7 Steps to Improving Your Organisation's Social Branding

Social branding has become the hallmark of digital marketing. From the smallest local businesses in Hong Kong to major internationally recognised brands, social branding is being used to build brand awareness, entertain and engage, provide a real-time channel for customer service and of course sell.

Although most marketers find it difficult to mark proven ROI when it comes to social media, most brands see the value of these channels. According to Adweek, in 2018, 91% of retail brands used at least two social media channels. Mashable reported that 81% of small businesses were using social.

These stats are the reason smart marketers are upping their social media presence. Here are seven steps to help improve your social branding.

1. Choose Your Channels Wisely

It can be tempting to open an account with every social channel out there. However, this is not a very strategic approach.

First, it is not realistic to manage all these platforms, and second, not all social platforms are created equal. Despite the popularity of so many channels, who they are popular with is very important. No two apps are exactly the same, and therefore no two audiences are either.

You have to use the platforms that align with your brand. For example, if an app has a target demographic that is 18-24, it wouldn’t be a match for your brand if your target demographic is 35-50. Do your homework and look for specifics important to your target audience using social media demographics.

When researching channels, ask yourself some questions:

• Will the people using this channel help us meet our business objectives?

• Are they using this channel in a manner that makes sense for our needs?

• Will the content we intend to share fit in with this channel and how people use it?

Another good tell is watching your metrics for existing social media pages to see how your brand is faring across channels.

2. Use Your Channels Wisely

Once you have chosen your platform(s), make sure you are using each channel wisely. Just because you post something on one channel, doesn't mean it should be posted on all of them. And there's a good reason for that. Actually, there's a few.

As previously discussed, each channel has its own audience. Each audience uses social for different reasons. In fact, according to Global Web Index, the average person has 5.54 different social media accounts.

With these different audiences and uses, you have to make sure you are providing content that will be engaging in the context it is presented. According to Buffer, the best content for the top social channels are:

• Facebook: Videos and curated content

• Instagram: High-resolution photos, quotes, Stories

• Twitter: News, blog posts, and GIFs

• LinkedIn: Jobs, company news, and professional content

• Pinterest: Infographics and step-by-step photo guides

By ensuring you are choosing the right content for each platform, you will be better inclined to engage the platform users in a more meaningful way.

3. Set the Right Tone with Visuals

When taking Buffer’s advice to heart, one thing that comes up most often is the use of visuals. Although the type of visual varies from channel to channel, there is no doubt that images still speak louder than words.

Visuals likewise play a major role in setting the tone and image of your brand. They offer a first glance of your brand identity and help build brand equity.

The important lesson here is that although you are using different types of images across each channel, the tone and manner should be consistent including:

• Colour palette: Use your logo colors to create a consistent color palette. Make sure your main logo colours are used in some way for all images. You can add colours outside of your logo but use them consistently and also make sure they work well together.

• Logo as your avatar: When using an avatar on social media use your logo or a symbol from your logo across all social media channels. Create a logo using the specs for each platform, so it is never skewed awkwardly to fit in the space allotted. Symbols work well to build brand awareness, such as the golden arches of McDonald's or the Nike swoosh.

• Templates: Save time and face by using templates for graphics used on social media. You will then have consistency across all aspects of your designs for colors, fonts and the way you use your logo and symbols.

All of these aspects work together to create your brand imagery.

4. Find Your Voice

Create a voice that fits in with your brand. The words you use and the tone and manner of your posts will make a strong impression even when it is just a few words for a hashtag. Take the Disney example above as a perfect example of how the company uses humor and a recognisable asset in its social media activity.

Your communication style should create a personality that fits with your brand. Consider the following to find your voice:

• Company culture: What does your company stand for? What is important to you? What separates you from the competition? Whether you are fighting for the planet, love dogs, or support strong women, your voice should reflect that.

• Your audience: How does your audience speak? What lingo do they use? What is common in pop culture, or inside jokes they might understand? Whatever will resonate with them, use, but make sure you remain authentic. Nothing is worse than someone trying to be something they are not. It can be sniffed out on social faster than you might think and turn people off when they feel you can’t be trusted.

• Unique value proposition: Your UVP can be a great help in finding your voice. Focusing on what you have that others don’t will add to your culture while helping define who you are as a brand.

5. Choose Your Topics Wisely

Streamline your efforts to keep the topics you post about consistent. You have to avoid having a random collection of posts that will confuse your message.

Don’t be too worried that you will have to create your own content. An excellent way to remain authoritative in your industry is to curate content. You can build authority by sharing posts that are relevant, meaningful and useful for followers. This encourages likes and shares while showing people you are not focused strictly on promoting yourself. Instead, it creates trust.

Don’t be afraid to use humor when your brand calls for it; 3 in 4 people appreciate humour. You can also use a mix of curated content based on the platform such as videos, gifs, memes, and links for blogs posts and articles.

To stay on point, choose a few topics that make sense for your brand and industry whether it is celebrity fashion, designer trends on the runway and shoe fetishes for a fashion boutique or recipes, food trends and seasonal produce for a grocery store. The goal is to stick with your area of expertise, so people depend on you for the info they need.

Last but not least, be kind. 88% of consumers find it annoying when a brand bad mouths the competition. Instead, consumers buy from brands with these top three qualities:

1. Honest (86%)

2. Helpful (78%)

3. Friendly (83%)

6. Cross Promote Your Profiles

Don’t forget that all of your marketing has to work together. If you are on social, share that information across all your profiles and marketing material. This means:

• Links on your website to your social pages

• Providing URLs or at least the logos for the social channels you use on all of your print materials, brochures and signage

• Sharing links to content on your social pages such as to your blogs or from channel to channel when it works

All of these steps will help build social traction. You should also encourage staff to like your social to encourage followers in their groups: He told two friends, she told two friends, and so on.

7. Engage and Leverage Comments

Social media is just that: social. Many organisations forget this is one of the most important aspects of social media. You can’t just keep posting stuff. Instead, you have to look for comments and join conversations to engage followers, as what a good digital marketer will do for their brand’s Internet marketing. Make sure you have someone on board who is reading comments and replying. In fact, try posting content with a question: We love these shoes, what do you think?

If you take on the burden of responses, you have to be consistent. This becomes crucial if you find negative comments or customer complaints. 32% of consumers complaining on social expect a response within 30 minutes, and 42% expect to hear from you in an hour. They found that 57% expect the same response 24/7, so manning social becomes important. If you can’t manage the demands, you might want to avoid using Twitter as 80% of social customer service requests occur on Twitter.

Leverage comments to generate more content. Often you will see common questions or get some really good insight from comments and replies to comments from other followers. Following threads and finding out what people are chatting about can provide ideas for blogs, further content, and opportunities to generate awesome conversations that show off your expertise, not to mention the fact you care about what people are saying.

These seven steps can provide your business with better control over your social strategy and fine-tune the tactics you use to improve your social branding. If you are eager to learn more, and to know more about some local examples from the industry experts in Hong Kong, check out our certified digital marketing course to propel your career.

Source: Digital Marketing Institute

The Ultimate Digital Marketing Campaign Checklist

Social media is an obstacle course for new businesses and marketers. It offers so much potential, but it also has pitfalls. There’s no right way to use social media, but as it turns out, there is a wrong way. Whether the blame falls on the company for posting or the consumer for commenting, there’s plenty of room for negativity here.

Fortunately, even when mistakes happen, there are ways to make it up to your readers. Whether it’s posting the wrong thing or leaving a customer question unanswered, you can bounce back.

Even with the knowledge that one mistake isn't the end of the world, it's better to steer clear when possible. The best way to avoid blunders and forge a successful campaign is to know what not to do. Here are nine examples of social media fails that could cost you.

1. Forgetting to Edit

You wouldn’t publish an eBook without proofreading and editing, so why send a tweet without doing the same? Everything your brand posts to social media becomes solidified as part of your digital marketing footprint. Even content you delete hangs around as memes, screencaps, and consumer memories. Miscommunicating information can change the way your customers view your brand.

