Understanding your audience through customer personas

Customer personas

Do you have a clear understanding of your target audience and their customer journey from exposure of your product or service through to discovery, consideration, conversion and then ultimately retention?

If not, it can highly beneficial to take the time to create a customer persona for each key segment of your audience.

Customer personas are essentially fictional profiles that bring your customers to life based on data from your existing customer base, campaign results, qualitative or quantitative research and even information from your competition. They may be based on information such as age, gender identity, education, income, lifecycle stage, home ownership status, interests, hobbies and personal life.

By telling your persona’s story, you are able to identify their needs, pain points, challenges and desires so that you can get a greater understanding of the messaging you need to deliver to them at each stage of their customer journey.

It can be useful to define three main types of personas in relation to people who are engaging with your business: user personas for the people the product is designed to serve, buyer personas to target those who will actually purchase your product and website personas to deliver the online experience that will gain search visibility and nurture a user through to checkout or contact.

In terms of website personas, it can be useful to segment your customers into behaviour profiles such as:

  • Bouncers – those who aren’t serious purchasers and will jump off your website within 1 or 2 seconds.
  • Passive Browsers – these people who haven’t yet even started active shopping so may need a lot of nurturing to get them through to conversion. For these personas, it would be worthwhile trying to collect their email address through tactics such pop up subscription offers and downloads so that you can continue to market to them until they are ready to buy.
  • Cart Abandoners – these potential purchasers have not yet decided if they want to buy from you so it could be beneficial to deliver further information and options, provide additional incentives to buy such as a discount or free shipping offer or to use social proof to build trust using product reviews, ratings and testimonials.


In addition, you may want to define personas for first time buyers, repeat buyers, discount buyers, impulse buyers and more. These different types of personas would have different customer journeys and would therefore benefit from a segmented marketing strategy to deliver the right messaging to drive them along the buying process.

Importantly, research today says that 75% of consumers use multiple channels before purchasing so you need to take an omnichannel approach to delivering messaging as your prospects move from being passive browsers through to being hunters who are ready to purchase.

You may, for example, first engage with a prospect on a Google search campaign that drives them to your website. But they may still be browsing and may not be ready to buy.

So you next meet them on social media where they are reminded of the product they viewed on your website as you’ve tracked their website behaviours and served them a social media ad.

But perhaps they’re still not ready to buy so you send them some display ads on other websites they visit through the Google Display Network or you offer them a download or a promo code that they receive by providing their email address.

And now that you have their email address, you can of course send further information and incentives via emarketing until at last, they are ready to buy.

At this point, if you have a bricks and mortar store, they may even drop in to touch and feel the product and enjoy the interaction with a sales assistant as they finalise their purchase.

If this sounds complex and expensive, it’s actually not when compared to the return on investment it delivers because this can largely be set up as an automated omnichannel program. Large businesses do omnichannel marketing well of course because they have greater resources but smaller business can also deliver these programs cost-effectively.

Research has shown that businesses that have a robust omnichannel strategy retain 89% of their customers compared to only 33% retention for businesses that have a weak omnichannel presence. If you’d like more information on how to develop a well-profiled, customer-centric omnichannel marketing strategy, please give us a call to arrange a meeting or consultation.

Setting up an e-commerce business? What you need to know

e-commerce business

If you are considering launching an e-commerce business, it may be quite sobering to consider that 90% of online businesses fail within just 120 days.

According to research*, the main reasons these businesses give for their failure include:

  • Poor online marketing (37%)
    • Lack of search visibility eg because there were bigger players outspending them in the market (35%)
    • There was little to no market for their products (35%)
    • They ran out of cash (32%).


    What each of these reasons tells us, is that these online businesses failed because the owners failed to build an effective strategy for their online business before launching.

    If you are going to move into the online space, whether you already have a bricks and mortar presence or not, it should go without saying that you need to develop a viable strategy first. That’s a strategy that includes:

    • Research on your market and market needs – what problem are you trying to solve and is the market for solving this problem already saturated or are there niches that you can fill?
    • A clear plan on how your product or service solves the problem you’ve identified. 
    • A well articulated unique value proposition – why would someone buy from you and how is your offering differentiated from your online competition? This is as important for an e-commerce business as it is for any other business.


    For example, we have a client who sells the most beautiful sympathy hampers and gifts. The online hamper market is heavily saturated but our client has a clear niche in the condolence gift sector. The problem they are solving is how to send your heartfelt condolences in a meaningful way when it’s hard to find the right words and you don’t want to just send flowers. Within this niche, they are able to cost-effectively gain visibility. (Check this wonderful company out at www.sendinghugs.com.au).

    • A detailed understanding of your online competition. You need to know who your competitors are, what they are doing and how they are positioned against you. You can learn a lot from your competition, particularly if they are successful online, and you should be using all the data you are able to access.


