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Did Your Customers Disappear? How To Get Them Back In 2022.

customers

Did Your Customers Disappear? How To Get Them Back In 2022.

Perhaps orders are down, in-store traffic has hardly rebounded, revenues are frustratingly slow to return and employee spirits are in the tank as well.

When customers go away and don’t come back, business owners and CEOs are left to scratch their heads as they try to figure out why. A probable culprit is that the business failed to maintain authentic customer and employee connections while implementing the latest communication technologies that have pushed relational interactions outside of the reality of their consumer’s experience, says Phil Kelley Jr. (www.philkelleyjr.com), author of Presence and Profitability: Understanding the Value of Authentic Communications in the Age of Hyper-Connectivity.

“Technology is rapidly changing the way people exchange information and ideas leading to tremendous efficiency opportunities, but no matter how much technology changes things, people have the same psychological need for positive human interactions,” says Kelley, who is president and CEO of Salem One, a company that specializes in direct marketing, packaging, printing and logistics.

If customers feel that they are not getting that interaction, he says, they are going to move to another business in search of it.

As businesses move into 2022, Kelley has advice for how they can bring back customers they have lost because of both external and internal communication misfires:

Customers want to talk with people, not machines. Kelley is wary of technology that cuts costs but fails to take the customer experience into account. ​​”Anyone at my company will tell you that I have a passion for answering phones as quickly as possible,” he says. “I absolutely refuse to use an automated call-response application. I know that if a client is calling us, they need something and want to talk to a person, not a machine.”

Relationships are built on true relational moments. Racking up “likes” on Facebook or Twitter, or sending and receiving canned sales pitches on LinkedIn, are not examples of really connecting with others, Kelley says. “Relationships don’t get built automatically, and leadership does not get conveyed by the number of keystrokes you make,” he says. “Success is based on the value you bring to the table, and comes only after investments of time and effort. A connection in and of itself is not a relationship, and for most people connections are missed opportunities.”

Brand communication should meet customers on their terms. Businesses often fail to get the most out of their advertising because the connection to the customer is off in some way, Kelley says. He gives as an example how online advertisements often work. If someone searches for a product, they soon see advertisements for that product on nearly every website they visit, even if the website isn’t appropriate for the brand. That can become annoying. “You need to know where your brand is showing up, and what kind of customers and potential customers your brand is in front of at all times,” Kelley says. “You also need to know who those customers are, what their tastes and preferences are, and how they do and don’t like to experience things.”

Connect in a way that turns customers into repeat customers. Long-term success depends on repeat customers, but too many businesses treat their relationship with customers as simply transactional, Kelley says. That doesn’t make for a satisfying relationship. “The highest-value communications are person-to-person, but that certainly doesn’t mean that your company can’t make a connection without those face-to-face communications,” he says. “Amazon is masterful at forging relationships with its customers just via their website. They do it by making it easy to find, order, and have delivered things that people really need or want. They make it easy to find more information on the products and make it easy to return something the customer isn’t satisfied with.”

Know that a great corporate culture results in satisfied customers. It’s well-established that an organizational culture where people feel engaged, connected and purposeful helps achieve financial success, Kelley says. “This is because the attitudes of the people in an organization ultimately reach and affect customers,” he says. “To put it simply, satisfied employees tend to foster satisfied customers. So, the time and energy you devote to creating a positive corporate culture is not an add-on to getting the job done. It’s an essential part of getting the job done – or at least, getting it done well.”

“Relationships are so important to people,” Kelley says, “that any company that makes a real connection with a customer can win that customer’s loyalty for life.”

_____________________________________________________________________

Phil Kelley Jr. (www.philkelleyjr.com) is the author of Presence and Profitability: Understanding the Value of Authentic Communications in the Age of Hyper-Connectivity. He also is president and CEO of Salem One, which specializes in direct marketing, packaging, printing and logistics. Kelley holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial and systems engineering from Georgia Tech as well as an MBA from Clemson University. He has served on the boards of directors of multiple nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Kelley has been an active voice in the print industry, refocusing industry success definitions within the rapidly developing world of corporate communications. 

B2B

What B2B Marketing Trends Can We Expect to See in 2022?

Major shifts in the global market are impacting how B2B companies approach marketing. After 18 chaotic months, innovation is accelerating at a rapid pace. The digital transformation of the economy and the rise of e-commerce are likely to spark significant change in 2022.

