The changes in online marketing
Online marketing underwent a lot of changes during the last few years. For example, the social media boom has changed the way companies communicate with their customers. Our digital world is evolving, old procedures need a general re-arranging. The online marketing agency dietz.digital is always up to date.
As an online marketing agency, we monitor developments and apply the best insights in our daily work. There are three major shifts which can be identified in the marketing world that require rethinking and, at the same time, offer solutions.
1. From outbound to inbound marketing
For a long time, marketers had to rely on print ads, TV commercials and cold calls. Mass e-mails and display advertising came along with the Internet. This is the typical problem of “classic” marketing: Advertising was broadcast to the masses; many people watched it, some showed interest, but only few became customers. For companies, this meant high expenses for a content that was not really target-group-oriented and therefore did not always achieve its intended objective.
Classic advertising often doesn’t get noticed
Since AdBlocker, spam filters & Co. exist, the contact to potential customers is even more difficult. Not to mention the competition at all. In addition, there were also changes in purchasing behavior and customer expectations, which were simply inevitable. Talking about “banner blindness”: This refers to the modern consumer’s behaviour to simply ignore annoying advertising.
Don’t fight for the customer’s attention: earn it
The first attempts to establish a new marketing method took place already 20 years ago. In 2010 Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah from HubSpot precisely described the term “inbound marketing” in their same-titled book. Essentially, the core idea is not to “shower” consumers with advertising messages, but to attract them like a magnet with the help of high-quality content (“pull marketing”).
It’s the customer who looks for the company, and not vice versa
Instead of interrupting and disturbing people at various occasions, these people should be approached during their search for a solution and navigated to the exact solution. At this point you wait with further content, which convinces the consumer and turns him into a satisfied customer. It is not the company or the marketing agency that meets the customer, but the opposite is the case: The customer finds the company or the product or the service he is looking for.
2. From product to customer
In the past, everything revolved around the product, but today the customer’s wishes, interests and needs are the focus of attention. Of course, you want to continue selling the product, but this is done by a better understanding of the (potential) customer and his buying behavior.
The content as “bait”
Today, most people use Google & Co. when they are looking for information, problem solving or entertainment. And this is exactly where you hook in: The company’s editorial department or a specialized online agency creates content that offers added value, is SEO-optimized and attracts consumers.
In a further step, leads are generated: the potential customer shows his interest and signs up for a newsletter or becomes a fan/follower of the company’s social media channel. Thus he also shows that he wants to be addressed. If the following content arouses delight in the consumer, the probability is very high that he will become a customer.
And the wheel keeps turning: Satisfied consumers become loyal customers and new brand ambassadors.
3. From funnel to flywheel
The wheel has a name: flywheel. It is supposed to replace the sales funnel with which most online marketers “grew up with”. As an online marketing agency, we find the principle more than convincing. So, what is it all about?
Newly acquired customers turned into lost customers
The sales funnel is designed like a real-life funnel: At the top you find consumers with only an interest in a product or service, at the bottom you find the customers. If you catch the attention, arouse interest and desire of the consumer correctly and complete with a call to action (the AIDA principle), you may win customers. It is not a wrong approach, but the funnel has to struggle with a large difficulty. Even if a prospective customer becomes a real customer, what happens then? Every quarter, every day and actually after every purchase you have to start all over again.
The secret of creating a pleasant customer experience
Instead of using the customer as a means to an end, the flywheel focuses on the customer. It is no longer a matter of forcing a purchase at all costs – and at the end lose sight of the customer in front of you. The task of the marketing professionals is rather to delight the customer. The focus is clearly on the customer experience.
Satisfied customers contribute to the company’s success
This is also the momentum of the flywheel: Customers who are convinced of a product, a service or a brand are happy to come back – and carry their enthusiasm out into the world. They talk about it, share the corresponding content with friends and contacts, and believe in it. This “Word of Mouth” principle leads to further customers. The wheel keeps turning faster and faster and causes the company’s long-term success.
As an online marketing agency from Frankfurt, we know how to inspire customers
We are experts in the latest procedures of online marketing. Adapted to your internet or social media presence we create high-quality, useful and SEO-optimized content – content that inspires and can be found easily. We are experienced in influencer marketing and manage ads to achieve the best possible reach. We complete our range of services with landing pages, community management and monitoring.
Our objective is your success – that’s what we strive for with enthusiasm.
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