your consumer.
- Put out consistent content that meets their needs.
So, how do you establish trust in digital marketing? First, let’s talk about what you don’t do.
Social media platforms and email are great digital marketing tools, but they can sometimes leave a bad taste in a consumer’s mouth when they aren’t used the best and most appropriate way. There are few people in the world that enjoy having products pushed on them. When marketers capture a lead through social or email, and immediately start pushing their product on a prospective customer — the necessary time that’s needed to build trust has gone out the window.
Don’t be the salesperson in the digital landscape. Rarely does it work. Anyone can push and shove to get people to buy their product. But, how sustainable is that?
Make people fall in love with your brand, not just your product. It all starts with relevant content.
Relevant and compelling content is necessary for building trust.
3 Steps to Improve Your Content Strategy
- Know who you’re trying to reach. This is sort of like square one when it comes to content marketing basics. Before you ever start pushing out content, you have to define who you’re trying to reach. You wouldn’t speak the same way to a 50-something as you would a millennial. You have to know the gaps and understand how to adapt. If you’re not up to speed with the language your target audience is speaking, you can’t expect to see high engagement.
- Know your differentiator and let it work for you. Every company has some sort of differentiator — the one unique thing that sets them a part in a saturated market.
At MAKE, we like to call it our superpower(s). Our personalized approach and implicit values are what keep us separate from the pack. Whatever “superpower” you’ve got, lead with it. - Be the expert. No matter what product or service you’re trying to sell, you want to be known as the expert in your field. Every good content strategy should have in-depth content in the mix. Know what your audience is searching for, and what Google is expecting from your content. Don’t shy away from lengthy blog posts. Covering blog topics at length (up to 2,000 at best), not only helps you rank in search, but can help build credibility and trust with your audience.
Our team of creatives at MAKE Digital Group are equipped with the skills and knowledge for using social media, email, SEO (and more) to build effective, digital marketing strategies. This is something we work hard to not only do well, but to do the right way with our clients. While we’d love to increase impressions, capture leads, and ultimately give our clients an immediate ROI for steady growth — we know that this takes time. You can learn more about what we do here.
WHY CONNECTION MATTERS
When it comes to nurturing healthy relationships — it’s all about trust, communication, and connection. Without these things, relationships are not structurally sound and will not last.
As a brand, you should know what matters to your consumer before you can connect with them. What about your brand makes you valuable to them? How can they connect? If you don’t know where to start, our MAKE agency expert can help by getting you back to the basics of marketing.
Think of all the brands that you buy from or engage with consistently. It’s likely you’re influenced by one ore more aspects of their brand identity: who they are, what they value, what their purpose is, and what they’re most passionate about. But, what builds and strengthens the connection?
Connection can happen with amazing, relevant content. Move people with visuals. Tap into their emotions. Move them to connect with motion graphics. Since viewers retain 95% of the content they see in a video — create a compelling video that others will remember. Content gives people an inside look at the heartbeat behind your brand. It allows them to be a part of your brand’s story and where it’s going.
Your customer should feel less like a number, and more like a person with a need that YOU can meet. The need could be tangible, or even emotional. When you think about what YOU can do for your customer, rather than what they can do for you — everything changes.
THE MAKE WAY
Fine tuning your digital marketing strategy in a way that builds healthy relationships, trust and connection with your customers is something that will always be a work in progress. Creating a brand experience that fashions people into returning customers doesn’t happen over night.
If you’re looking for a marketing group to help you accelerate your digital marketing strategy, we can show you how to do it the MAKE way. Our team brings trust, transparency, and teamwork every step of the way with every project we take on. Learn more about the services we offer here.
