I’m not talking about anything ‘seedy’.
I know I’ll lose a certain number of you who were hoping for something a little juicier or lurid but I’m talking about our customers and their 21st-century habits and preferences.
If you’re not on social media now you should be. It’s not going away. In fact, the time spent on social media, particularly in the younger age brackets, is increasing every year, as are the number of different platforms or channels that are available.
Customers are seeking a relationship. They don’t just buy or stay loyal to a brand because the product fits. There are many products that ‘fit’ so why should your customer come back to you?
It’s not just about being present and visible to your consumer either, it’s also about offering great service if something goes wrong or if a follow-up is required. If you’re still expecting your customers to send you an email with a complaint and wait for a week for a response, you will be losing customers.
Immediacy is the key. And with the use of digital platforms, this is easily achieved.
Welcome to the Age of the Voyeur
Whether you use social media for direct marketing, updating your customers or, for encouraging loyalty with your brand, you will no doubt have embraced the extra opportunity that social media offers your business in terms of being seen and heard.
Be where your customers are. Listen to what your customers have to say. Make it easy for your customer to read about you, access you and get in touch with you.
But getting back to my penchant for watching, I’m not alone it seems. Last year, Facebook more than doubled its daily video views to 8 billion, while Snapchat now reports 6 billion daily video views.
Of course, it was YouTube that introduced most of us to watchable content. YouTube has over a billion users and almost one-third of all internet users watch content on this channel. Predictions suggest that 74% of all internet traffic in 2017 will be video.
It’s Not About the Length
Videos are becoming more effective tools for marketing campaigns and for connecting with your customers and they are certainly becoming more popular with busy mobile-device users:
- 33% of tablet owners watch about an hour of video on their devices every day
- 28% of smartphone users watch a video on their devices at least once a day
Many web users expect to be simultaneously entertained and educated and video offers that. Effective video content shouldn’t be too long though, as mobile web users have notoriously short attention spans.
The key to creating effective video content that drives traffic is a strategy for short, high-impact clips. It’s a tall order when you must also pack personality into each video. People respond to formats that feel personal and accessible.
The Most Effective Form of Content Marketing?
Content marketing, the process of creating relevant and engaging information to attract a bigger audience, is now most businesses’ preferred way of marketing.
Becoming a ‘thought leader’ means that your profile and your ‘offer’ becomes recognisable and valid. You or your brand are perceived as an expert in your field or a source of reputable knowledge that can influence change.
Video was the most popular form of content marketing last year in comparison to published articles, case studies, blogs and infographics.
70% of brands say that video is now the most effective format for content marketing. Whether it’s B2B or B2C, businesses are appreciating that creating videos for their target audiences are essential.
Traffic may be the reason more businesses are investing in video marketing, but this is the tip of the iceberg in terms of the formats marketing potential.
If you’re not creating videos for your website yet, you’re not staying current and attractive to your customers.
The 2015 State of Digital And Content Marketing survey revealed companies are embracing visual content at an astonishing rate. The majority of brands are producing videos this year – not just because they’re popular, but because they’re highly effective.
Three Steps To Keeping Your Business Current And Visible
1. Get With The ‘Net
Once you have created or resurrected your business profile or home page on whichever channels you choose, be prepared to monitor them daily.
Even if your social media profiles weren’t created for customer service purposes, it won’t prevent someone from contacting you there.
Some consumers function only by perusing social media sites all day. They’ll do their shopping there, their communication with friends and businesses and make appointments or purchases there.
2. Be Mobile Device Friendly
According to OfCom, 64% of the 16-24 age bracket access social media and websites via their mobile phones and that percentage stays high for all ages up to 60 years.
You’ll have already ensured your website is mobile device friendly and that your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts are linked and active.
Funnily enough, I was just browsing my LinkedIn whilst in a waiting room and clicked on an article to read which was published by an IT company that specialises in multichannel marketing.
The article could not be read on my mobile device due to not being configured for the mobile device handset. That’s a big fail…
3. Create Watchable Content
If that’s what our customers want, that’s what they should get.
Start creating great videos. They don’t have to be epic, lengthy or serious chunks of information. Think outside the box.
Create a content plan to ensure that your content both meets your brand’s goals and engages with your intended audience. Pick up a few tips on how to create relevant visual and audio content and start uploading.
You don’t need fancy equipment or systems to create good video. But remember, what I like to watch and what you like to watch might be two different things.
“If your customers are in a particular space then it makes perfect sense to be there too and build relationships with them in a way that no other channel can. Because if you don’t build those relationships with them – someone else will.”
Charlotte Bleasdale, Social Media Manager at JD Williams