    You will be competing against these companies for exposure in search engines and in marketplaces so you need to work out how you are going to get visibility and deliver a better, more aligned customer experience.

    You also need to have a clear assessment of your Cost of Goods Sold. You need to accurately
    understand what ROAS you will need to achieve in your digital advertising to deliver your
    desired level of profit. Google and Meta advisors, in our experience, will often underestimate
    the ROAS you require so ensure you have a handle on the full cost associated with your online
    sales.

    Customer-centric, cost-effective logistics are also vital, particularly post-COVID where customer demands are high. You will need to be meeting customer expectations on:

    • Fulfilment – are you going to fulfil orders yourself, use an external fulfilment service or drop ship from warehouses, remembering that today’s customers demand speed, want items to be in stock and are increasingly wanting express shipping times.
    • Shipping costs – customers are now demanding ‘no’ or ‘low’ cost shipping. The definitely don’t want shipping costs to be around the same price as the product they are buying and will get very frustrated if they have to enter all their details into the cart before being advised of an unacceptably high shipping rate.
    • Returns policy – customers want to be able to return anything they order without question and without cost to them. 67% of buyers check the return policy before buying but 92% will buy again from the same site after a good returns experience. Other than for elite, rare or high value items, these terms are becoming non-negotiable.


    Your choice of platform for your e-commerce site is also a critical consideration and the platform you choose should be influenced by your goals and what success will look like for you. There are many platforms available such as Shopify, Woocommerce and Square as well as more customisable options. Whatever platform you choose, it should be:
     

    • Scalable – you don’t want to be rebuilding in a few years if your online business succeeds.
    • Fast – research says that 40% of website visitors will wait no longer than 3 seconds for a page to load and ideally, you should aim for less than this.
    • Flexible – personalised search, flexible payment options and an engaging user experience are all vital.
    • SEO friendly – not all templated websites have great SEO so beware of platforms that will be difficult to optimise in the search engines.


    Once you have all these factors in order, you then need to start looking at analysing your customers and automating your marketing. Read our other story in this newsletter on customer personas and omnichannel marketing for further suggestions on marketing your business online.

    If you’d like an obligation free chat about your ecommerce business, please contact us on 02 4322 7559.


     *Research project by Forbes, Huffington Post, and Marketing Signals

    Sustainable Marketing

    Sustainable Marketing

    A Win for Business > A Win for the Customer > A Win for our Planet

     

    If you’re committed to sustainable marketing practices, there is good news. Not only are they good for the health of our planet and our people, they are what customers now demand – and they are good for the long term profitability of business.

    Here’s a sample of some up-to-date research on sustainable marketing and customer demands.

    What is sustainable marketing?

    Sustainable marketing is marketing that is focused on improving environmental wellness, social inclusion and equity, and economic responsibility, while delivering profit to the business. It’s about ensuring businesses are driven by a purpose that goes beyond simply making money.

     

    Is sustainable marketing a costly exercise for business?

    It is true that sustainable marketing MAY come at a cost in the short term, but in the longer term, it can be highly profitable.

    A Deloitte study from 2019 showed that purpose-driven companies achieved higher market share gains and grew on average three times faster than their competitors, while at the same time achieving higher staff and customer satisfaction.

     

    Why is having a ‘purpose beyond profit’ good for business?

    Extensive research tells us that today’s consumer wants to buy from companies that stand for more than the products they sell. They want their brands to have a purpose.

    An Accenture study in 2018 found:

    • 63% of consumers prefer to buy from companies whose purpose reflects their own values and beliefs.
    • 62% want companies to take a stand on matters they care about in relation to the environment, social and cultural issues and politics.

     

    What attracts a consumer to a brand other than price and quality?

    The 2018 Accenture study found:

    • 66% said brand culture – how a brand delivers on its promises
    • 66% said transparency
    • 65% said they were attracted by brands that treat their employees well
    • 62% said they supported companies that believe in reducing plastics and improving the environment
    • 62% also said they look for ethical values and brands that are authentic.

     

    How important is authenticity in sustainable marketing?

    Today’s consumer is highly informed, highly demanding and driven by more than just price, product quality and convenience. They will not accept greenwashing and require claims to be able to be substantiated.

    • 53% of consumers who are disappointed by a brand’s words or actions on a social issue will complain.
    • 47% will walk away from the brand in frustration
    • 17% will never return.

     

    Do today’s consumers take sustainability into account when buying a product?

    An IBM study on consumer behaviour in 2020 revealed:

    • Nearly 57% of consumers would be willing to change their shopping habits to reduce the impact on the environment.
    • Nearly 80% said that sustainability was important to them.

     

    But are consumers willing to pay a premium for sustainable products?

    For those who say sustainability is very or extremely important to them, over 70% said they would be willing to pay a premium of 35%.

     

    What sustainable attributes are they willing to pay a premium for?