Current data suggests these trends are likely to define B2B marketing in the coming year, so businesses would be wise to embrace them.

1. Spending Shifts to Mobile-First Strategy

In 2022, mobile and digital advertising will continue to become central to B2B marketing efforts. At the same time, marketers are also adjusting to a work-from-home reality. Around 70% of B2B buyers and decision-makers prefer remote or digital interactions with vendors.

Gartner predicts this number will tick up by an additional 10 percentage points by 2025. These buyers will likely respond better to more digital marketing strategies, as well.

Many marketers will likely shift to a digital-first marketing approach that prioritizes mobile advertising and content over offline and more traditional strategies. This will probably come with growing ad spend — though growth is on track to be slower next year than it has been in the past, partly due to the lingering effects of COVID-19.

As the amount of millennials in decision-making roles has grown, so has the number of buyers who want a seller-free experience. Less personal and direct approaches to marketing may become more popular among B2B marketers as a result.

2. Changing Lead Generation Channels

Generating quality leads remains a top goal of B2B marketers. How they are developed is likely to change significantly in 2022 and through the rest of the decade.

COVID-19 impacted how events are hosted. While some businesses pivoted to online events and others chose to delay or cancel, all marketers had to adapt quickly to the reality that in-person events were no longer always available to generate leads.

Jurgen Desmedt, head of marketing at Europe-based CDP vendor NGDATA, told CMSWire that social media is emerging as a major lead-generation channel.

B2B marketers are more often taking to social advertisements to generate leads that previously came from events. Uncertainty in B2B marketing may also be driving the pivot to social media. Marketers unwilling to commit fully to in-person interactions may instead look toward other methods requiring less commitment.

The most popular style of social media marketing is also changing. Many marketers are now more interested in highly targeted and personalized strategies. Many platforms offer targeting tools with extremely fine levels of detail so they can deliver niche content to specific audiences.

Scheduling apps may help smaller businesses and solo entrepreneurs manage an increasingly complex strategy that delivers niche content to various audiences.

3. Growing Focus on Customer Psychology

The “neuromarketing” strategy allows B2B marketers to spend more time than ever focused on the individual psychology of key buyers and decision-makers. In practice, this may look like a shift from topic-driven to persona-driven marketing in B2B. Marketers will focus on honing in on their target audience’s particular needs, desires, and interests to generate more effective ads, content, and events.

Client personas will become a more important marketing consideration as a result. There’s also likely to be a greater focus on matching searcher intent and developing deeper content calendars.

4. Innovation to Engage B2B Customers

Cutting-edge technology will help marketers create campaigns that more effectively engage potential buyers in 2022. Optimizing for new types of search — like image and audio — may be essential to capture traffic. AI and marketing chatbots could help marketers reach more customers and reduce the amount of time potential buyers spend waiting.

In some cases, new technology and the focus on psychology may also mean the growing use of high-tech advertisements that generate interest and secure potential buyers’ attention.

Interactivity in emails can increase conversions and improve ROI — helping businesses get more out of their email campaigns. AMP emails, which enable marketers to provide app-like functionality inside a message, are one common method for delivering this interactivity.

Similar uses of personalization and interactivity in other forms of marketing may also provide results like these.

5. Original Research and Top-Quality Content

Online resource centers, blogs, content hubs and more have become a valuable tool for B2B marketers. In 2022, original research is likely to become even more important for marketing efforts.

According to data from the 2020 Demand Gen Report, B2B buyers increasingly look to a business’s original content when making purchasing decisions. This has become a significant trust marker, signaling to buyers that the company puts stock in its organizational knowledge and experience. Research also provides some early value to a potential buyer,

Because content has become a trust marker, simply writing posts to generate traffic and leads will no longer be enough. Information needs to be top-quality to encourage buyers to investigate the brand further or get in touch with the business’s sales team.

Various content strategies will likely be necessary to deliver high-quality information relevant to B2B buyers’ interests.

Customer psychology will likely be important to content teams. Effective use and reuse of posts will allow marketers to take full advantage of what they develop. Breaking things up to enable the tracking of micro-conversions could provide marketers with additional insights into reader behavior and interests.

Certain content types will also probably be more valuable than others. A business’s niche, original research, white papers and other forms of highly valuable and in-depth content may provide the most value to readers — building trust and generating interest.

Video content remains one of the top content types, overtaking blog posts and infographics in popularity. However, the high cost of producing video content may be a barrier to its use by some businesses.