The United States Department of Education learned this the hard way when a typo landed them in hot water with internet trolls. A tweet by the department quoted famous author and sociologist, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, misspelling his last name as De Bois. Considering this was a Tweet from an educational institution, there were some choice words thrown around.

This is a small sample of what could happen if edits aren’t completed. In this case, it’s safe to say the U.S. Department of Education will go on to tell the tale. For a small business, however, this could sink credibility and deplete customer loyalty.

2. Putting All Your Social Eggs in One Basket

It’s easy to look at the social media landscape and assume that the best place to post is Facebook. With over 2-billion users as of 2018, it’s an attractive platform to start with. The trouble with limiting yourself here, despite its popularity, is that you’ll miss out on connections.

Different social media platforms are designed to meet the needs of a specific audience. Just as your business has a target, so too does Instagram and WhatsApp. LinkedIn, for example, is a social space for professionals and B2B marketing. Rather than followers and subscribers, you network with connections. For businesses who market to other businesses, foregoing LinkedIn could be disastrous.

The best way to overcome this potential problem is by branching out. You don’t need to have an account on every platform but choosing 2-4 and posting regularly broadens your readership. Be sure to interact with customers whenever possible to strengthen your position on the site.

3. Marketing Without a Strategy

A business plan outlines your goals as a company and maps the road to success. A social media strategy does much the same, and without one, you could be hearing crickets. It doesn’t matter how great your content is if there’s nobody there to read it. Some concepts outlined in your strategy should include:

• Target audience for each platform in use.

• Content schedules.

• Communication tactics.

• Metric tool management.

• Time investment.

4. Referencing Sensitive Material

Social media offers a relaxed atmosphere; this is part of its charm. It lets businesses and consumers interact on a less formal platform. Despite the causal element of conversation, it’s important to protect your business’ reputation by avoiding offensive material.

In 2018, Snapchat crossed this line by posting a “Would You Rather” game. A common party-game, Would You Rather asks players which they’d choose out of two less than attractive options. Unfortunately, one question referenced a celebrity scandal involving domestic abuse. The backlash was immediate and widespread, losing them millions of dollars and hundreds of followers.

5. Ignoring Negative Feedback

One of the worst mistakes a marketer can make is ignoring customer concerns. Negative feedback brings the experiences of your customers to your attention. When a consumer has a problem with your brand, whether it’s a product or service, an apology should be issued. Not all companies have 100% money back guarantees, but they should all guarantee common courtesy.

The problem with ignoring a customer complaint is the impending snowball effect. It’s just one customer, so it might not seem worth your time to address, but that complaint is visible to millions. Sometimes, the way a business deals with negativity has the greatest impact on consumer opinion. Tips for dealing with bad reviews include:

• Be Honest: Everyone makes mistakes, even our favourite brands. If you’re at fault, be transparent. Your customer will appreciate it, and if they don’t, it’s hard to blame somebody for their honesty.

• Offer Recompense Where Necessary: Not every situation calls for a refund, but when it does, offer the customer what they’re due. Sometimes, all a customer is due is an apology, and that’s fine too.

• Empathise: Even if there’s nothing you can do, trying to see the situation from the customer’s point of view helps. Use terminology like, “We understand how frustrating this situation has been for you. We’re sorry you had a poor experience, and we hope you’ll give us a chance to improve your next one.”

• Remain Professional: Some negative feedback can be downright rude. When this happens, it’s hard to keep cool, but remember, it’s not personal. Stand behind your brand and be the voice you want consumers to remember when they see your logo.

6. Being Too Formal

Yes, it’s important to stay professional, but social media is one place where businesses can let their hair down. Engaging with your customers is a huge part of what these platforms are for. Take the opportunity to relax and have a bit of fun. Use your content to show consumers the lighthearted side of your brand. Tasteful humour, personal anecdotes, and experimenting with different types of media humanizes your brand. Try posting content like:

• “Introducing the office” videos

• Memes that poke fun at your own brand

• Contests which include audience interaction

7. Separating Social Media and Your Homepage

Your web presence is made up of every platform your brand takes part in. This includes your website, social media pages, blogs, press releases, news articles, and mobile apps. You may not be able to control the content in all these mediums, but the ones that you do control should be connected.

Separating your social media and homepage is a recipe for lost traffic. Your Facebook and Twitter pages should link to your website and vice versa. Including social media buttons will help internet users share your brand with friends and family. This leads to more traffic, higher rates of conversion, and increased revenue.

8. Not Monitoring Automated Tools

While it would simplify so many things to just “automate it and forget it”, this isn’t practical. Automation tools let you schedule posts to multiple platforms, but they’re not perfect. There are bugs and human error to consider.

Companies that rely solely on these tools could suffer a mishap similar to a women’s clothing brand called, Pretty Little Things. In November of 2018, a customer-wide message went out wishing a "Happy New Year Huns." Sure, it's a small thing to celebrate New Year's Eve 2-months in advance, but if it could impact your brand authority. For law firms, medical organisations, and financial institutions, something like this could cause doubt and loss of business.

Having a second set of eyes on your automation will help keep things running smoothly. Even with help, checking up on these systems once or twice a month is a good idea.

9. Taking a Political Stand

Too often, social media is used as a platform for political debate. While it’s fine for consumers to post about their favourite party, as a business it’s best to remain neutral. IHOP learned this the hard way when an employee took to Twitter, retweeting an unkind comment about Hilary Clinton.

Celebrating national pride is great, but there are less aggressive ways to do so. Encouraging voters by posting a picture of yourself wearing a “go vote!” pin will garner far better responses from the public. Aside from possibly offending people, having a strong political opinion as a brand could lose your business. This is one area where separating your personal and business life is necessary.

Life on Social Media

Social media is like any other marketing tool; it requires a plan and confidence in the driver's seat. Research, regular maintenance, and a strong sense of customer service are pivotal in achieving success.

Mistakes will always happen, no matter how perfect your marketing strategy is. It's how you deal with them that matter most.

Create successful campaigns and avoid social media fails by learning about internet marketing from the experts in the industry in Hong Kong!

Source: Digital Marketing Institute

How Do Social Media Algorithms Work

Social media plays a massive role in the life of everyone. In fact, as of 2017 Facebook was the 3rd most viewed website on the globe, after Google and YouTube. With so many users on these platforms, there's a need to create order, and an algorithm does just that.

Social media algorithms are always changing, making it difficult to keep up with marketing codes of conduct. There’s no way to know every detail that goes into every change, but we have a good idea. Depending on the platform you use, your social media expectations will differ. The algorithm in play dictates where you rank in social media ads and content placement.

In this guide, you'll come to understand what an algorithm is, the different social media algorithms, and how to optimise your content for social media.

What Are Social Media Algorithms?

An algorithm is a mathematical set of rules specifying how a group of data behaves. In social media, algorithms help maintain order, and assists in ranking search results and advertisements. On Facebook, for example, there is an algorithm which directs pages and content to display in a certain order.

As of last year, there were approximately 4 billion internet users, and of these users, about 3 billion were on social media. That’s a massive undertaking to monitor and manage. This is why algorithms are so crucial in determining the validity and placement of social media accounts and content.

While there’s no handbook on the many algorithms and how to maintain them, we know enough to maneuver the social media landscape and succeed. One of the major shifts witnessed in the past few years is a user-friendly focus, much like the one Google ranks by. This encourages social media users to submit relevant, high-quality content, and engage with consumers.

Types of Social Media Algorithms

Social media algorithms vary by platform. Therefore, you can break it down by social media brand. The main platforms are Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Here’s a look at each and how they’re currently ranking content and users.

Facebook

Meaningful customer engagement is the key to Facebook's algorithm layout. It's created to intensify the importance and viewership of local, familial and friendly posts, rather than business posts.

Paid content is ranked separately but still revolves around engagement, customer response, and relevance to the subject matter. While user-friendly content is key here, another strategy the Facebook algorithm took on recently is spam management. In the first three months of 2018, Facebook located and discarded more than 500 million false accounts.

LinkedIn

Recognised as a leader in B2B marketing, LinkedIn is a social platform dedicated to networking, rather than building followers. It’s currently the most common platform for Fortune 500 company use.

