Millennials want the same thing as every other age group, it's just the channels for delivering it that have changed

They have youth, influence, and spending power. They can also spot BS from a mile away, and it’s not easy to win their hearts. EContent even predicts that Millennials – or Generation Y – will "become the world’s most powerful customers". Indeed, it seems that the demographic has reached an important point where its purchasing power is approaching its peak. [si_guide_block id="35932" title="Download our Individual Member Resource – Smarter Instagram marketing guide" description="Our Smarter Instagram marketing guide will help you tap into the consumer activity on Instagram to use it to grow your business."/] It’s also a huge generation, born anytime between the early 1980s and 2000. Of course, there are major differences in life experience and expectations between someone born in ‘83 and someone born in ‘99, but the important…

Increasing competition across all industries means that customer experience is more important than ever if you want to stand out for the right reasons

Customer experience (CX) is more important than ever. With competition increasing, the digital world making it easier to make purchases and consumers less likely to be swayed by brand loyalty, CX can make all the difference between a conversion and a lost customer. This is why businesses need to look at and improve the customer experience they offer in line with current consumer expectations. Failing to do so could leave you well behind your competitors, even if your product is more advanced. To better help you understand what CX in 2020 looks like, we’ve gathered some recent statistics from customer experience research. These stats should help you benchmark your performance, better understand current consumer expectations, bear in mind where CX is going in the future and stay one step…

If you can get customers to become loyal to your brand, their lifetime value to your company will skyrocket.

Turning customers into loyalists was once the holy grail of branding: If you can get customers to become loyal to your brand, their lifetime value to your company will skyrocket. Today, fanatics are the new loyalists. They don’t just buy your brand all the time, yours is the only brand they buy, so it becomes an important part of their identity. A loyal customer loves your brand, but they might also buy your competitors’ products half the time. Brand fanatics — like sports fanatics — are fiercely loyal to the point of exclusion. They’ll even turn other items into billboards for your brand by placing your stickers and logos all over their computers, cars, and backpacks. [si_guide_block id="59989" title="Download our Individual Member Resource – Customer onboarding guide" description="This guide will show you how to…

The benefits of using Augmented Reality technology for better customer engagement

All of us remember the famous Pokemon Go game and its insane popularity - but can marketers use the same technology to attract users and make them buy more? Apparently, the answer is yes. AR has proven to be a true gem for marketers as it significantly boosts customer engagement and the level of interest for a product. Research by Deloitte states that most of the mid-market companies already experiment with AR to improve user experience and the global AR market is expected to reach about $75 billion by 2023. [caption id="attachment_149371" align="aligncenter" width="640"] [Image Source][/caption]If used right, AR technology can significantly increase the recognition of your brand among the users and engage them in a…

It’s easier to repurpose past clients than to find new ones

Whether you’re an e-commerce shop, a small "brick and mortar" boutique, or a major retail chain, you should never overlook past customers and clients as a potential source of future revenue. In fact, it’s often easier to remarket to your past clients than it is to generate new business leads. Your past customers are invaluable, in that they already understand your product or service, they have had personal interaction with your brand, and they have likely developed an opinion about your product and its ability to satisfy their needs. As we’ll see, sometimes all that is needed is for your company to re-introduce itself, reminding the customer about your product. Other times, you’ll need to do some harder work, changing customers’ opinions and perceptions about your product and its ability to satisfy their needs. Both of these paths achieve the ultimate objective…

Only 16% of companies focus on retaining a customer when all data points to the fact that acquiring a new one is at least five times more expensive.

In this modern digital world, with fleeting loyalties and diminishing attention span, brands and businesses are continuously trying to come up with new plans and ideas to keep their customers in the fold. Today, this is largely driven by the data an organization can collect on its customers. Thanks to the proliferation of the internet and social media, much of this information is available freely. Brands are now studying customers’ behavior, expectations and motivations to learn more and more about what goes into their purchase cycle. A large part of this is trying to engage with the customer once the purchase has been made. One common mistake that most brands (especially those in the e-commerce sector) make here is assuming that the customer will re-enter…

Creative, low-cost ideas are the way of the future, and they work just as well (and sometimes better) as some of the most expensive methods of marketing

Despite what you may have heard from expensive marketing companies, it doesn’t take a lot of money to get your customers to engage. As long as you know what you’re doing, you can keep costs low and still facilitate a high level of engagement. Whether you’re an entrepreneur in a small company, a freelancer, or a member of a big marketing team at a large company, it pays to save money where you can in your advertising techniques. Creative, low-cost ideas are the way of the future, and they work just as well (and sometimes better) as some of the most expensive methods of marketing. [si_guide_block id="86160" title="Download our Free Resource – 10 common website customer experience mistakes" description="This guide reveals examples of poor website design…

One of the newest tools in digital marketing, messenger applications present a great opportunity for brands to boost their open rates, enhance their visibility, and build a great relationship with customers

Messaging applications are online communication channels that facilitate free, instant messaging between individuals or within groups. Some popular examples include Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and WeChat in China. In recent years, companies have started to use these apps to privately share relevant content with customers. So, are messaging apps the next big thing in customer communications? As of 2015, mobile messaging app usage surpassed social media usage for the first time and has continued to grow since. As such, messaging apps have become an essential marketing and communications tool for businesses. Many marketers in 2019 are drawn to messenger apps by their impressive open rate, which is far higher than that of traditional B2C communication methods such as email.

The stats on messaging app…

Consistent connection matters, regardless of the season

Communicating with your customers isn't about waiting for the right moment. It's about reaching them during times of need, times of plenty, and everywhere in between. Take educators, for example. Although most schools make spending decisions in March and April, our "Digital Marketing Trends in the Education Market" report found that educators are actually most engaged during the month of July — when 97 percent of K-12 schools are out of session. If marketers only spoke to educators during the spring purchase period, they'd miss a critical time when educators are ready to consume content. Not only do educators have less time to read and share content during the height of the spring semester, but they also often use the summer months to plan lessons for the coming fall. Without a year-round approach, marketers couldn't truly call themselves educators' partners. Just like educators, other audiences have slower and busier seasons. They go in and…

CXJM is essential to help you lay down your plan of attack and start realizing the opportunities for delivering against customer experience objectives

It's no secret that most marketers are on the same trajectory and curve when it comes to Customer Experience. Although some are further along the journey than others, almost all are heading towards the common goal of achieving a single customer view. Therefore, most will have also had some exposure to Customer Experience Journey Mapping (CXJM) in some way, shape or form. As an approach, CXJM is essential to help you lay down your plan of attack and start realizing the opportunities for delivering against customer experience objectives. When conducted properly, the process will give you a better understanding of what the experiences of your customers really are and how you can start to plan effective communications around them. Part of my role is now leading the entire Journey Mapping process…