How B2B Marketing Is Likely to Change in 2022

Uncertainty and digital transformation will likely have a significant impact on B2B marketing next year. Marketers are beginning to leverage mobile-first approaches, invest more in social media and adopt cutting-edge technology, like chatbots and interactive emails. This will be vital to effectively reach people and boost sales moving forward.

These new strategies and tools may help companies adapt to a market where buyers are more interested in digital channels and personalized content. Marketers must be prepared to embrace the upcoming changes to effectively reach their target audiences in 2022.

manufacturing facility

Manufacturing Facility Tours as Excellent Marketing Tools

Whether you organize them for customers or investors, company tours can be an excellent way to showcase your professionalism and establish a bond with your audience. Many business owners understand that now, gladly giving tours to all interested parties. However, even when they do, one area tends to often be avoided or overlooked — the manufacturing facility.

Now, that’s not too surprising. After all, manufacturing facilities are noisy, large, and these tours take lots of planning and preparation. Still, there is much to be gained from taking your investors and customers to your manufacturing facility. Let’s take a closer look.

How Manufacturing Facility Tours Work As Marketing Tools

It may come to you as a surprise to hear that most suppliers, customers, and investors appreciate manufacturing facility tours. They present a unique opportunity to see where your products are made, what the process looks like, and how you handle everything. In a way, touring your manufacturing facility can make your audience feel like they know and understand you better.

And do you know what marketing is all about? Well, building relationships and a sense of familiarity with the audience. Your manufacturing facility tour would serve this exact purpose, proving to be one of the best marketing tools at your disposal.

Just think about it — do you prefer to invest in or buy products that come from a source you know or to have faith in something you understand nothing about? Most people, probably including you, would agree with the former. The same goes for your investors, customers, and suppliers — they want to feel like they can trust you.

On top of that, a clean and efficient manufacturing facility can greatly improve your audience’s impression of your company. Investors will be more willing to invest when they see their money is going into something worthwhile. Similarly, customers will be more likely to stay loyal if they know you have nothing to hide.

What’s more, a successful tour itself is sure to be impressive. After all, if you manage to present and explain everything even in such a busy, noisy environment, you’ll prove that you’re professional and resourceful.

How to Organize a Tour in Your Manufacturing Facility

Now that you see the benefits of giving a tour of your manufacturing facility, the question is only how to successfully organize it. As we said, that’s not at all simple — all the noise in the factory is sure to make it more difficult to talk. Still, there are ways to overcome these problems and organize an excellent tour. And here is what they are:

Use a High Noise Headset

When touring a noisy manufacturing facility, you have only one option — to shout and hope everyone hears you. That, of course, isn’t the best solution since those members of the group who stand further away are almost guaranteed not to understand anything. Yet, for a long time, it seemed that there was no other way.

Things have changed now, though. Now you can get high noise headsets for your tours and hand them out before you enter the facility. Thanks to these, even when you speak in your normal voice, everyone in the group will hear you clearly.

Unsurprisingly, that already drastically improves the experience. First of all, you won’t have to shout and strain your voice, which will help you sound more confident and collected. Instead of worrying if people can hear you, simply speak as you practiced, and you’ll surely get your point across.

What’s more, your audience won’t have to strain to hear or fight for a spot closest to you. Instead, they can comfortably spread out and still listen to you speak. Thanks to the noise-canceling features of the headsets, they will surely hear your every word.

Don’t Restrict Your Audience’s Movements Entirely

Of course, letting the tour participants wander wherever they want is out of the question. Some areas are out of bounds, and that’s perfectly fine. However, you should allow them at least some degree of freedom to look around or even touch things. That way, they’ll stay interested in your presentation longer and remember it better.

So, before you start the tour, tell them where they can and can’t go and what they can and can’t touch. Then you can do your tour in peace as you walk around, without fear that someone will get hurt or break something.

Don’t Promote Your Brand Too Much

Your tour may serve as a marketing tool, but that doesn’t mean you have to promote your brand every chance you get. Such obvious advertising can be quite off-putting and may do more damage than good.

What you want to do instead is promote your company by giving interesting facts and information, and showing how things work. Explain what your business stands for and its mission, show your vision and focus on your relationships with customers and employees. That’s sure to be far more engaging and create an overall positive impression of your company.