    • Greater health and wellness benefits
    • Simplifying their lives (getting back to basics)
    • Organic ingredients
    • Supporting recycling
    • Authenticity of the products
    • Environmental responsibility
    • Full transparency such as on sourcing materials, ingredients and information on the supply chain.

     

    Are all generations willing to pay a premium for sustainable products?

    A Global Sustainability Study in July 2021 found:

    • 42% of Gen Y would accept a premium of around 31%
    • 39% of Gen Z would accept a premium of 32%
    • 31% of Gen X were willing to pay a premium of 21%
    • 26% of Baby Boomers would pay up to 14%.

     

    Are people actually taking action to become more sustainable?

    A Deloitte study in March 2021 in the UK showed that:

    • 61% of consumers had cut back on the use of single use plastics
    • 45% were buying local
    • 39% were buying less new goods
    • 34% were choosing brands that were committed to environmentally sustainable practices.

     

    What are the reasons for people not adopting a more sustainable lifestyle?

    • 22% were not interested
    • 16% thought it would be too expensive
    • 15% did not have enough information
    • 10% believed that their actions would not make any difference.

     

    Is this research relevant to Australia?

    According to a Finders Green Report in 2021, Australians seem to adopting sustainable practices even more readily than in the UK. The research showed:

    • Only 14% of our population are doing nothing to reduce their carbon footprint
    • Of these, 9% aren’t interested and 5% think it’s too expensive.

     

    How do businesses implement sustainable marketing practices?

    Whatever sector you are in, consider these general guidelines:

    • Work with your customers, employees and other stakeholders to deliver on your shared values. Collaborate to make a difference and communicate your joint achievements.
    • Be authentic. Communicate your measurable goals and where you are on your journey. It’s okay not to be perfect now.
    • Be transparent in your messaging. Consumers often feel they don’t have the information they need to make sustainable purchasing decisions so clearly explain environmental benefits on product labels or websites. Don’t use broad terms such as ‘natural’, ‘recyclable’ or ‘low carbon’ without explaining facts behind the claim.
    • Apologise when you get it wrong. With all good intentions, brands will get things wrong when aiming to be sustainable so be upfront and you will be forgiven.
    • Be vocal about issues that matter to your customers. Be authentic in standing up for issues, even if that means collaborating with your competition.
    • Take action on issues that matter to your customers. Show your customers that you do more than simply ‘talk’ by sharing information on your actions.
    • Educate your customers. ‘Lack of knowledge’ is a key reason why consumers don’t buy sustainable products so don’t assume they understand why they should buy from you. Inspire them with real facts on how their adoption of sustainable practices and purchases will actually have a beneficial impact on the world.
    • Make your customer the centre-point of your storytelling about your sustainability efforts. Talk about how your customer is changing the world by their sustainable purchasing decisions and make them feel good about the choices they have made.

    If you’d like to discuss your marketing strategy and communication needs, please contact us for a free initial consultation.

    Does Digital Jargon Leave You Out In The Cold?

    Download our Digital Marketing Glossary for an explanation of the terms you need to understand your digital and social marketing programs.

    From Alt tags to Remarketing, learn more about the terms commonly used in digital marketing. The terms span services such as website design, SEO, social media and online advertising campaigns.

    Give us a call for a free discovery session to help build your business faster, smarter, and more cost-effectively.

    Download Marketing Glossary

     

    Digital Marketing Terms Explained

    Get in front of any marketer at the moment and chances are they’ll start talking to you about pixels. Or retargeting. Or marketing automation.

    Which can all sound a little overwhelming for those who were brought up to believe a pixel was a teeny, tiny element of an image!

    So we thought we’d create a quick and easy glossary on digital marketing terms to help SMEs to better understand the processes and opportunities of modern digital marketing.

    Marketing Automation

    Marketing automation is the process of using technology to deliver regular, repetitive, and personalised communications to your database to increase lead generation, nurture leads, increase conversions, cross-sell, up-sell and improve retention.

    Done well, it can significantly increase your customer experience and ultimately your bottom line through emarketing, SMS, tracking, social media and digital advertising campaigns.

    There are a whole host of tools and platforms that are available today to optimise the marketing automation process. Every company, even an SME, should be using marketing automation to improve sales results and reduce marketing overheads.

    If you’re not taking advantage of marketing automation, it’s time to learn more.

    Facebook Pixel Retargeting

    In this context, a pixel is a piece of tracking code that, when added to a website page, can collect data to track and measure actions (known as events) that website visitors take on your website. You can then deliver tailored ads to these visitors on Facebook or Instagram by bringing these visitors into a ‘custom audience’. This little piece of code is very powerful in enabling you to optimise your campaigns by retargeting the people who have the highest propensity to buy from you or take action.

    We’ll be explaining common social media terms and settings in an article in a later newsletter.