The site has developed an algorithm based on connection and engagement, so strong and relevant content is the key to LinkedIn success. Even if you don't have a lot of links in your networking chain, you can build this later if you have read-worthy content.

Instagram

Instagram is about showing as many people as much information in a day as possible. Therefore, its algorithm focuses on every aspect of social media, from relevancy and connection to engagement and content popularity.

The reasoning behind the Instagram algorithm is to encourage comments, shares, likes, adds, and further posting.

8 Tips to Optimise Your Content for Any Social Media Platform

1. Create Short Videos

We know consumers love seeing mixed media in content, but video has proven itself a favorite. Marketers who use video in their ad campaigns receive 66% more qualified leads annually than those who don’t. A short video not only has a greater chance of being consumed in full during a quick social media scan, but it takes less time and resources to create and publish.

Facebook's live video option is an optimal way to engage followers, and monitor metrics related to your video. After the live portion of the video is over, it remains available for viewing, so users linked to your profile don't miss out.

2. Create Content Which Invites Interaction

User interaction looks like user favor to social media crawler bots. The more likes, shares, and comments your content sees, the more favorable it appears. Publishing content that invites users to engage and interact improves ranking and encourages brand loyalty. Some examples of interactive content include:

• Company Q&A

• Live interviews

• Follower polls and quizzes

• Promotions focusing on likes and shares

• Photo captioning contests

3. Evoke Humor and Emotion

Whether it’s a funny meme or a touching video about a baby animal coming into its own, evoking emotion humanises your brand.

Companies which connect with their followers on this deeper level, even just a silly GIF or meme, are more likely to see repeat comments, likes, and shares.

4. UGC is Key

UGC, or User-Generated Content, count as memes, photos, videos, and even screencaps made by other users. Why is this helpful as a content optimization method? It captures the attention of the creator, or followers of the creator and engages them.

It also draws on the popularity of something already made and loved. This cuts back on time and efforts you could be putting into creating your own catchy content. Using UGC isn't copying somebody else's work, so long as it's shared appropriately, and respect is given where it's due.

5. Write Back

It sounds like a strategy too simple to work but reaching out to customers in comments is known to be a successful strategy. In social media, many companies sit back and wait for consumers to come to them. This doesn’t need to be the case. Reach out, comment, like, even share interesting content which is relevant to your brand.

It looks good to other customers when they see you interacting, and it increases the chance that you’ll receive comments of your own.

6. Report the News

Staying on top of your industry news is a sure way to impress social media followers. It brands you as an authority in your field and gives them a reason to look at your page from time to time. For example, if you represent a business in the fashion industry, their followers might just catch a glimpse of the new Spring line. They’ll follow your posts in the hopes of seeing more news they’re watching to read about.

7. Invite Followers In

Businesses can appear stiff and stodgy to followers, which paints your client’s brand as a thing, not a person. When you post relatable humanised content, like pictures of management and staff, it opens the doors to real people and real faces. Give your audience a peek behind the curtain with:

• An “a day in the life of” video

• Weekly content rotation by individual staffers

• Funny photo of the week from inside the office

• A tour of the workplace

• Live demonstrations of products or services

8. Ask for What You Want

It sounds straightforward because it is. Marketers don't have to struggle to make connections – you can ask for them. Social media users are called that because they are social. They interact regularly and jump at the chance to help a brand they frequent. Ask for tags, likes, and shares when you post your regular content. Think of it as an atypical call to action.

Profit from Social Media Algorithms

If you take anything away from this article, hopefully, it's that algorithms can help, not hinder. Some social media users view algorithms as ropes which bind us to a specific rule set, but they also create a map for success. It's learning to read that map which will help you overcome competitors and rise to the top.

Whether you’re using social media for your own marketing needs, or you’re representing a client, these platforms are a major benefit to traffic and ROI. With a low overhead (they’re free, after all), and minimal time commitment, social media has the ability to produce increased revenue with little to no output. Learn more from the professional to make algorithms your weapon, while getting a globally recognised certification!

Source: Digital Marketing Institute

10 Ways to Turn Around Falling Website Traffic

All websites will have a certain amount of fluctuation in traffic. You know what a normal range is for your own website. If you see a significant drop in traffic, your first response is probably to undo the latest change you made in a panic. Don’t do that—there are many reasons your traffic might drop.

First, make sure that the drop in traffic isn’t just a problem with your date ranges. If you’re looking at today’s date, remember that not all of the traffic for today has come in yet. Also, considering what a normal fluctuation in traffic is for your website, are you sure this is serious?

Next, check with IT for technical issues. If your site is down or loading very slowly, your traffic will drop. Or, if you or your webmaster has accidentally deleted your tracking code, it will seem like you’re not getting any traffic at all even though nothing has changed.

Lastly, check the news. Is there a major power outage, a holiday, or some other news item that may explain a drop? If you’ve confirmed that this is, indeed, a drop in traffic that isn’t caused by technical or external issues, then move on to boosting your falling website traffic with these steps.

1) Check for Penalties

If you get a manual penalty from Google, you’ll see an immediate drop in traffic as either the affected page or your overall rankings fall. Most drops in traffic aren’t explained by a manual penalty from Google, but it’s simple and definitive to confirm whether or not you have one. Check for notifications on Google Search Console.

If you do have a notification, it’s probably for tactics or content that is black hat or content that seems spammy or plagiarised. If you’re working with an SEO firm, you need to talk to them about why they would use tactics that are penalised by Google—and find a new firm. You’ll also need to correct the mistake in order to remove the penalty and regain your traffic.

2) Compare Traffic Channels

It can be helpful to determine which kind of traffic is falling on your website. If it’s paid traffic, consider whether you’ve just stopped investing in an ad. That can explain the drop itself.

You may also want to compare branded versus unbranded traffic. Branded traffic is website traffic from people who are directly visiting your website, not being referred by a link. They may be searching for your company name directly on Google, so you know that they already know your business. If you see a drop in branded traffic, it could be a PR issue. Perhaps fewer people want to connect with your brand.

3) Pause Your Ads

Another possibility is that paid search results traffic is cutting into your organic traffic. To some degree, this is expected. While investing in paid traffic may reduce your organic traffic it should boost your overall traffic.

Occasionally though, your paid traffic only cuts into your organic traffic. It’s possible that you have such a strong presence on the paid keyword, that there’s no benefit to buying ads there. The only way to know if your paid ad is responsible for your traffic drop is to pause the ad and see if your traffic resumes at previous or expected levels.

4) Have You Lost Backlinks?

If you segmented your traffic and found that your referral traffic dropped, it is time to look into your backlinks. If a few pages have dropped in traffic and they also happen to have lost backlinks, there’s a good chance you’ve found your problem.

How do you get your links reinstated? Sometimes it’s a matter of emailing those who used to link to you and asking what’s going on. Maybe your content needs a refresher to stay relevant. Maybe your competitor has won the link. Or, maybe the content that used to link to your site is gone entirely.

It can be a challenge to regain links, but if your content once attracted backlinks, it can attract new ones now. The best strategy is to update the content, add to it, and republish it or re-share it through your social media platforms. Essentially, make sure it offers even more value.

5) Are They Quality Backlinks?

Not all backlinks are good. If your content is linked from a shady or spammy site, Google may believe you paid for those links and are using black-hat SEO practices. Many other aspects of your links might bring down your rankings. Perhaps the links all use the same anchor text or anchor text not in your own website's language.

Whether you did or you didn’t use bad practices to get these links, you need to have the site owner remove the link, or your domain authority and traffic will continue to suffer.

Your first strategy should be simply to ask the website to remove the bad backlink. If they won’t, you can formally disavow the link with Google to remove the association.

6) Check Your Competition

Are you losing rankings to your competition? Maybe you haven’t lost the spot yet, but your competitor has offered a brand new piece of content that is offering more value than your own, and it is already taking your traffic.

If so, you have two options. You can concede that ground and focus on keywords or strategies your competitor has not yet invested in, or you can focus on head-to-head competition if you think you can succeed against their latest efforts. It will depend on your competitors and the resources you can dedicate to the task.