In Conclusion

Ultimately, with a bit of work and planning, you should be able to set up a great tour for your customers and investors. Of course, a manufacturing facility tour is almost impossible to have without high noise headsets for your audience. You’ll have to provide those, but view them as an investment. After all, tours of this kind can only help elevate your company’s reputation.

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Author: Rick Farrell, President, Plant-Tours.com

Rick is North America’s foremost expert in improving manufacturing group communication, education, training and group hospitality processes. He has over 40 years of group hospitality experience, most recently serving as President of Plant-Tours.com for the last 18 years.  He has provided consulting services with the majority of Fortune 500 industrial corporations improving group communication dynamics of all types in manufacturing environments. 

e-commerce

How to Improve Your E-Commerce Sales Strategy

Sales, Sales, Sales, why can I not get any sales? Do you own your own eCommerce business? If you do, I know you have had this question at least once. When it comes to making sales as an established online business, it can be difficult at times. If you are just starting out, the most challenging thing you will ever do is to get people to notice your company. There is a lot of competition out there. You need to figure out how to stand out from the rest.

Do I house my own inventory, drop-ship, or both? What is going to make me the most money with less overhead? What is going to sell the most? What are the best products? Should I have a specialty line, or be an online store like Walmart or Target where they sell everything? When it comes to e-commerce, finding your market and niche is going to be the game-changer for your success. Your first try at finding what is going to work for you, may not work. Don’t get frustrated, just keep working on it. Once you find it, the profit could change your life.

How to Rank

If you Google E-Commerce sites, have you ever wondered how they are ranked and how yours can be on the top of that list? It is all based on what is called SEO. SEO stands for Search engine optimization. SEO is the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to a website or a web page from search engines. It targets unpaid traffic, known as “natural” or “organic” results, rather than direct traffic or paid traffic. Unpaid traffic may originate from different kinds of searches, that include image searches, video searches, academic searches, news searches, and industry-specific vertical search engines.

Search engines scour through billions of pieces of content and evaluate thousands of factors to determine which content is most likely to find what you are searching for. They do all of this by discovering and cataloging all available content on the Internet such as web pages, PDFs, images, and videos known as “crawling and indexing,” and then ordering it by how well it matches the query in a process we refer to as “ranking.” If this seems complicated to you, there is always the option of seeking help from an SEO consultant that will clarify it all and help you rank on the first page of Google.

Why SEO

SEO is important because, while paid advertising, social media, and other online platforms can generate traffic to websites, the majority of online traffic is driven by search engines. Organic search results cover more digital real estate, appear more credible to savvy searchers, and receive way more clicks than paid advertisements.

SEO Experts

Hiring an SEO company can save you a lot of time and money. However, it is important to know how to choose the best company. Choosing the wrong SEO company can actually harm your site more than helping it. That’s why it is important to choose the right one, such as SEO services in New Jersey offered by Tactica. They use a three-step program. Step one is accessed. They access your website’s structure, indexation, content, links, and keywords. Then they conduct a thorough competitive analysis. Then they plan your performance against competitors. Step two designs. They develop a strategy that focuses on first closing the gap between you and your competition. Then they build your money-keyword plan, website optimization plan, and clear goals for off-page optimization. Step three implements. In this last step, they will optimize your website to the fullest, pimp your content and structure, and prepare it for the traffic it deserves. They optimize your link portfolio, build new 100% white hat links to reputable and relevant websites, with jaw-dropping content quality both on and off-page.

Conclusion

If you take this knowledge, find your niche and hire a professional SEO company, you can grow your online e-commerce site to a multi-million dollar company. Whether you have inventory stored in a warehouse or you drop-ship items from around the world, selling the items is the ultimate goal. In order to sell the items, you need to bring people, traffic, to your website. Hire a professional SEO and move your site from being a no-name company to the top of the industry.

consent

When Determining the Right Preference and Consent Provider, Know the Differences in Capabilities

Thousands of companies today, large and small, are realizing the importance of building trust and giving customers a voice through functions such as customer consent and preference management. Regulations such as GDPR and CCPA, as well as customer backlash related to poor customer experiences, has forced much of this shifting environment for brands today.  

Why is consent and preference management becoming more important? 

Customer consent is important because it grants permission for brands to provide marketing or service communications with prospects and customers. Preference management is also important. We all sign up for newsletters, product information, promotions as well as lifestyle preferences related to things such as travel. Therefore, it is important for all customer-facing departments (e.g. marketing, sales, and customer service) within a business to make it very easy for customers to indicate and change their preferences as their interests evolve over time. 

