Is your digital marketing future-ready?

By Robyn Sachs, President & CEO of RMR & Associates

It’s no secret that the world becomes more digitized every day. Increased technological capabilities breed new innovations that have the power to revolutionize the ways we connect with each other, communicate and perceive the world. They also have significant impacts on the ways business is conducted — particularly, how you need to continually adapt your organization’s marketing approach to make sure you stay on top. Here are a few insights from the field that can help make your digital journey smoother and more effective.

The future is digital

Yes, you’ve likely heard this before but in today’s world, it’s never been truer. The future — and the now — are digital, and if you’re not maximizing your presence in digital channels, you’re potentially getting left behind.

There are several improvements you can make to get started that require a little bit of time but pack a big punch. From the development of an expanded web presence to increasing targeted language on your landing pages and e-commerce sites to enhancing the frequency and messaging on your social media pages, placing a priority on building out your digital platforms is key to success in today’s business environment. These areas also significantly help in increasing your organization’s search engine visibility, which can make the difference between a prospect finding you in a web search before one of your competitors.

Additionally, it’s important to install tools such as Google Analytics and/or Conversion Tracking Code to keep track of how your audience targeting is performing and what types of messages are resonating the most. Reviewing this data on a proactive, regular basis ensures you are aware of what your target customers are interested in so you can continue “giving the people what they want” and reaping the rewards.

Content is more personal than ever

Increased digital integrations mean an expanded focus is placed on personalized messaging and customer-centric targeting in your marketing strategy. No longer will a canned, one-size-fits-all marketing message suffice, and as digital access continues to pervade our world, personalization is more important than ever as a way to cut through the clutter and ensure your organization’s message is heard.

One key strategy in creating more personalized messaging is adopting a customer-centric approach. Ask yourself, what matters most to my audiences? If I were them, what do I want to be hearing from a company like mine? How will my company’s services address a key need? In short, get down to the nitty-gritty of specifically how your organization and its services drive direct value to your target customers. Adopting this mindset will allow you to steer away from being self-promotional and “talking at” customers. Instead, keep the focus of your messages on how your solutions solve a challenge or need that they are facing.

Message segmentation is more critical than ever as personalization rules the content landscape. Remember, very few messages (if any) resonate with large, distinct groups of people, so in every communication or marketing push, think about the categories of audiences that will be receiving it and develop tiered messaging that speaks to each.

Conversational marketing, as well as messaging with experiential and personalized tones, are key to standing out in 2022 and beyond.

AI is here to stay

Recent PriceWaterhouseCoopers data found that in a survey of over 1,000 U.S.-based companies, 52% have accelerated their artificial intelligence (AI) plans since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. AI delivers a host of benefits, including the ability to:

  • Drive better customer experiences;
  • Improve decision-making;
  • Enhance innovation in products and services;
  • Promote cost savings;
  • Achieve more efficient and productive operations;
  • Cut staffing costs; and
  • Accelerate growth.

Many companies are using AI to expand the personal nature of their engagement with their target audiences, and tools such as chatbots, feedback-driven models, personalized videos, emails and virtual selling assistants are increasing in popularity and use. With more and more decision-makers preferring a self-service model, it’s more important than ever to deliver platforms and tools that allow them to find what they need and take action — on their own terms and schedule.

Make multi-channel a priority

Increased digital transformation gives you even more ways to engage with your target audiences and communities. The rise in personalized experience and self-service also means that for truly effective outreach, you need to focus on getting in front of key groups where they are, not expecting them to come to you. Omni-channel access is key to fostering a user experience that drives higher engagement, greater loyalty and qualified leads to keep your business growing.

A dynamic digital presence pays off

Website traffic alone doesn’t pay the bills, and the most effective marketers today are focused on leveraging targeted digital strategies to deepen engagement and conversions, as opposed to simply driving visibility and clicks. These are important insights to add to your marketing arsenal to enhance your digital solutions and make 2022 your organization’s best year yet!