7) Boost Your Rankings

If you’ve lost out to competitors or just seen a general drop in website traffic, you can always try to boost your rankings to make up for it.

We’ve offered a lot of tips about how to do this in the past. One great way is to use video (especially these two types) to boost your SEO efforts. Overall, focusing on offering value to your audience will serve you well.

8) Other SERP Issues

Sometimes, your key piece of content is still ranking well, and the keyword has the same search volume, but people just aren’t clicking. It could be because Google has decided to offer the answer to the searcher’s query in a new answer box. Answer boxes are convenient, but it means people don’t have to head to your site to get the answer they’re looking for.

If you’re the one who has won this answer box, you can simply reformat the content that answer box is based on to make it more likely for people to click on your site to learn more. Expand on the answer, and make it too long to be read in the answer box alone.

If you’ve lost out on the answer box opportunity, you can tweak your content to optimise it. Especially if this is a new answer box, spending some time on this can bear you a lot of fruit.

9) Check Your Page Type and Traffic Type

If your website traffic is falling, it can be useful to examine which pages are suffering most. Is it your homepage, your category pages, blog posts, or product pages? This can give you hints as to why your traffic has dropped and what changes may be in order. A drop in blog posts could mean you need to focus on content marketing or otherwise promote the pages through your other digital marketing efforts.

A drop in traffic to category or product pages could be an SEO problem, or it could be a problem with user experience, especially if you’ve made some changes recently.

10) Check User Experience (UX)

Having fewer returning visitors than normal? Changing the experience on your website can drive away readership, at first. This is particularly true after a site re-design. People need to adjust to changes and learn how to navigate your site again.

Of course, every change you make to your site should focus on making your user experience simple and obvious. If your site’s traffic doesn’t rebound soon, it may be time to examine whether or not your user experience is driving visitors away from your website.

One key metric is the time it takes for your website to load. According to Google, a very poor website loading speed can lower your rankings. However, this is an exception. It’s more likely that users are simply giving up when your page takes too long to load. While most users focus on the home page, it’s critical to check the loading speed of other pages. For example, e-commerce sites may get slow when loading multiple products.

While your falling website traffic could be due to one or two simple mistakes, it’s more likely that you’ll need to put in some long-term work to boost your numbers back up. There’s always the possibility that your site has been affected by an algorithm update from Google or is facing tough competition from a new entrant to the market.

Final Thoughts

When your website traffic is down, it’s critical to turn back to the core ways you build an audience--by offering your visitors valuable content and focusing on great user experience. When you do, your website will reap the rewards in traffic over the long term.

Become a Certified Digital Marketing Professional and turn around falling traffic on your website. Download a brochure today, or give yourself a digital diagnostic to see what area you can still improve in internet marketing!

Source: Digital Marketing Institute

Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash

6 Internet Marketing Tricks For The Retail Sector

Thanks to the perpetual evolution of digital technology, the retail sector has experienced profound changes in the past two decades in Hong Kong. As the lines between technology and humanity continue to blur, there are substantial challenges and opportunities for retailers to address.

In this article, we’ll explore current trends in an increasingly competitive retail sector, characterised by digital technologies that enhance customer experience and drive profits, as well as the tricks that retailers need to know to remain successful.

Embracing Omnichannel Marketing

While a multichannel approach involves different roles performing different functions and working towards the same end, the omnichannel method streamlines the marketing process, with all facets doing the same job for the same end. This improves integration and so provides a consistent experience throughout the customer journey.

For retailers, the omnichannel approach is primarily concerned with linking online and in-store shopping experiences. This means consistency at every turn: from marketing campaign materials to customer support.

Omnichannel marketing has become a popular technique within the sector. Adobe research found that 25% of respondents from the retail sector indicated that they would make omnichannel marketing a priority in 2019.

But what does this mean in practice?

The omnichannel approach encourages retailers to map the customer’s journey, identifying touchpoints that can make the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity.

Retailers are encouraged to undertake this exercise and decide how an integrated approach can be encouraged throughout the business, both online and in-store.

Take customer support, for example. Customers might seek in-store customer service if they’re looking for an immediate resolution, or they may prefer the convenience of accessing support online or by phone.

There should be no inconsistencies between the various channels. Offline and online teams must present a unified message and identical standards.

Finding Novel Ways to Integrate AI and Voice

Artificial intelligence technology has gradually been established and embraced by retailers. One of the most widespread applications has been customer service chatbots.

AI bots are used to resolve simple queries quickly, and when an inquiry requires a human touch, bots can direct them to the appropriate channels.

As chatbots become more intelligent – and more useful – they are growing in popularity with customers. Research has shown that the top three benefits are 24-hour service, getting an instant response, and answers to simple questions. In short, convenience.

For brands that have not yet embraced AI as part of their customer service portfolio, this is an exciting opportunity. Starting small, such as setting up automated responses to simple questions from a brand’s Facebook page, can really improve customer service and give companies the confidence that comes from seeing technology in action.

But AI is not limited to customer service chatbots. Real-time personalisation makes the customer journey more relevant and personal. These are qualities that consumers are actively seeking. And so, harnessing the power of machine learning to nurture customer relationships, make timely offers, and provide ongoing support is essential for the modern retailer.

While voice technology has made great strides in the home market – thanks to Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home, and Apple’s Siri – it’s still not entirely on the radar of retailers. Just 6% identified voice interfaces as the most exciting opportunity in their sector.

This is surprising, given that voice commands, according to Will Hayllar of OC&C, act as a conduit of “frictionless retailing.” With convenience consistently cited as a priority for consumers, it would be reasonable to expect retailers to jump on this trend with more vigor.

However, the future prospects for voice remain favourable. The same research shows that 40% of people with a virtual assistant–enabled device currently use it to make a purchase. It’s expected that this number will jump to 48% by 2022; therefore, there’s scope for retailers to get ahead of the game by developing and finessing voice technology for retail now.

Using Data to Enhance Customer Experience

Retailers recognise that they have access to a substantial amount of data, and are actively working to use it to better target prospective customers, optimise customer experience, and bridge the gap between online and in-store.

Making use of this data depends on having the right people in place to analyse it. Retailers must be willing to invest in hiring data specialists and facilitating continuing education, to ensure that their insights are actually useful.

The next step is to apply data where it’s needed. Research has shown that for more than a quarter of retailers, customer experience is the number one priority for differentiation from other brands. The data that retailers hold – and analyze – is extremely helpful in tailoring the experience to individual customers.

For example, by knowing when a customer is most likely to browse a website, visit a store, and ultimately make a purchase, retailers can send offers at times and in situations that have the best prospect of encouraging an action.

If a customer has a tendency to visit the store on a Friday afternoon, there’s no real point in sending offers on a Tuesday morning. Grab their attention on Friday morning instead, when they’re most likely to be in the area and willing to make a visit. It’s a simple scenario, but it demonstrates how a joined-up approach to data as part of omnichannel marketing can yield results.

Integration with IoT

The Internet of Things will also prove important here. Amazon’s Dash buttons made their debut in 2015, allowing customers to restock on a variety of household items with just one tap. They were phased out in 2019, but their disappearance doesn’t equate to a complete failure.

Although their commercial viability diminished over time, as an experiment, it was something of a success. The behavior of customers using Dash has helped to inform the continued evolution of Amazon’s Alexa. Instead of searching in kitchen drawers for pesky plastic buttons, customers can simply call out to Alexa and order items in a matter of seconds.

And this principle isn’t limited to online retailers. Macy’s embraced the Internet of Things with the introduction of beacon alerts a few years ago. When using the Macy’s app in-store, customers receive recommendations and special offers based on their existing purchases, browsing habits, and even their position within the store.

For example, if you’ve been checking out watches online, when walking into the jewelry section, you might receive a ping containing special deals or coupons for you to use while you’re there. This creates an experience that’s customised and relevant, which can present customers with a compelling incentive to part ways with their cash!

Investing in Digital Skills Across the Business

Adobe’s research discovered that almost a quarter of respondents planned to make little or no investment in digital skills training for their staff in 2019, while only 29% were intending to make significant investments.