    Retargeting

    Retargeting is the process of identifying website visitors and their on-site behaviour (eg whether they are viewing specific product pages or leaving a product in an abandoned cart) and marketing again to that visitor once they’ve left your website by serving digital ads to them.

    Retargeting can be static where you deliver ads based on their page visitations or it can be dynamic where machine learning and more sophisticated technologies are used to analyse behaviours and deliver a personalised ad variation that is most likely to optimise results.

    These ads can be delivered via social media platforms or via display ads (see below).

    Remarketing

    Remarketing is similar to retargeting but it uses email marketing rather than digital ads. Have you ever abandoned a shopping cart only to receive an email later about the product you left in your cart? Or have you downloaded a document on social media and then received a promotional email about the same subject matter? That’s remarketing.

    Some marketers use the terms retargeting and remarketing interchangeably so it can be confusing but it really doesn’t matter – they both aim to increase conversions by tracking prospective customers and marketing to them again whether that is via digital ads or email marketing campaigns.

    eDM Marketing

    The acronym ‘eDM’ simply stands for ‘electronic direct mail’ or an automated email blast.

    eDM marketing however is more than just the process of sending out an email. It involves continuous and strategic database building and refining through the use of other platforms such as social media, retargeting, digital advertising, Pay per Click campaigns and SMS to enable tightly targeted communications to be delivered to build relationships, generate more leads and increase conversions.

    Email Tracking Code

    Similar to the Facebook Pixel, an email tracking code can be installed on email communications to give you insights into how your audience responds to your emarketing campaign.

    For example, it can let you know who has opened your email, how many times they’ve opened it, what links they’ve clicked on, what attachments they’ve viewed and more.

    Most email marketing platforms such as Mailchimp and Hubspot offer email tracking as a built in service. If you also add the Google Analytics tracking code to your email marketing campaigns, you will be able to track clicks from your campaigns all the way through to purchase.

    Google Text Ads

    A Google Text Ad is a typical Pay Per Click Ad that allows you to specify a headline, display URL and description text. You can choose for your ads to appear on the Google Search network (eg in Google search results, maps or shopping) or on the Google Display Network (eg YouTube, Blogger or Gmail).

    You can also run Text Ads across the Microsoft Network on Bing, Yahoo and AOL search engines. While there is no doubt that Google is dominant in the paid search space, Microsoft actually grew significant in the US search market over the past year with Bing achieving 19.7% market share whereas Google declined by 11%. There are benefits to both so if you’d like to know more, call us to book a meeting to discuss this in more detail.

    Google Display Ads

    Google Display Ads are those ads that appear while you are browsing various websites, watching YouTube, reading your Gmail account or using a mobile app. You can use them to target prospective customers or you can use them to re-engage with prospects who have already visited your website. Unlike advertising on the Google Search Network, Google Display Ads can be beneficial in targeting people before they start searching for your product or service.

    You can either use your own fully created Uploaded Display Ads or you can use Google’s Responsive Ad service where you upload your logo, brand name, visual assets and text, and Google will automatically create the ads to suit the specs of specific web pages.

    There are pros and cons of each type of Display Ad which we will cover in a later article.

    MARKETING 101 – FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS.

    Plate with sign small business marketing and notepad.

    Effective marketing is a key driver of growth for your small business. Good brands online build wealth and equity. Each time you market you are increasing the value of your small business and going digital is one of the best ways to achieve this. It goes without saying that the success of your small business relies on a strong brand and  online presence. But if you do not have a background in marketing, where do you start?

    We have provided some “small business marketing 101’s” which may help and motivate you to get the ball rolling:

    1-GAIN KNOWLEDGE THROUGH RESEARCH

    Prior to developing your marketing strategy, the first preliminary step is to conduct market research. It’s important to gain as much information and insight as possible into your customers’ buying patterns as well as their drivers. Market research is also the best way to monitor market trends and be one step ahead of your competitors by ensuring you are observing their activities and learning from their mistakes.

    2-DEFINE YOUR MARKET

    Once you have conducted your research make sure you have a solid understanding of the demographic and psychographic profile of your target market actually and an understanding of their needs, behaviours, drivers and blockers. This can be achieved through online analytics, surveys, social media patterns and of course, by asking them.

    3-DETERMINE WHAT MAKES YOUR BUSINESS UNIQUE

    The key to effective sales and marketing is to define and promote your USPs – “Unique Selling Points”.

    Unless you can clarify and articulate what makes your business unique amongst your competitors, it’s hard to stand out as the preferred option and to reel in your audience successfully.

    USPs may require fresh ideas and thinking outside the box – it isn’t always as simple as unquantified metrics such as ‘better customer service’ or ‘better product’. The trick to choosing USPs that will clearly differentiate your offering is to ensure they are relevant, desirable and genuinely meet the needs of your target market.

    Once your USPs are established, find a clear and simple way to communicate them to your prospects. Consistency is key – ensure your core USPs are splashed all over your marketing, as a creed to live by.

