123 eGuides

1 Minute Advice: Ten Trends in Digital Branding and Marketing

Sure, you've seen a ton of similar assessments recently... but this particular list of digital branding and marketing trends from Washington, DC agency the Borenstein Group is punchy, relevant, and right on the money.

Here are the first five trends as they appear on the list... read the others, and take a look at the handy infographic of all ten trends, at this link: 
https://www.borensteingroup.com/top-10-digital-branding-marketing-trends-for-2017/

1. Psych: It’s Your Data. Cognitive insights derived from advanced analytics will help marketers better understand and predict digital behavior.
   
   
2. It’s Not What You Do, It’s Where You Do It. GPS-Based SEO overtakes keywords as mobile dominates search.
   
   
3. It’s the Content, Stupid. Content Marketing will face an existential challenge as CMOs will demand hard conversion metrics that can be effectively communicated in the board room.
   
   
4. You’ll Need a New Blue Pill to cure Connectile Dysfunction in content marketing. Marketers will struggle to develop and differentiate between authentic and relevant content and what robotically-generated marketing automation systems offer.
   
   
5. You’re Mobile, Therefore You Are. Like the ways of the dinosaurs, desktops will continue to fade in favor of mobile ads, and websites will transform from a novelty in B2C to a main staple for all digital advertising.

1 Minute Advice: From Customer-Centric to Customer-First Marketing

Here's something to think about as you strive for the most efficient, effective marketing program this year: Is your marketing "customer-centric" or "customer-first"?

"Customer-centric" means putting customers at the center of all marketing promotions, with relevant messages being sent to them. "Customer-first" means using customers' goals to guide decisions about the marketing approach; this type of marketing puts the customer's long-term interest above the company's short-term conversion goals.

A major study of 2,400 U.S. consumers by Marketing Sherpa indicates that the difference between satisfied and unsatisfied customers comes down to one basic thing: putting customers first. The results of the study found that the main reason customers were satisfied with companies was, "I consistently have good experiences with it." The main reason customers were unsatisfied with companies was, "The company does not put my needs and wants above its own business goals."

When asked, "Of the companies you interact with, how many put your needs before their own interests in marketing?" 77 percent of consumers answered either "None" (8%), "Very few" (28%) or "Some" (41%). When asked, "How important is it for you that the marketing of a company you do business with puts your interests before its own?" 85 percent thought it was "Moderately Important" (29%), "Important" (34%) or "Very Important" (22%). 

The results of the study certainly seem to validate the fact that putting customers first is a winning marketing strategy. For more about Marketing Sherpa's study, visit: https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/customer-centric-versus-customer-first

1 Minute Advice: Delivery a Key Factor in Online Buying

One of the major reasons for the success of Amazon as an online retailer is its top-notch delivery process. That's a lesson that other online retailers should take to heart. According to a survey of consumers conducted by the delivery solutions company Convey, two-thirds (66 percent) of shoppers "consider the delivery a decisive factor of the shopping experience. In addition, 70.1 percent of consumers report they are unlikely to return after a poor delivery experience."

Convey also found that 43 percent of shoppers "expect their delivery experience to be personalized based on their order and purchase history" and 75 percent think that "proactive communication" about the delivery process is important. But there are some warning signs for retailers in the survey as well:

• 54 percent of shoppers have indicated that delivery concerns are at least somewhat likely to prevent them from making large-item purchases online.
• Few consumers (only 11.3 percent) say delivery experience is a strength of retailers today.

Convey CEO Rob Taylor says, "As this survey has shown, when it comes to customer perception, the delivery experience is one of the most influential factors. Meeting these expectations and efficiently improving the delivery experience is pivotal to both top line revenue and bottom line cost.”

Visit Convey to get a copy of the full consumer study.

 

1 Minute Advice: Are You Asking the Right Questions About Marketing?

There can be no denying that marketing has been undergoing seismic shifts in recent years -- and 2017 promises to be another year of dramatic change.

Perhaps one of the most compelling questions you can ask yourself as a marketer this year is, "Are you asking the right questions about marketing?" It is easy to get caught up in day-to-day fire drills, so much so you sometimes can't see the forest for the trees. That's why this timely article from Think with Google should be fodder for the attentive marketer, because it discusses "5 Questions Marketers Should Ask in 2017."

These are the questions... refer to the  article for helpful explanations:

1. Am I focused on the right metrics for a mobile-first world?
2. Do my media plans allow me to react in real time to how my customers are acting and feeling?
3. Do I have a portfolio of assets that appeal to both the immediate and longer-term needs of my customers?
4. Am I planning for the blurring lines of TV and online video?
5. Is my organization building for the mobile screen first?

Read the complete article here.

And any questions you have about marketing are likely to be answered quickly in our collection of 123 eGuides. You'll find authoritative information about branding, generating and qualifying sales leads, launching products, conducting low cost marketing, and more -- all in easy-to-read formats for just $2.99 each. Go here for a list of available eGuides. 

1 Minute Advice: Will AI be the Next Big Marketing Thing?

AI (Artifical Intelligence) which, according to one dictionary definition, is "the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior," has actually been around since the 1970s. According to marketers,  however, AI is just now getting ready for prime time.

Research firm eMarketer surveyed senior U.S. marketers and found that 79 percent of them said "consumers are ready for AI." 

As with any technology, there are both positives and negatives. From a consumer perspective, technology adoption tends to follow a fairly common path, from awareness to broad recognition to early usage and then mass adoption. It seems that AI is already widely known among consumers and possibly even at the early usage stage but certainly has not reached mass adoption. Another survey, cited by eMarketer, revealed that "internet users worldwide believe AI can help them solve a lot of problems, in addition to assisting them with any decisions they need to make." But in the same survey, 60 percent of respondents indicated they were "very concerned about the criminal use of AI technologies, and many were also concerned that AI would replace their jobs."

Read more about the ascension of AI here.