Of course, there will be instances where staff have already had the necessary training to keep them up to speed with the latest digital developments. But there remains scope for further professional development, particularly for retailers planning to introduce new processes or system updates.

Prioritizing Experience-Led Sales

Digital disruptors have made waves in the retail space. Online-only brands, such as ASOS, Boohoo, and Modcloth, are popular, profitable businesses that hold substantial influence over the market.

In response an alarming number of traditional bricks-and-mortar brands have struggled to compete in the digitally focused retail space; even some former retail giants have ultimately been lost.

This is understandable as brands with costly physical locations will never be as efficient as online-only retailers with warehouse networks. But while the price-focused ‘race to the bottom’ has thinned out the mall and high street presence, it has presented retailers with a new – and possibly unexpected – opportunity.

As well as a fair price, customers are looking for an optimised experience. A hybrid physical and online presence provides consumers with the best of both worlds: the convenience of smart shopping alongside a smooth and consistent VIP experience. At least, when it’s done well.

A reduced physical presence allows brands to refocus resources. Retailers are able to invest more in each store, tailoring the space to the needs of the target customer.

Concept stores have transformed from a small-scale, experimental offering to one of the most exciting opportunities in the in-store retail space. It’s likely that the number of concept stores will continue to expand, so retailers should be ensuring that they use the format to test which features really enjoy, and which can be ditched.

From there, retailers can expand their portfolio of concept stores, or integrate successful facets into their regular retail units – or both.

Creating a Customer-Centric Culture

Today’s retail sector has been completely revolutionised by digital technology. But for all the innovation and progress, the most important factor will always be the customer.

A customer-centric culture is absolutely essential for any retailer, whether they’re online-only, just about making their way into e-commerce, or anywhere in between. It pulls together all of the technical aspects and injects a sense of humanity back into retail.

Understanding the customer journey, and all its key touchpoints are the first step. From there, retailers must create a multi-departmental continuum between the digital and offline customer experience.

This can be as simple as ensuring that the basic principles of modern retail, such as contactless payments, are all in working order. Retailers should also finesse their digital output; for example, if it doesn’t add anything substantial to the customer experience, either chop it or change it. Showing up isn’t enough; it’s how a retailer interacts with customers that matters.

Now you know all the tricks - learn how to execute them by taking a certificated course so you can learn from the industry experts to know more about implementation.

Source: Digital Marketing Institute

Photo by Kaleidico on Unsplash

5 Usability Principles That Make Visitors Stick (And Boost Your SEO!)

Does your site encourage visitors to stick around?

If not, that’s not only losing your customers – it’s also potentially damaging your SEO (search engine optimisation).

The user’s experience has always been an important part of SEO… but it’s becoming ever more important. After all, Google (and other search engines) want to serve up content that suits the user’s needs. The RankBrain algorithm, for instance, uses AI to understand the intention behind a user’s search, so that Google can serve up the most relevant results.

Good usability is easier for visitors to do what they want to do (e.g. find and purchase a product) … improving your bottom line, and potentially giving your SEO a very handy boost.

Here are five key usability principles to follow as you develop your digital marketing strategy:

1. Don’t Make Me Think

Steve Krug is a leading usability expert who has consulted for Apple and Bloomberg. His first law of usability is “Don’t Make Me Think” (which is also the title of his book). It’s not “nothing important should ever be more than two clicks away” or “speak the user’s language” or “be consistent”. It’s much more fundamental than that.

Many of your visitors will be preoccupied. They’re not fully focused on your site: they’re thinking about what to cook for dinner, or about the next task on their to-do list. You need to make it really easy for them to take the action they want to take: don’t make them hunt through a menu or sidebar to find the relevant link.

Did you know?

The brain represents just 2% of a person’s total body weight, but it accounts for 20% of the body’s energy use. Having to think too much definitely takes a toll!

Key takeaway:

Test your website to ensure it’s delivering great user experience. Don’t make assumptions based on what the 'average user' might want: there is no such thing.

2. The Grunt Test

If you showed your website to a caveman, would they be able to “grunt” what your site is all about just from the homepage?

There’s a quick test for this, developed by Donald Miller, the founder of StoryBrand. It takes less than a minute and involves just three questions.

First, show your website to someone (who’s never seen it before) for five seconds, then close your laptop.

Then, ask them these three questions:

• What does my organisation offer?

• How will it make your life better?

• What do you need to do to buy (or to get started)?

Did you know?

You have 0.05 seconds, less than a blink of an eye, to make a good first impression when a user visits your website.

Key takeaway:

Can users do what they need to do within five seconds of arriving on your website? If not, they’ll hit the back button.

3: The “Needs Met” Test

Does your website meet users’ needs? (This normally will mean it’s highly related to their query and it answers their question or lets them do what they set out to do.)

Google has a specific rating scale for this, which focuses particularly on mobile users, so it’s crucial that you make sure your site is optimised for them in particular. If your site doesn’t fulfill user’s needs (i.e. if they’re likely to return to search results to check out other sites instead), then you won’t rank very highly on this scale.

The scale can be found in this Search Quality Rating Guidelines document, on page 85.

Did you know?

According to Google, mobile users are five times more likely to abandon a task if a site isn’t optimized for mobile. This means that making your site mobile-friendly is crucial for both conversions and SEO.

Key takeaway:

With usability, it’s easy to end up focusing on how your site functions for desktop users (as you’re likely to be doing all your testing and tweaking on a computer). Mobile usability is crucially important, though, and Google’s focus on this when addressing “user needs” reflects its broader move toward mobile-first indexing.

4. The “KISS” Principle

Often, good design is a simple design. Your site doesn’t need to be complex and flashy in order to impress.

The acronym “KISS” stands for “Keep it Simple, Stupid” (or, if you prefer “Keep it Short and Simple”). It means that your site should be easy to understand. That could include things like:

• Using clear navigation labels.

• Using standard-looking icons.

• Writing in a concise, straightforward way.

• Minimising 'clutter' – elements on your site that aren’t necessary.

Did you know?

There are several other similar famous quotes and principles, including:

• Albert Einstein – “Make everything as simple as possible but not simpler”

• Leonardo Da Vinci – “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”

• Bjarne Stroustrup – “Make Simple Tasks Simple!”

Key Takeaway:

Make your website as simple and straightforward to use as possible. If you’ve got two options on how to do something, pick the simplest. For instance, having a single field for 'email' on your sign-up form is better than having three fields for 'first name,'” 'last name,' and 'email'.

5: The “Users Don’t Read Webpages” Rule

Few users will read even the whole of a single page on your site. Instead, they’ll scan for what they need.

Designers and usability experts have known this for a very long time: back in 1997, Jakob Nielson’s famous study found that “79 percent of our test users always scanned any new page they came across; only 16 percent read word-by-word” and more recent studies have found the same thing, even for content like blog posts, that you might expect people to read in detail.

Did you know?

People don’t read manuals, either. If you’re selling software or providing an online service (e.g. an online course), you’ll need to find other ways to help them get to grips with how this works, such as a guided tour or brief help text within the software.

Key Takeaway:

To get people to take in more of your content, make it easy to scan: that means using subheadings, bold text, and plenty of white space. You may also want to track which parts of your pages users are reading by using heat mapping software.

Conclusion

Usability is critical to the success of your site and a key factor of a successful internet marketing campaign, and by following these five principles, you’ll be ensuring that people can quickly see what you do, recognize that they’re in the right place to get what they want or need, and take the appropriate action based on that … such as purchasing from you.

Become a Certified Digital Marketing Professional and learn how to develop successful digital marketing strategies.

Source: Digital Marketing Institute

What Is SEO & Why Is It Important?

You’ve probably heard a hundred times that Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a vital digital marketing tool, but even if you have a basic understanding of what it entails, you may still not have a solid grasp on this complex and multifaceted creature. 

SEO is made up of multiple different elements, and knowing what they are and how they work is key to understanding why SEO is so important. In short, SEO is significant because it makes your website more visible, and that means more traffic and more opportunities to convert prospects into customers. 

Beyond that, it is also a valuable tool for brand awareness, building relationships with prospects, and positioning yourself as an authoritative and trustworthy expert in your field. So without further ado, here's everything you need to know about SEO and why it’s vital in today’s digital world.