    With repetition comes memorability and as a result, your target audience will always associate you with the promises you are making. The most important aspect of developing your USPs is to ensure they are deliverable. Trust is everything in small business.

    4-UNDERSTAND DIGITAL MARKETING OR HIRE A PROFESSIONAL TO NAIL IT FOR YOU!

    You won’t regret it! Digital marketing is now the most popular and successful way small businesses can promote their products or services. It is highly measurable, enabling you to track your ROI and brand awareness as well as delivering higher conversion rates than via many other media.

    Many small business owners and business managers perceive digital marketing as too complicated and time consuming. However, there are many courses that can assist you by providing the kick start you may require to set up a professional presence on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. If you need assistance in optimising your results, professionals in the digital marketing space can help you reach a wider audience of qualified prospects through pixel campaigns, remarketing and retargeting as well as creating engaging and relevant content.

    Before you jump into content creation however, you should develop an effective digital marketing strategy that will lay the foundations for your targeting, messaging, scheduling and creative execution to enable you to benefit from the power of social media networking platforms to support and grow your business.

    5-GET REPEAT BUSINESS THROUGH NURTURING TACTICS.

    Keeping your current clientele happy and onboard is key to building “word or mouth” leads and repeat business. This requires nurturing and relationship building as opposed to overt sales tactics.

    Don’t focus all your communications with a client on promoting your products or services. Share relevant and valuable information with them without asking for anything in return. Request their feedback and input on decisions you are making. Consider keeping information about birthdays and other occasions in order to surprise them by sending e-cards and vouchers.

    Keeping in touch with your customers through social media, blogs, newsletters, email and SMS will show you are active, listening and willing to reach out regularly.

    Most importantly, always listen to your customers’ needs and expectations and never fail to deliver on your promises. If you unwittingly do drop the ball, be honest and fix the issue immediately, transparently and empathetically. The way you address failings can turn a disengaged client into one who will be loyal for the long term.

    6-CONTINUOUSLY MONITOR YOUR STRATEGY AND REVIEW RESULTS

    In order to determine what is and isn’t working, regular monitoring of your marketing activities is required. Have your objectives been met? Are your activities supporting your marketing strategy? Is your messaging on track?

    There are various analytics tools available such as Hootsuite, Google Analytics, Kissmetrics, SproutSocial, BuzzSumo and Hotjar that can help you to analyse the results of your social media activities, digital marketing and website campaigns to determine what is working, what can be improved and which avenue is more effective.

    All in all, the success of a small business depends on the business owner’s willingness and ability to market their products and services effectively. Any successful entrepreneur will tell you, good marketing leads to sales which is essential for your business to thrive.

    Is Instagram a valuable tool for your business?

    INSTAGRAM BLOG POST

    For those of you who are considering (or already using) Instagram to grow your brand, we know some handy tips that can help you get noticed.

    Social media platforms are constantly evolving and shifting their algorithms. It’s hard to keep up with the new trends and features added to these particular platforms each year. It can be frustrating for marketing professionals who are constantly required to shift their strategies and rethink their methods.  We have decided to put together a few handy tips which will hopefully help you stand out above your competitors and grow your audience:

    1. Video is king. Videos always get noticed and they are a great way to get your message across. If you wanted to use videos that go over the 30 second limit, then IGTV is a wonderful new tool that enables you to upload lengthy videos that can be uploaded on your desktop as well as your smartphone!
    2. Visual appeal. Instagram is an extremely visual tool that can really help to strengthen your brand. It’s advisable to create a distinctive look, utilise your colour scheme where possible and consider the entire look of your tiles, not just focus on one image at a time. Remember your Instagram look and feel publicly reflects your business.
    3. Interact with your audience 10-15 mins after you post! Instagram’s algorithm picks up on engagement within the first half an hour of publishing your post. If it recognises activity, it sees your recent post as something worth pushing up the feed which will help you to get more attention. You can do this by selecting a relevant hashtag and liking a few posts within this hashtag – this will enable you to get attention from the recipients who will be intrigued by your like, look you up and return the favour.
    4. Stories get noticed! Due to the constant changing of algorithm in Instagram, it’s hard to predict if your post will actually generate engagement. The best way to stay at the top of the page and in front of your followers is by posting stories regularly. One thing you can do is to add your most recent posts to your stories as well – you can simply add text: “check out our new post” or something more quirky to get attention. If you have more than 10,000 followers, you are also able to add links to your stories which is really handy when selling products.
    5. Strategise your hashtags # Hashtags are the best way to grow your audience and increase your reach organically. If you are using the wrong hashtags, you are getting the wrong followers and the wrong attention. Hashtags are like SEO – you need the strategise which keywords or phrases will lead the audience to your page.
    6. Look at your competitors It’s always a good idea in marketing to look at your direct competitors, not to copy their style, but to investigate their hashtags. You can see what works for them and what doesn’t and apply this knowledge to your own methods.
    7. Key words in your bio:Ensure your Instagram bio has targeted keywords strategically placed in or under your name. Like SEO for your website, your target audience can find you more easily through an Instagram search if you have relevant keywords in your bio.