Companies today are spending millions on marketing technologies that enable seamless customer consent and preference management. Research firm Markets and Markets1 estimates that the consent management industry will represent $765 million by 2025, up from $317 million in 2020.  

Not all preference and consent providers are equal  

While many businesses are realizing they need these critical technologies to enhance, refine and preserve the overall customer experience, they should do their homework when selecting the right preference and consent management technology provider to work with – as not all are created equal. 

All-in-one may not mean the best solution 

At first glance, there are a handful of enterprise-level technology providers that do everything from customer relationship management to marketing automation to preference management. These cloud-based software companies have the look and feel of a “Big Box” provider and offer a suite of applications that help companies manage all aspects of their business.   

The allure of working with a provider such as this is the single vendor, “all-in-one” solution where there are often no additional costs or integration required for a core platform. However, what they gain in their single-stop allure, they often fall short in truly satisfying the unique, holistic, and cross-platform solutions needed for preference and consent management requirements for each individual company. 

Specialty vendors can build custom solutions 

On the other hand, specialty and boutique providers that focus on preference management and consent solutions offer a more holistic approach that includes strategy, best practices, process, and governance in addition to technology. They often start by interviewing their customer’s customer to understand what’s truly important to the consumer. With this insight in hand, they are able to design a holistic solution that meets both the consumer’s and organization’s needs. With this roadmap in place, they are ready to manage the deployment process and help gain adoption. This greater internal and external adoption leads to increased customer engagement, improved marketing ROI, and higher revenue potential.  

Along with internal adoption comes the ability to help integrate preferences for consumers across the entire organization and its many departments – a critical function that can be missed by “big box” providers whose offerings aren’t designed to meet this unique set of needs. As a result, this leads to a single view of the customer, greater customer trust, and assurance of regulatory compliance.  

On the surface, listening to customers and honoring their preferences is not only obvious, it’s also a must in today’s customer-driven business climate. Every business today must listen to their customers and the outcomes are immediate and apparent. As digital environments grow increasingly more complex – along with the penalties introduced for non-compliance – businesses of every size, and in every region must rely on the right solutions. It is up to each individual business to determine the right provider to work with for the right set of unique solutions. 

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Editor’s Note: Tom Fricano is the Practice Director of Strategy and Consulting at PossibleNOW. With more than 25 years of experience, Tom assists clients with customer experience, preference management and consent initiatives through advisory and strategic consulting, technology expertise and project to product to implementation roadmaps.

Learn more at: https://www.possiblenow.com/preference-management 

1: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/consent-management-market-68100621.html 

marketing

How to Develop an International Digital Marketing Strategy

Expansion into new markets can spell great success for businesses; it creates an opportunity to target new markets and grow a global customer base, thereby increasing revenue. Digital marketing can be used by brands to reach a global audience but developing an international digital marketing strategy can be very different from developing a domestic one. To be successful, businesses must carefully consider the audience and market they want to reach.

How Can Digital Marketing Help Businesses Expand Internationally?

The world is becoming increasingly digital, with consumers finding all their news, engaging with brands, and buying products, online. With so many people making purchases online, it’s easy to recognize the value of developing an effective digital marketing strategy when addressing a new market; companies can reach international audiences faster when using different digital media channels. This includes the likes of social media, PR campaigns, content marketing, SEO, and email marketing. Having a diverse strategy that uses different mediums increases the likelihood of a company getting a good response. When one channel doesn’t resonate with your audience, another one will.

How to Build a Digital Marketing Strategy for International Audiences

Recognizing the value of a digital marketing strategy doesn’t guarantee success. A successful digital marketing strategy requires careful and methodical thinking. Here’s our guide for e-commerce business owners on how to build and implement an effective digital marketing strategy for international audiences.

Define Your Buyer Persona

The first step of international digital marketing is to collect data on your target audience and develop a buyer persona. Hitting the right audience with the right content is fundamental, and if your strategy is focused on drawing the interest of your customers it will be more likely to drive interaction and conversions. To identify the type of customer you want to focus your campaigns on, take the following steps.

Start with market potential and socio-economic factors

It’s important you understand consumer potential and consumer projection. You can collect this data using information about the population, GDP growth, public infrastructure, consumer analytics, minimum wage, and average pay. Your goal is to identify a demand for your product in a new market and ensure your target consumer is in a position where they can buy your product for its current price.

