How do I make my online marketing 'effective'?!

When considering marketing communications companies tend to focus on their website and SEO. Whilst being your primary ‘info tool’ online, it would be foolhardy to overlook the myriad of other ways that consumers - and more importantly YOUR potential customers - search and engage with the internet.

Did you know that the typical digital user now owns not one but up to four connected devices. So one may assume that you have to master ‘mass communication? This couldn’t be further from the truth - because in reality each user is looking for a personalised experience - one they can relate to. It is not enough to drive traffic to your website but it is critical that once the consumer arrives they can be shown exactly what they are looking for.

And then we have the social media monster that, managed correctly, not only enables us to remained engaged and informed about our customers wants, needs and buying references - but enables us to nurture and drive business from new customers throughout the World.  

The ease of use and the low cost involved in a number of social media actions means that you can put together a programme that allows you to do this - sharing of information, setting yourself up as a brand expert in your field, keeping in touch with existing and new customers, rewarding them, and generally making them feel like special people.

I was asked recently what is the best time to post on social media - there is no definitive answer - although many infographics are strewn around the internet with ‘industry norms’ - but whose industry - that of the social media giants themselves?

I work across a variety of industries and each one warrants a different ‘schedule of posting’, e.g, the Armed Forces have very different patterns of engagement (excuse the pun) to, for example, the equestrian sector. And then again there is seasonality in the scheduling - to use the equestrian sector again for an example, in the summer months many early evenings are spent out with the horses and NOT engaging with their Facebook accounts.

To have meaningful and productive engagement with your sector you have to evaluate their behaviour and, as illustrated by the above examples, this isn’t necessarily the ‘industry norm’ dictated by an infographic.  With algorithms and thousands of posts being made to each account each day, this is the only way you will be able to reach those customers, and potential customers, for your business.

I spoke about needing to ‘personalise’ the experience for your audience - extensive research, an empathy for the consumers and a developed understanding of the sector specific behaviours will help you do this.

Happy researching!