    Marketers all over the world are convinced that Instagram is a power marketing tool for business. The below are the most recent stats on Instagram usage for 2020 for those who are trying to build a business brand:

    • 1 billion people use Instagram every month
    • 500 million people use Instagram Stories
    • 63% of Instagram users log in at least once per day
    • Instagram users will spend an average of 28 minutes per day on the platform in 2020
    • 200 million Instagram users visit at least one business profile daily
    • Instagram’s potential advertising reach is 849.3 million users
    • One-third of the most viewed stories are from businesses
    • Brands post an average of 2.5 stories per week
    • 75.3% of U.S. businesses will use Instagram in 2020.

    If you are looking to expand your presence and enhance the visibility of your products or services, then Instagram is a highly recommended platform. If you have not jumped on the Instagram bandwagon yet, you may be doing your business a great disservice. Contact the team at Milestone-Belanova for further tips or advice in regards to your Social Media strategy.

    When you go quiet, so will your business…

    powerful and creative EDMs

    Which is why many reputable companies use EDMs to stay remembered and keep in constant contact with their database.

    EDMs are all about communicating with your audience as you would if you could meet them in person. It’s a way to be heard, recognised and to build trust. Distributing regular EDMs to your audience enables you to provide a gentle reminder about your services.

    EDMs in the marketing world have been classed as incredibly valuable, on the same scale as Social Media. It’s important to continuously capture your audience and stay at the forefront of their minds.

    But how do you ensure your email campaigns not only stand out above the masses but get the results you are anticipating?

    Here are some tips:

    1. Be consistent with your scheduling: If your audience is used to receiving an update from your company at a particular time and day of the week, schedule this accordingly. It’s important to remain predictable and consistent. This is a wonderful way to maintain trust, however ensure your content is strong to keep them on their toes. If you are successful, they may even get into the routine of specifically checking for your EDM at the same time each week.
    2. Timing is everything: Ensure your email campaigns are sent at the right time! Explore your market, know their activities and predict the most effective time to be noticed. Friday afternoons are always a bad idea as people tend to take annual leave on a Friday and are less likely to be in a work mindset. Monday morning inboxes are always a little too busy, they are flooded with higher priority emails, so yours may get lost or pushed aside.
    3. Create eye opening (email opening) subject lines: The first hurdle you face when sending an EDM is to ensure they get opened. For this reason, crafting a powerful subject line is everything!! In order to stand out  in a cluttered inbox you need a subject line which ignites curiosity and provides a potential solution to a problem or a need. Being direct is key, keep it short and sweet and keep it relevant.
    4. Avoid becoming a junk mail victim: In order to dodge the spam filter you need to avoid salesy words like “free”, “competition” ,“discount” and “win” in your subject line. Ensure there is copy in the actual email not just in image form, this certainly helps when it comes to bypassing most filters.
    5. Reveal the face behind your business: People connect with the personality behind the business, it gives them a sense of trust and intrigue. Consider including a video in your EDM to better express your message. There’s nothing more powerful than the voice of experience. Try an introduction video so your audience can get to know your entire team and showcase what they bring to the table.
    6. Keep it simple: Good simple copy is key, ensure it short, sweet, fluff free, nicely worded and real. It needs to be helpful, something they can take away with them. Draw your message to a simplistic call to action button and watch them flock to your website.

    At Milestone-Belanova we create powerful and creative EDMs that get through the barriers and gets results. This is through well designed, punchy copywriting and segmented data management.

    We have an in-house team with the right experience and capabilities to plan, design, develop, analyse and optimise targeted email campaigns. We can make your business look great through tailored creative messaging and professional designs, which will be executed through tried and tested platforms such as Infusionsoft and Mailchimp.

    Don’t remain silent – wake up your business through regular digital marketing campaigns, what have you go to lose.

    Is your business eligible for the $3000 Grant?

    desk

    Did you know businesses severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible for a $3000 recovery grant to get their livelihood back on track?

    According to the Service NSW Government Website ‘Marketing and Advertising’ has been listed as one of the recommended uses for the grant.

    Whether it’s a marketing strategy you require to kick start the new financial year, a brand refresh, website overhaul, digital marketing campaign or gaining leads through engaging content creation, investing in a marketing professional will help your business to make a swift recovery.

    Contact us for a free consultation. With over 20+ years’ experience in the fields of Marketing, Design and Website Development, the team at Milestone-Belanova will ensure your investment gets results. Together we can help to get your business back on track and performing better than ever.

    Is your business eligible for the $3000 Grant?