The Crucial Elements of SEO

Keywords

Long gone are the days when keywords were the only SEO technique that mattered, but that doesn’t mean they aren't still crucial. The difference is that today, keywords must be well-researched, carefully chosen, and judiciously used in your content in order to be effective. But what are keywords, exactly? Keywords are words and phrases that prospects use to find online content, and that brands can then use to connect with prospects who are looking for their products and services.

When researching keywords, it’s important to look for ones that have high search rates and low competition and to choose short-tail keywords (such as dog), long-tail keywords (such as terrier puppies for sale), and local keywords (such as puppies for sale in Boston) to work into your content. You can also use keywords to optimise all your titles, URLs, and other on-page SEO elements (more on that later).

Content

Content is a vital part of SEO because it’s the vehicle you use to reach and engage audiences. For instance, if you owned a nursery and wanted to increase your visibility, you might publish a series of blogs about gardening, choosing the right species of plants, growing tips, and more. When a person who wanted to know about gardening went looking for that information, your blog would come up, and you'd be able to build a relationship with that prospect by providing valuable information. When the time came for that prospect to buy a plant, for instance, you’d be the first nursery that came to mind. Today’s content must be educational, but also interesting, relevant, engaging, and shareable. Content comes in a variety of forms, including:

• Web page content

• Videos

• Blogs

• Infographics

• Podcasts

• Whitepapers and e-books

• Social media posts

• Local Listings

Off-Page SEO

Off-page SEO involves external optimisation practices that happen away from your site rather than on it. The main technique used for off-page SEO is backlink building since quality backlinks to your site from external sites tell search engines that your site is valuable and high-quality, and this builds authority. 

There are many tactics to backlink building, and some of the current best practices include guest blogging, creating lots of infographics that will be highly shared, and mentioning influencers in your content.

Local SEO

Local SEO is becoming increasingly important as more and more people use mobile devices for search. These days, 57% of all searches are performed from tablets and smartphones, and half of those searches have local intent. 

If you owned a restaurant, for instance, then local SEO would ensure that when people in your area went looking for the best restaurants in town, they’ll come across your site. Along with using local keywords, other local SEO best practices include claiming directory listings, creating location-specific pages for your site, and creating pages for your business on Google My Business, Google+, and Google Maps.

Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing (SEM) refers to paid marketing efforts, and it includes things like native ads, Google AdWords, social media ads, pay-per-click, Google shopping ads, display ads, and more. 

Although SEM isn't usually a major component of a comprehensive SEO strategy, it does have its place because it can help you reach new and highly targeted audiences.

Understanding the Importance of SEO for Modern Businesses

Visibility and Rankings

One of the most important functions of SEO is increasing visibility, which means making it easier for prospects to find you when they search for something you have to offer. Visibility is directly related to your ranking. 

The higher you rank on a search engine result page (SERP), the more likely prospects are to see you and click through to your site. The more effective your SEO efforts, the higher your ranking and the better your visibility, which is especially important when you consider that a quarter of web users never click past the first SERP.

Web Traffic

Increased web traffic is one of the main goals of SEO, and you increase traffic when you increase visibility and rankings. Consider this for a moment: nearly 33% of clicks go to the first ranking page, and the first five listings get over 75% of all clicks. 

If you want more prospects to find your website through a search engine, then you need SEO practices that will help you rank among the top five positions, and ideally number one.

Authority

The concept of authority is relatively new in SEO, but it’s becoming increasingly important to search engines because it’s becoming more important to web users. Essentially, authority means that your website is trustworthy, high quality, relevant, and has something to offer. The more authority your site has, the higher your ranking will be, and the more prospects will come to trust your brand.

Creating a Better Visitor Experience

Another reason SEO is critical is because all the time you put into generating great content and optimising your site with on-page SEO improves the usability of your site, and this creates a seamless and positive customer experience. 

For instance, when you take steps to make your site responsive, it will make it usable for all your mobile visitors as well as people who visit from a laptop or desktop. Similarly, by increasing your page load speed, you'll reduce your bounce rate and encourage visitors to spend longer on your site. Nearly 50% of consumers expect a page to load within two seconds, and the longer the load time, the higher the bounce rate and the lower your conversions.

Growth

In the end, the ultimate reason SEO is essential is that it can help you achieve many of your business goals. SEO can help you build better relationships with your audience, improve the customer experience, increase your authority, drive more people to your site, give you an edge over the competition, and increase conversions, which means more sales, more loyal customers, and more growth for your business. 

Search Engines Are Fallible

A final note that’s worth mentioning is that SEO is important because search engines aren’t perfect, and if you don’t take steps to counter their failings, then your website will pay the price. 

For example, if a site doesn’t have a proper link structure, then search engines may not crawl and index the site properly, and this can lower rankings. Moreover, coding errors can block search engines entirely, making it impossible for your site to rank, no matter how much time you put into other SEO efforts. Other common areas where search engines can run into problems include:

• Duplicate pages

• Forms

• Images, flash, audio files, video, and other non-textual content

• Language and Semantics

Final thoughts

As you can see, SEO is a complex undertaking that involves many different techniques, tactics, and best practices. Moreover, these best practices are always evolving as consumer and web-user behaviors change, as new technologies emerge, and as search engines change their algorithms. That being said, SEO is still of the utmost importance for any business that wants to be visible online, so your efforts are well worth it, and one of the best way to learn it in Hong Kong, where internet marketing is still not blossoming at the moment, is to learn about it from the experts.

SEO can help a business accomplish a number of goals, including ones involving brand awareness, traffic, conversions, customer experience, and much more, which is why it’s so important for digital marketers to have a solid grasp of what SEO is, how it can help achieve goals, and what the most cutting-edge best practices are. 

Source: Digital Marketing Institute

Photo by Kaleidico on Unsplash

14 Digital Marketing Strategies to Improve Your E-commerce

There are many challenges for e-commerce sites despite the fact we are living in the digital age.

Competition is fierce with millions of shopping options, especially in a city like Hong Kong when you can buy the same thing at so many different shops. It’s no stroll in the mall. As well, thanks to Google, people can check prices quickly, compare your products with your competitors, and decide what to buy before they even reach your site.

With a vast digital landscape growing every day, here are 14 digital marketing strategies to help you capture your share of the $2.8 trillion annual online sales.

1) Boost Product Visualisation

Consumers have come to expect access to just about any kind of information at any time. Not only that, but they’ve become very visual. Using exceptional product visualisation allows you to quickly and effortlessly show off your products so consumers can look at the details without necessarily having to read about them.

Leverage tools that allow people to zoom in, spin your product for a 360° view, and add roll-over, pop-up info tools. If 3D technology is available, use it to increase engagement and enhance the shopping experience. According to Fourth Source, their customers reported an increase in sales by 25% to 30% when using 3D over flat imaging. 

2) Add Video

Although not all products require video, if you’ve got something to show off, show it in action. HubSpot reported that 81% of consumers say video provides confidence in making purchases. If you can show how well your product slices and dices, people will understand what it does and why they need it. It is no coincidence that video is one of the skills that digital marketers should know and learn.

3) Leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI can make a significant impact on your e-commerce sales. It has the ability to collect info and use it to accurately predict how a customer will react based on past behavior. Measurable metrics such as conversion rates, bounce rates, and engagement rates provide valuable insight into the effectiveness of your site and how people use it.

You can gather data to provide the clues you need to improve your site and encourage conversions and loyalty. The better the experience for your customers, the more likely they will be to return, recommend your products, and provide positive reviews.

Algorithms predict what products return visitors might want to purchase making it easier for them to shop your site. The products are presented front and centre. You can also use AI to improve your back-end logistics for a satisfying customer experience from purchase to delivery. 

4) Cutting-Edge Product Filtering

The more products you offer, the more you require advanced product filtering. No one has time to search your site based on a convoluted inventory plan that doesn't make sense to them. Instead, you have to provide them with the tools to shop on their terms and find what they need quickly.

Considering that 42% of major e-commerce sites are not using advanced filtering, you could gain by having the considerate site that enables customers to find what they need effortlessly. The more attributes you offer, the easier it is to shop.