Consider local culture and customs

You need to recognize the socio-cultural environment in which your target audience lives. You should consider traditional beliefs, values, lifestyle, behaviors, culture and worth ethics, and the organization of society. This will give you an idea of how your audience lives and helps avoid potentially controversial situations that could stem from a lack of understanding of local culture when brainstorming campaign ideas.

Once you have all the information you need, you can start to build your target buyer persona. A buyer persona should cover all the relevant demographics, including gender, age, location, language, education, industry, job title, income, and family status. When defining buyer persona, you should also consider psychographics including goals, problems, solutions, objections, and traditional values. Using this data during ideation will help you create campaigns that see the best results and are cost-effective because you don’t need to push for it to reach the biggest possible audience – you can simply focus on your potential buyers.

Competitor Analysis

Carrying out a detailed competitor analysis is also a key aspect of developing a digital marketing strategy for a new international audience. Collecting information on competitors will help you understand the market, target your audience more effectively, make a forecast of foreign market potential, analyze similar products and track the economic climate. Using these insights to shape your digital strategy can help you to achieve effective customer acquisition.

When carrying out a competitor analysis, there are some key characteristics you should look out for. We have listed some below to help structure your evaluation:

-Number of employees

-Number of customers

-Years on market

-Budget

-Clients

-Investors

-Acquired brands.

You should also look to source information on their target audience and product details:

-Primary audience

-Secondary audience

-Target audience

-How they communicate with consumers

-Product

-Product details

-Pricing

-Customer reviews.

This data will help you understand what works and what doesn’t in this new market. You should also keep prices, dates, and other information in mind when creating digital marketing campaigns.

Implement International SEO

Implementing search engine optimization (SEO) in your digital marketing is crucial for ensuring your website can be found by your new target audience. Here are some techniques you can use to become more accessible in a foreign market:

Making an SEO-Friendly Domain

Creating a separate website can bring more than just SEO benefits. You can cater this site and your brand in a way that will provide the best possible experience for your target customers in the new market.

You have two main options when choosing a domain for your website: Country Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) that ends in a specific country code (e.g. .co.uk) or Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) that is not country-specific and can be paired with organizations (e.g. .org).

A ccTLD helps search engines recognize that your website targets a specific location and is generally seen as more trustworthy by native users. However, a gTLD benefits from any domain authority of the parent domain and can rank in local SERPs quicker. Long term, ccTLD has stronger ranking potential due to its strong location signal, but it requires its own digital marketing strategy, particularly with SEO.

Optimize for a Relevant Search Engine

It’s important you recognize the search engine you want to optimize for. Google is generally the most popular, but in countries like China, for example, Baidu is the most used search engine. This is important because different search engines may value sites differently, meaning your SEO approach should be focused on achieving rankings in that specific country.

Use Target Language Keywords

When implementing international SEO, using keywords specific to the target language will help increase rankings. Search queries are different country by country you should carry out keyword research using the search engine that is popular in the region. Working with native speaking digital marketers to carry out keyword research is crucial to ensuring there are no missed opportunities.

Diversify Your Content Strategy

You can reach audiences faster by focusing on a number of different digital marketing mediums rather than just one. SEO is effective, but pairing it with content marketing and social media marketing will help you better attract the attention of international audiences. Here are some different strategies you can use to increase your success:

Make Your Blog Multilingual

Localizing your current content for readers in the new market will help you establish yourself as industry experts in each market. Having blog content in the target language will help you be seen as a trustworthy brand.

Get Contributions From Experts

Partner with local bloggers and encourage them to write reviews of your company and product. This is another way to build authority and trust and gain access to a niche audience.

Share User-Generated Content

User-generated content can become the foundation for different digital marketing campaigns. Recognizing content written by locals will help you build a trusting, loyal customer base.

Using multiple content mediums and strategies in your international digital marketing helps to reach a wider audience and get in front of your target consumers at various stages of the sales funnel.

Making noise in a competitive online market is difficult enough, never mind if you’re the new business on the block. Following these steps will help you to build a digital marketing strategy that will win the attention of a new international audience. Your strategy is unique to you and there is no right and wrong answer, but following the advice in this article will give you the best chance of being successful.

women logistics

Global Trade Magazine Launches Third Annual “Women in Logistics” Nominations

Global Trade Magazine has officially opened nominations for its annual Women in Logistics feature for the publication’s upcoming May/June issue. This edition marks the publication’s third edition spotlighting leading female executives that continue to redefine leadership and the way logistics business is conducted in the face of industry disruptions and beyond. The ideal candidate displays exemplary leadership and is known for fostering innovative solutions for sectors including transportation, warehousing, shipping, and supply chain management.