    Is your business eligible for the $3000 Grant? .Did you know businesses severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible for a $3000 recovery grant to get their livelihood back on track?.According to the Service NSW Government Website ‘Marketing and Advertising’ has been listed as one of the recommended uses for the grant. .Whether it’s a marketing strategy you require to kick start the new financial year, a brand refresh, website overhaul, digital marketing campaign or gaining leads through engaging content creation, investing in a marketing professional will help your business to make a swift recovery. .Contact us for a free consultation. With over 20+ years’ experience in the fields of Marketing, Design and Website Development, the team at Milestone-Belanova will ensure your investment gets results. Together we can help to get your business back on track and performing better than ever….#websitedevelopment #webdesign #marketingstrategy #graphicdesign #centralcoastnsw #supportlocalbusiness #covid19 #centralcoastbusiness #helpingbusinessespostcovid19 #sydneybusiness #milestonebelanova #marketing #beautifulwebsites #webdevelopment #designagency #milestonebelanova

    Posted by Milestone-Belanova on Wednesday, 1 July 2020

    10 Tips for Marketing Your Way Through COVID-19

    Think outside the box

    1. Reinvent Your Marketing Plan

    Now is not the time to simply jump from one tactic to another, hoping something will bring in leads.

    Put a plan together that takes advantage of the new opportunities that exist and eliminates those tactics that are no longer available such as face to face events, networking or sales presentations.

    Obviously this will involve more digital programs but it could also mean amending your targeting and  your messaging so that you are more relevant to the people who have a current need for your product or service and the ability to purchase now.

    If you previously had a marketing plan, review it step by step and remove anything that will no longer either be possible or effective. Rethink what this new world is now offering as it doesn’t have to be doom and gloom for all businesses in these disrupted times.

    If you don’t actually have a marketing plan in place, now is the time to develop one! Spend this quieter time getting your marketing plan in order so that you come out at the other end of isolation stronger than ever to dominate your market!

    Social media buttons

    2. Go Social

    The social environment is exploding at the moment as people crave connections with other people online.

    It is the perfect time to get your brand noticed with messaging that is relevant to your target audience’s current needs.

    Have a plan for your social media content, deliver valuable and relevant information and make sure you have a high level of frequency so that you stand out amongst all the other brands that are bombarding social media platforms at the moment.

    If your workload has reduced, now is the perfect time to build connections and content on platforms that you were too busy to use previously.

    Write articles for LinkedIn, promote valuable content on Facebook, create videos for Instagram, use display ads and build the story behind your brand.

    There are many options available but make sure you have an effective social media strategy and create stand out, valuable and relevant content.

    Online business

    3. Take Your Business Online

    There are many businesses that have to date avoided doing business online, other than via listings on generic website directories. If you take advantage of online marketing during COVID-19, you could position yourself for significant and long term growth once operating restrictions are lifted.

    For example, if you previously ran a retail store or were in the hospitality industry, start selling online. Online sales are going through the roof now that shoppers can’t visit their local stores. In fact, the boredom factor of having to stay at home is increasing the desire for shopping overall.

    Building a web store is easy and affordable and could potentially provide you with an additional revenue stream for the long term.

    If you are in hospitality, you may be in a position to provide home deliveries but don’t just rely on regular customers to phone in their orders. Build an online ordering and payment system that will showcase your menu, collect payments online and protect your drivers with contactless deliveries. You could even set up a Click and Collect service.

    If you are in entertainment or training, create an events calendar on your website and deliver your events via live-streaming, webinars or podcasts.

    If you are in a service industry, why not sell additional related products online via a cart to supplement your income.

    There are many opportunities that exist to build your revenue through digital marketing. If you’re not sure how to make the move online, book a free video or phone consultation to determine the best path forward for you and your business.

    Mobile delivery app

    4. Remarketing and Retargeting

    If you have a good website that attracts a reasonable level of traffic, take advantage of every visitor with remarketing and retargeting programs.

    Keep your brand and promotional offers in front of your prospects by delivering social media ads to them on Facebook or Instagram once they’ve left your website.

    Send targeted eDMs (email marketing) to website visitors to build your brand awareness and reinforce your offering.

    You can tailor the content of your social media ads and eDMs to reflect the pages and products on your website that your prospects have shown an interest in.

    It can take several connections with a brand for a prospect to commit to a purchase, or even an enquiry, so getting in front of a prospect multiple times has been shown to dramatically increase conversion rates.

    Don’t waste a qualified lead! Optimise your conversions through a highly cost-effective and easy to implement remarketing or retargeting program.

    Target audience

    5. Rethink Your Target Audience

    Some businesses are going to do better than others during this COVID-19 period so now is the time to rethink your targeting to take advantage of new opportunities that now exist.

    Look at what consumers and businesses are now looking for as we are living in heavily disrupted times.

    For example, accountants, HR consultants, solicitors and financial planners will all be in high demand.