5) Automate with Chatbots

Yes, this is AI, but it really deserves its own strategy. Chatbots may be the first point of contact that can make or break your customer experience. Being available to answer questions now, makes shopping so much easier. You can instantly resolve issues allowing them to make their way to the shopping cart.

These friendly little bots make it easy to converse with customers in a very human manner and, in turn, offer a personalised experience that can significantly influence purchases.

Chatbots are not just excellent customer service reps. They can also make great salespeople. They provide up-selling options on the spot while letting customers know when a discount or deal is available.

Chatbots are also inventory savvy, and they can track top sellers so that you never run out of stock. 

6) Flexible Delivery

A great way to increase cart abandonment is to limit delivery options. Forty-five percent of online customers have abandoned their carts when they find out the delivery options don’t suit their needs.

People want to pay and know their product will arrive quickly. At the same time, they might also want to know that if they don't need their order now, they can pay less for delivery if they choose.

This doesn't mean you have to jump on the drone delivery bandwagon. It just means you need to consider ways you can make speed and efficiency your number one priority while keeping the price in mind. 

7) Reduce Cart Abandonment

As mentioned above, cart abandonment is most likely to occur when a customer gets to check out and finds the delivery options do not suit their needs. More than 69% of the time this is directly related to additional fees such as shipping.

Other reasons for abandonment included overly-complicated checkout processes, needing to set up an account, and poor website performance such as slow loading and crashes.

One of the most effective ways to address cart abandonment is to introduce an email recovery strategy. When someone abandons a cart, you can send a series of emails encouraging customers to complete their transactions. According to Sales Cycle, close to half of the recovery emails are opened, and almost one-third result in a completed sale. 

8) Leverage Wish Lists

Having a wish list on your site provides you with a gold mine of information. You can leverage those wish lists by sending personalised emails to customers to encourage them to buy. Emails can include sales notices, clearance warnings, or low inventory counts to create a sense of urgency. 

9) Encourage User-Generated Content (UGC)

Nothing sells a product better than a happy customer. UGC provides hands-on experience from past customers who are living in and using your products. Fifty-four percent of customers are more likely to trust a fellow consumer over your own marketing, according to Salesforce.

Here are two of the easiest ways to leverage UGC:

1. Using hashtags on all of your social

2. Providing an easy way for customers to post reviews on your site

10) Mobile Friendly

According to Outerbox, 7% of mobile users had made an online purchase using their phones within the last six months prior to their survey. It is crucial for your website to be mobile-friendly.

Some nice-to-haves would include:

• A shopping cart that scrolls with the customer, so they don’t have to scroll up to find it

• Add-to-cart buttons that are easy to find so customers can instantly add items to their cart

According to Adweek, Google found 73% of consumers will leave an unfriendly mobile site to use a site designed for mobile use.

This is not to say you need to develop an app for your e-commerce site, but being aware of how customers shop will help you provide the visuals they need to make purchases easily. 

11) Personalise, Personalise, Personalise

Anticipating needs creates value. With AI available to make everything simpler, personalisation is key.

By understanding your customers, you can more reliably predict what they want, and where they are. All of this information makes their shopping experience easier.

A big part of personalisation should include local approaches that make people feel at home. This is also a strategy that can help you improve delivery based on the location of your customers and their proximity to your warehouses.

Personalisation and localisation can also help you leverage the seasons. You can show customers in the south one set of items and those in the colder north something more suited to their current climate. 

12) Use Re-targeting

Re-targeting is central to the success of any e-commerce site. It allows you to follow customers while they are online and to keep them aware of your products and services. Once they visit your site, your ads can show them what they are missing with a quick link back to where they can complete their orders. 

13) Improve Checkout

Cumbersome checkouts slow down purchases and lead to frustration. Just how many steps and pages do you actually need to get someone to pay? By making your check out simple, you will reduce cart abandonment by making transaction simpler for your customers.

If you can do it on one page, then that's all the better for your customers' shopping experience! If a single page is not possible, at least make it easier for customers to take a step back if they change their mind or make a mistake. Having a highly visible progress bar will help. 

14) Encourage Social Purchases

Lastly, but not least, use social channels to encourage purchases. Instead of trying to compel people to go to your site, let them purchase your products directly from their feeds. This option is available on Facebook and Instagram.

Conclusion

E-commerce marketing strategies are essential to generating more traffic to your site and encourage purchases. These 14 strategies will help you up your game and get more of that elusive market share, learn how to implement the strategies by taking a globally certified internet marketing course.

Source: Digital Marketing Institute

What Does a Digital Marketer Do?

Digital marketing, known as internet marketing to many, has its own industry niche where the required qualifications go beyond basic marketing strategies and creative skills. 

If you are considering entering the digital marketing industry, understanding the skills required and what digital marketers do is a good place to begin.

The Digital Marketer Defined

In general terms, a digital marketer is responsible for using digital channels to generate leads and build brand awareness. Digital channels include:

• Company websites

• Social media

• Search engine rankings

• Email marketing

• Online display ads

• Corporate blogs

Beyond this, the digital marketer must also use measurable analytics to identify weaknesses and find ways to improve performance across these channels. In this role, you can be responsible for all aspects of a company's digital strategy or just focus on one.

Smaller companies tend to have one general specialist or manager while corporations can spread the responsibilities around to an entire team or even across several different departments.

This (general specialist) is responsible for driving relevant consumers with the goal of improving brand recognition [and] trust and ultimately drive purchase intent - Justin Emig, VP of Marketing & Innovation, Web Talent Marketing

The Many Facets of Digital Marketing

In digital marketing, you can choose to be a jack-of-all-trades or focus on one or two skills to set you apart. For example, being a strong creative individual who also understands coding or a techy person who gets how important content is to social media.

It is a field where experience or a good internship speaks volumes. “Certifications are the new degree,” continues Justin Emig. There are online certifications in Hong Kong you can get to add to your credibility, not to mention building your own online presence and social media pages with plenty of followers. That is often the best way to draw attention to yourself if you want a career in digital marketing.

The overall skills and areas of expertise for a digital marketer include:

• Video: It’s hard to catch people’s attention online. Stats show that video increases engagement while ranking higher on Google. You don't have to become a video producer but instead, focus on the basics of creating a video. Having an understanding of how to write scripts, use the platforms and apps to create videos, and what works in videos will add to your appeal when applying for digital marketing jobs.

• SEO & SEM: Online searches drive digital ads. You have to understand search engine optimisation (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) in order to work in the field. You don't have to worry about the back-end techy stuff here. It's more about understanding the importance of SEO and the best practices used in the industry. That is the 101 of any digital marketing campaign or content management initiative. Understanding how SEO and SEM affect your online efforts will allow you to work with the rest of a digital team without looking like you are in the wrong business.

• Content Marketing: Content is what is used to attract and engage customers whether it is a website, video, social media or blogging. It can also entail anything people can access online such as whitepapers, case studies, how-to booklets, and more. Understanding the aspects of content, how it is created, how it is effective, and how best to use it will provide the wealth of information needed for just about any digital marketing role. You will have to understand how best to use content to help a business meet their goals including social media. Depending on what level of work you are seeking within the digital marketing industry you will also have to understand content strategy and analysis.

• Data & Analytics: Google Analytics is central to many facets of digital marketing. You can track reports, but what is more important is how to use the information you find. Monitoring campaigns and applying findings based on consumer behavior will allow you to come up with better solutions that will increase conversions and drive traffic. Gathering and using data is also essential as the data collected by today's businesses is like a gold mine that has to be used in innovative ways to collect and retain new customers.

• Design Thinking: The user experience is the key to successful digital marketing. Design thinking is crucial as it teaches companies how best to engage customers, but beyond that, it ensures that their online experiences are simple and effective. That can include using online shopping sites, accessing information, and other things your company might offer to customers including customised apps.

You have to learn to see beyond the ideas presented to you and be able to look ahead at the potential issues it might cause. You must be able to suggest improvements based on these instincts and ensure your ideas are feasible.