“Global Trade Magazine continues to support and celebrate Women in Logistics and our 2021 feature article will exemplify the numerous Executives that helped navigate our industry through tumultuous times over the last twelve months,” said Bret Ronk, Publisher of Global Trade Magazine. “Our call for entries is open, so please take the time to nominate your executive leadership now!”

Last year’s issue included the top ten submissions based on criteria established by senior editors. Among leading ladies included Hannah Kain, Founder of ALOM; Katherina-Olivia Lacey, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Quincus; and Ana Bailey, Director of LeanCor Supply Chain Group Training and Education. 

Nominations will be limited to one executive per submission and participants can nominate their leader of choice here. Submissions close Thursday, April 15th at 11:59 P.M. CST. 

To submit an ad or inquire about advertising for this issue, please call (469) 778-2606 or contact jmason@globaltrademag.com

personalized B2B

Digital Marketing for B2B Companies in 2021—What Changes?

The digital marketing landscape is constantly evolving, especially for B2B businesses. Tactics that worked a few years ago have been phased out.

 As we move into 2021, we can expect more exciting marketing trends that’ll dominate for years to come. Here are some of them:

Growing LinkedIn Use

No other social media platform can rival LinkedIn when it comes to B2B marketing. And here are a few reasons why:

-Senior Level workers account for almost 61 million users, and a whopping 40 million are decision-makers in their firms, according to this study. 

-LinkedIn helps B2B brands generate over 80% of their leads — a shocking 7 times more than other channels. 

-65% of B2B businesses have gained a customer through the LinkedIn platform. 

There’s no doubt that LinkedIn is a B2B goldmine. C-level executives spend their social media time there. They’re looking for valuable posts to read. 

Unlike with Facebook or Twitter, you already have an active audience that’s hungry for your content. By doubling-down on your efforts, you can get your business in front of the right people at the right time. 

The platform is friendly to even novice marketers. If you don’t know how to attract customers through the app, you can choose paid marketing strategies. They’ll help you narrow down your outreach to the most ideal audience — influencers, b2b clients, and other buyers. 

From the evidence above, LinkedIn marketing will continue to be the staple strategy in B2B circles. Unsurprisingly, an estimated 92% of marketers include the medium in their campaigns today. We expect this figure to grow in 2021. 

Chatbots

Outgrow estimates that, by 2021, 80% of brands will adopt some form of chatbot systems. These systems will help businesses avoid shelling out big bucks on customer service. The effective inbound lead generation they offer is expected to generate more profit for these brands. 

Unsurprisingly, chatbots have taken over online marketing, becoming a major part of web designs. They give answers to consumers quickly. Your customers no longer have to wait for hours to get an answer and get tempted to start searching for other alternative options. 

By offering instant answers, these AI tools make your brand appear more professional. This way, you can attract more potential clients and retain the available ones. 

Another benefit of integrating bots into your website is that they give you valuable consumer insights by collecting data on your visitor’s preferences. You can then use the data collected to revise your marketing tactics. 

Your customers don’t have to spend minutes filling out long forms, either. So it’s a win-win for both of you. 

Other perks you may get from bots include:

-Helps in recruitment — Potential hirees can communicate with the bots instead of submitting forms. 

-Creating content — Some bots can help reduce your workload by publishing content on your behalf. 

-Customer support — When your real agents aren’t available, the AI can take over conversations with visitors. 

Higher Demand for Content Marketers

In a recent ContentWriters survey, 61% of marketers claimed that they’re publishing blog posts several times a week. To top it off, 89% of these respondents said they received higher-quality leads from content marketing compared to other strategies. 

These studies show that content marketing as a lead-attracting tactic isn’t slowing down anytime soon. And using this strategy effectively has become much more difficult as the years have gone by.

The days of publishing 350-word posts and ranking in Google’s first pages are, unfortunately, fading into the past. Creating content is a much more complex discipline these days. It involves researching your marketing thoroughly, understanding your audience well, and carrying out comprehensive campaigns. 

That’s why experienced content marketers will have a higher demand in 2021. Hiring interns to churn out articles can’t work any longer, so B2B businesses will be forced to get specialists. 