    So will healthcare professionals and those who focus on providing self-improvement, mental health and professional training services.

    Home maintenance products, home gyms and trades will all do well as people are confined to their homes.

    Entertainment and escapism will be in demand as boredom sets in.

    Food, transport, online shopping, delivery services, natural foods and the basics that we all need on a daily basis – these will all do well too.

    And of course, marriage counselling services may inadvertently also do well due to the emotional stresses that come with a lockdown!

    If you don’t work in these sectors, look at how you can modify your offering to provide relevant services and products to these businesses that will do well in the current market.

    Mobile Devices

    6. Use Innovative Technology

    Many of our old ways of communicating and managing our business operations are now redundant so we have to look for technologies that can help us through this period and beyond.

    Look for apps and tools that will help you to communicate and run your business effectively online.

    Zoom has taken off in a big way as businesses replace face to face meetings with video conferences and team meetings. Microsoft Teams and Skype provide similar benefits and functionality.

    We use Slack for our team meetings and file sharing. Our twice daily catch ups have been amazing for our team morale and productivity!

    Our phone diversions are currently being managed by Spoke which allows calls to be transferred to our team members’ mobile phones without any privacy issues. Telcos such as Central Telecoms offers a wide range of other communication options to keep calls flowing with minimal inconvenience to clients.

    Online auction software is changing the real estate industry and live streaming is changing the events industry. These industries will never be the same again.

    There are so many apps and tools to manage internal and client communications, productivity, project management, marketing, calendar bookings, payments, training, file management and more.

    Do some research and find innovative tools that will get you through coronavirus and hopefully help you to be more efficient in the future.

    Branding

    7. Build Your Brand

    During busy times, businesses can often fall into the habit of focusing mainly on sales and service delivery, neglecting their brands in the process.

    They can start to deliver generic messaging that doesn’t take advantage of their strengths and points of difference.

    Or they can deliver mixed messages, promoting their brand as innovative and high end for example, while their visual branding and collateral is dated and unappealing to their audience.

    Now is the ideal time to revisit your brand, re-evaluate your positioning and your unique selling proposition to refine and refresh your brand story.

    Why does your brand exist? What are your brand values and do you have a purpose beyond simply making profit?

    Do you have a core essence to your brand that provides the framework for all your communications? Disney is about Magic, AirBNB is about Belonging and BMW is about Performance. What is the DNA of your brand?

    Do you have genuine value propositions that resonate with your target audience and are you effectively and persuasively communicating your point of difference through all your marketing communications?

    Use this quieter period to review and refine your brand so that you can emerge from isolation with all your marketing collateral effectively communicating your brand story in terms of messaging, visuals, tools and tactics.

    Get your website working

    8. Get Your Website Working For You

    Online competition is only going to grow through the coronavirus period and beyond, so you need your website to be seen and to be relevant to the search criteria of your ideal prospect.

    Check that the platform you are using for your website is SEO friendly without code bloat, errors and omissions.

    Make sure your website is easy for the user to navigate with a search-focused main navigation and lots of relevant hot buttons that encourage them on their journey through multiple pages of your site.

    Get the content and visuals in line with the information your prospect is looking for and remove all the corporate, self-promotional fluff that the user doesn’t want to read.

    And importantly, make sure your website is optimised for the most popular search terms and keywords so that you rank higher in the search engines.

    Doing this now will not only help you to become more competitive in a quieter market; it will also position you to rebuild and thrive when the market becomes stronger as SEO programs can take several months to deliver optimum results. The time to start is now!

    Customers

    9. Look After Your Customers

    Keep in touch with your existing clients and prospects, even if they have reduced or stopped their spend.

    Send them relevant information via EDMs and e-newsletters.

    Let them know how you are changing your business to better suit their current needs.

    Offer them valuable information that may help them to get through these challenging times without asking for anything in return.

    Keep your brand awareness high so that when they are ready to spend again, they will remember that you were there for them during the tough times.

    And of course, stay in touch by phone and video calls – make sure you keep your personal connection with your clients and prospects strong and memorable.

    Innovation

    10. Be Innovative

    Now is the time to think differently about your business.

    Can you deliver your products or services in a different way?

    Can you market your expertise via videos, blogs, podcasts or LinkedIn articles?

    Can you supplement your normal income by creating products that can be sold online?

    Can you become a reseller for other products, apps or services relevant to your own product or service range?

    Can you repurpose your manufacturing, partner with other companies, create new technologies or service additional sectors to find new opportunities for either the short or the long term?

    Now is not the time to just sit and wait. Don’t go into hibernation, waiting for the market to revert to how it was before coronavirus. It may never be the same again.

    So be brave, be innovative and make sure that your business is one that takes advantage of the new opportunities that do exist in this strange, new world.

    Good luck! Please call us if we can help or if you’d just like a no-cost obligation-free chat.