• Tech Knowledge: Technology is the driving force in the digital world, so you will have to understand what the latest technology is and how it is being used. You have to adapt quickly to changes in the industry and know what's coming so that your digital marketing plans are up to date. Using technology has to come easy to you, and you cannot be intimidated by change. No matter where you want to begin (or end up) in your career, some knowledge of web coding and Content Management (CMS) systems are a must.

• Understand Engagement: More than ever before you will need an understanding of how best to engage a customer. You will need great powers of persuasion in order to conceive innovative campaigns that will help grow the business. You have to understand what gets today’s consumer to make the commitment and convert to making a purchase.

It is not enough to just get people to follow your social media pages. You also have to persuade from within. Your team, fellow departments, and leaders will have to be convinced that where you want to put the money is the right thing to do. Understanding all aspects from SEO to content and the latest technology to what people respond to is the best way to keep people on board with your plans. 

Common Digital Marketing Positions

If you want to get more specific and explore the types of positions available in digital marketing, there are many career paths you can choose including:

• SEO Manager: In this position, you will use your skills as an SEO expert to help drive content and improve a company's content. Your input would be used to keep content creators on target with valuable insight into the strategy required to enhance performance on Google as well as social media.

• Content Marketing Specialist: In this role, you will be the creator of content coming up with a plan and often a strategy to ensure you increase traffic as well as Google rankings. You would create a plan for what material to use from video to blogging and social media. You might report to an SEO Manager or work in the marketing department using the SEO team's keywords to improve your content's effectiveness.

• Social Media Manager: A social media manager would focus on social media creating an effective schedule for posts and overseeing or, in some cases, creating the posts. Again, a crossover is always possible in which case you might work with a content marketing specialist, SEO people, and other digital marketers as part of an overall digital marketing strategy.

• Marketing Automation Coordinator: This position would deal with the effects and results of a marketing campaign. It is also a more technology-focused position in which you would be finding the best software to help discover important customer behaviors. You would be involved in measurement and statistics while tracking campaign performance.

• Digital Marketing Manager: In this position, you would oversee developing the overall content strategy as well as marketing campaigns. Your job will involve enhancing brand awareness while driving traffic with the goal of acquiring new customers. You will often be responsible for keeping up with new technology to optimize your digital marketing efforts. Analysis of your marketing efforts will also be required in order to track the results of your campaigns.

Leadership in Digital Marketing

Digital marketing sees constant change and requires a forward-thinking mind. You have to be a pioneer, continually championing the latest industry changes. You also have to have a collaborative spirit and be willing to work with other departments. 

An appreciation for branding is also essential as you will have to build an online presence that reflects the brand. An analytical mind is helpful as you will have to look at data and learn how to extract the pertinent information that will keep your strategy strong. In a nutshell, you have to be tried and true in your beliefs that digital marketing reigns supreme, keep up to date to support your opinions, but also work well with others, so people want to help see your ideas come to fruition.

Sounds like something you are interested in? A certificated course in Hong Kong may give you a head start.

Source: Digital Marketing Institute

Photo by Austin Chan on Unsplash

6 Ways Your Business Can Quickly Upskill Its Workforce

Technological advancements are keeping the modern workforce on its toes, especially for a city like Hong Kong. The World Economic Forum projects that robotics, autonomous transport, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology will create the biggest changes in industries around the world. Businesses that want to thrive in these changing conditions will need a workforce with new skills, especially digital skills.

You need to upskill your workforce quickly so that they can take advantage of new digital tools before your competition does. Those whose employees can shift with new technology will have a more agile business and will benefit from the projected boosts to productivity that technological change is bringing. Also, there’s research to suggest that if you don’t offer to upskill opportunities to your most digitally savvy employees, they will leave.

Thankfully, you have many options to change your workforce and meet the demands of today. There are at least six options, each requiring different costs and levels of investment in your workforce. Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all option. Each organisation faces unique challenges, so any one of these solutions, or a mixture of many, may be best for you.

By 2020, 35% of the skills critical to performing a job would not have been considered crucial in 2015.

1) Continuous Professional Development

More than just training new skills, professional development gives your workforce the chance to earn certifications throughout their career with you. Why focus on gaining professional qualifications for your workforce instead of more typical training programs? 

Having your staff complete widely recognised training programs ensures they have the skills as newcomers to their field, and that they have the skills to beat out your competition. Professional, focused certifications offer a depth of education that can’t be replicated by many other forms of learning.

Some mistakenly believe that because you’re offering a certification it must be a generalised education, meant to give anyone a wide range of digital skills, some of which may not apply to your specific workplace. Instead, we can create a very customised professional development plan for your employees to address the specific skills they will need to thrive in your workplace.

2) Microlearning

Microlearning is even more targeted than continuous professional development. It involves giving your employees small bursts of education about very specific skills. This way, you can target top areas of concern in your workforce, without investing too many resources or having critical staff take too much time away from their duties.

This is also a flexible form of learning. You may have a suite of microlearning courses and choose which ones are important for any specific role within your company. 

By having employees only learn what is crucial for their tasks, you save time. Also, microlearning allows you to give employees access to training precisely when they need it. As employees gain new responsibilities, they can access new microlearning modules.

3) Retraining

When your company invests in new technology or changes the way it does business, you’ll find that you need employees with new skills. When you try to recruit them, you’ll find that there aren’t enough technically talented people to go around. In fact, a CareerBuilder survey has found that 60% of companies cannot fill their open positions with qualified candidates.

You currently have talented people in your organisation, who haven’t been exposed to the training they need to meet your company’s new skill gap. Investing in retraining some of these employees will help you get technical talent for less. After all, they are already integrated into your workplace culture and have invaluable knowledge from their current position.

The benefits of retraining low-skill employees for new positions within your organization are clear, from avoiding the tight competition to collect technical talent, to maintaining loyalty to your organization. However, you can’t afford to only focus on your least technically talented employees.

4) Update Your Experts

Some of the employees in your workforce are already digitally-savvy and actively pursuing new training and in-demand skills on their own. These employees are very valuable, but research demonstrates that you may lose them if you don’t give them the opportunity to improve their skills further.

According to a report from Capgemini and LinkedIn, roughly half (55%) of digitally talented employees admit they will leave their current employer if they feel that staying is limiting their skill development. These employees know that maintaining their digital savvy makes them a valuable asset, and to keep them with you, you need to offer them skill development. 

The same report found that when digitally talented employees are looking for a new employer, about half (47%) are swayed by employers who offer digital skill development.

While you may be focusing on updating employees who are behind, you need to make sure you’re updating your most expert staff as well. This boosts their loyalty and sharpens their skills – all to your benefit. Updating your experts can also allow you to offer peer support programs.

5) Peer Support Programs

Your plans to upskill your workforce shouldn’t exclude internal training opportunities. If you have digitally savvy employees in your organisation, make the most of their ability through a peer support program. Not only can your employees swap skills, but they are already familiar with your workplace and can make the training highly relevant for your business.

Peer support programs are smart for another reason. Research demonstrates that 75% of organisations are only investing US$500 per employee for training and upskilling. If you’re facing budgetary pressures, a peer support program may be right for you, at least at first. Using your existing workforce to train your people is less resource intensive than investing in outside training.

Catching your least experience staff up to the competence level of your other staff can then allow you to upskill a larger portion of your workforce even further, for a lower overall cost. 

6) Offer New Career Paths

Technological changes may make some of the career paths in your organisation dry up, but it should also open up new ones. Investing in offering those paths early on can help you retain staff instead of letting them go as their career path ends. Jumping into technological change can make the best opportunities for your business and your workforce.

Consider the example of AT&T, which has been actively fostering and supporting new career paths for their employees since 2013, according to Forbes. In a few months, the company retrained enough staff to fill half of its tech management jobs. The company found that retraining their staff lowered their product-development life-cycle by 40% and accelerated time to revenue by 32%

Final thoughts

Your business can benefit in the same way if you take the time to upskill your workforce and make each employee more competitive in their role—even if it’s a role they never imagined they could fill before.

The question remains: which of these upskill methods, or a combination of them, is right for your organisation? 

Source: Digital Marketing Institute

Photo by Diego PH on Unsplash