Guest posting is a key part of content marketing. As this method is still a popular move for many websites, keep in mind that you’d have to create a dedicated team for this strategy. You’ll need people to reach out to other sites and talented writers for the content itself. There are also quality blogger outreach service companies that can help you reach out to sites and create great content. 

More Interactive Content

Interactive content requires visitors to be involved more. They have to do more than just click a link and scroll. Savvy B2B business owners know the potential this type of content can have to not only engage users but to also stand out from its counterparts. 

In fact, a Content Marketing Institute survey shows that 81% of marketers consider interactive content more likely to attract visitor’s attention compared to other content types.  

Generally, it can be in the form of these categories:

-Infographics — They can include engaging animation or datasets

-eBooks — You can add some video or animation to your books

-Quizzes — You can ask questions that make visitors more engaged. 

-Calculators — Visitors can input data to get some varying outcomes 

-Interactive videos — Allow consumers to decide what happens to a film’s plot. 

That said, there’s no doubt that marketers will increasingly make use of interactive content to draw leads to B2B sites. Storytelling will continue to be important for brands’ success. 

live streaming

How Will Live Streaming Rule 2021 Business Atmosphere

Video streaming is surpassing all other media in terms of popularity. Streaming trends show that this technology has reached new heights. Internet penetration, the convergence of new technologies and an increasing number of mobile users are the main driving forces behind this trend.

Video accessibility and improvement in video quality make streaming more and more popular among businesses and other organizations.

Live streaming has made an unprecedented leap in 2020 – with lockdowns leading to live events, functions and gatherings to moving online. A study by 99firms shows that 80 percent of the audience would rather watch a live video than read a blog, and video streaming should account for 82 percent of all Internet traffic by 2022.

Even after the pandemic is over, live streaming will still have a role in marketing strategy. Using platforms like YouTube Live, Facebook Live and Twitch is great for broadcasting live Q&As, interviews, product launches and showcases.

Livestream Supports e-Commerce

Live streaming e-commerce is a new medium for online shopping and a new battleground for retailers. As shopping becomes more digitized, livestream commerce is the main way to create a more entertaining, interactive experience that captures consumers’ interest.

However, those who want to sell and market their products online with live streaming will face some challenges. Firstly, it’s rather expensive to produce engaging, high-quality live videos with charismatic people to make the audience want to buy something and keep coming back for more. The live streaming functions currently offered by Instagram, Twitter and Facebook have limited capabilities for e-commerce. Companies will need to be creative to stay ahead of the curve as it becomes more widespread in the next two years.

With live video streaming, e-commerce will earn new sales by going live with their products and performing live event concepts like see-now-buy-now strategies. Going live with products will improve the online shopping experience for end-users, bringing brands and customers into closer contact.

The key trends in e-commerce and marketing you should be aware of are:

-Consumers are more likely to make a purchase after watching online videos.

-Many brands are introducing premium products through live streaming videos because it allows them to demonstrate how the product works and interact with the audience.

Livestream Increases Retail Sales

Live streaming videos benefit retailers by creating more authentic communication with customers, engaging the audience and attracting consumers. Through proper strategies, retailers can also improve their marketing efforts and increase sales by live streaming on social media platforms with influencers’ help.

Key trends to watch in the retail industry:

-Social media advertising is much more affordable compared to traditional platforms.

-Interactive shoppable videos have proven to be more effective in driving sales, increasing the popularity of live streaming in retail.

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Cordes Owen is the CEO of Bake More Pies

If you want to learn more about live streaming and how it can benefit your company, visit www.bakemorepies.com.

Global Trade Magazine Provides Logistics Marketers Specialized Platform

The marketing team at Global Trade Magazine announced the launch of their latest logistics-focused research project earlier this week, catering specifically to industry advertisers in need of results-oriented solutions for marketing challenges.

To support efforts in identifying the most common roadblocks and challenges, Global Trade Magazine is conducting a survey tailored specifically for logistics-focused advertisers for the upcoming year.

“We want to continue to adapt and refine our media channels to align with the goals and needs of logistics companies,” said Marketing Director Brooke Edwards. “If you are an advertiser or media buyer for this industry, we would appreciate your help in providing us with insight into your plans to advertise in the future.”

The survey will be available until November 17th and responses are kept confidential. As a small “thank you” for completing the survey, all participants will be entered to win a $250 Amazon gift card as well as a Global Trade sponsored podcast (valued at $3,950) for their company.

To take the survey, click here.