Connected customers and how they affect your marketing decisions
Customers are the driving force behind growth, so it is essential to understand your customers and what they want when they interact with your brand.
Whether you classify your audience as baby boomers, generation X, millennials or generation Z, what you should be considering for your marketing efforts is the connected customer. With over half the world using mobiles and tablets to communicate, research and purchase, the connected customer may be diverse in demographics, but alike in behaviour and what they look for when connecting with a brand.
Be found
With more choice than ever at the convenience of your fingertips, searchers are happy to compare and contrast until their brand expectations are met. This means you need to be visible as one of the options before even considering your position against the competition. Your SEO and PPC efforts need to ensure you are at the top of relevant search queries, and that you are providing the answers and information people are looking for.
You also need to ensure you are on the platforms your customers are on. If you are B2B, you should have an active LinkedIn profile, if you are more B2C, consider if Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest could aid your business awareness, reputation or even sales.
Be trusted
With so many options and a vast difference in quality available, it can be hard to decide which company to choose. More and more people are basing their decision on the company’s reputation and recommendations.
How much more comfortable do you feel when your aunt tells you that her new hoover is the best one she’s ever had, or your friend tells you the cheap phone case that has been on your eBay wish-list for a while has lasted well.
Trust in advertising continues to dwindle, while influencer and online reviews are still widely trusted and can be integral decision factors for many potential customers. With influencers creating communities on platforms like YouTube, influencer marketing is at an all-time high and should not be ignored.
There is very little you can do now about the wealth of customer-generated content on social media, blog sites and review platforms across the web. It’s more important to create an authentic brand that works closely with and listens to your customer base to provide the best possible experience, and then the good reviews should pour in.
Keep customers
Of course, once you have gained customers, it takes just as much work to keep them with so much competition ready to swoop in if you do not fulfil their expectations. Studies are now showing that businesses, as well as individuals, value being treated as an individual and want to receive a highly personalised experience.
Immediacy
In the age of Amazon Prime, Uber Eats and Deliveroo, customers have now come to expect immediacy. Studies have shown that consumers expect fast responses to queries on websites or social channels and both consumers and businesses are saying immediate responses have a positive effect on loyalty.
It has never been more critical to invest in a chatbot or staff who can respond to customer queries as quickly as possible. This is a key factor for businesses growing and maintaining connected customers.
What to do
You need to meet customers where they are, and this is how you should approach your marketing decisions. You can discover so much about your target audience from their behaviour when you engage and listen to them.
ExtraDigital have extensive experience in online consumer behaviour. We would be happy to arrange a call to discuss your needs at your convenience. Contact us today.
