The secret to successful digital marketing in 2015 is pretty simple. You’ve got to know your customer.
The end of an old year and the beginning of a new one is the perfect time to sit down and analyze the characteristics of qualities of your customer. Every niche differs, but these characteristics will apply to most.
1. Millennials are the most affluent market demographic.
Today’s millennials have money, and are willing to spend it. They comprise the largest portion of spending power today. Although they’re not keen on buying cars, cable TV, houses, and Miller beer, they certainly aren’t cheap.
Tip: Market to millennials. They’ve got the money.
2. 74% believe in their power of persuasion to influence others’ buying decisions.
This young, hip, savvy group of spenders is also pretty good at persuasion, at least they think so. A vast majority of them think they’re capable of influencing the purchases of family and friends. As many as 76% believe they are “highly depended upon for their opinions.”
Tip: Be a brand worth spreading.
3. 109.5 — average numbers of text messages sent per day.
For all the talk about email marketing and social media, don’t forget about text messaging. Many customers are more active on text than they are on email or social media.
Tip: Market to customers using text messages.
4. 63% of women and 73% of men will check their phones every hour.
People are hyperconnected via their smartphones. Most customers have their phones with them for 22 hours out of every 24 hour period. Mobile search optimization, responsive design, and mobile optimized checkout are imperative.
Tip: Focus on your mobile presence, including mobile checkout.
5. 82% prefer brick and mortar shopping.
Even though online marketing is the way to go, most customers still prefer the brick-and-mortar method of buying things. Brick-and-mortar establishments can’t afford to neglect local SEO as a key digital marketing strategy.
Tip: Don’t neglect local SEO.
6. 95% want a brand to actively pursue them as a customer
Your customers expect to be courted. Don’t hesitate to send them emails, remarket, pitch them, and sell hard. They demand it if they are to become a customer.
Tip: Actively market to your target audience.
7. 75% don’t believe that companies tell the truth in advertisements.
Traditional advertising is sketchy at best in the minds of customers. Even though traditional advertising costs a lot, it doesn’t have the same level of credibility. You have a far higher likelihood of gaining a customer's trust through online content marketing than traditional advertising.
Tip: Don’t just make claims. Back it up with data.
8. 92% are more willing to trust information online than any other source.
If you believe in the power of online marketing, good for you. So do your customers. They trust information online, which gives credence to your content marketing efforts
Tip: Do content marketing. Then do some more.
9. 76% notice where a product is made.
People like to shop local. If they can’t do that, then they will at least notice where a product is made.
Tip: Give attention to your product and materials sourcing, because your customers care.
10. 69% prefer a brand that is open about corporate social responsibility.
In the eyes of your customers, you’re more than just a business doing business. You’re a business with a responsibility to do good.
Tip: Be open about your social obligations and fulfilling them.
11. 88% believe that brands should seek to make the world a better place.
Marketing is more than a good product, a slick presentation, and a smart pitch to an audience. Today, it’s about seeking to make the world a better place socially and environmentally. If you neglect your responsibility towards the world at large, your consumers won’t like you.
Tip: Don’t just focus on business. Give attention to doing good.
12. 83% believe that companies should support nonprofit and charity organizations.
If your business does not give to good causes, don’t expect your customers to give to your business. The mindset of the customer is that a business — as a for-profit entity — has a responsibility to give back.
Tip: Give to charity.
13. 50% will write about positive experiences, and 39% will write about negative experiences.
Customers walk into a buying experience with their antennae up and their thumbs ready to tweet. If you wow them with your customer service, there is a good chance they will praise you publicly. If you give them a negative experience, though, you run the risk of being publicly smeared.
Tip: Customer service, even in the online arena, is more important than ever due to the social spread of both positive and negative experiences.
14. 89% won’t switch from brands they like.
If you want to compete with the big brands, you’re going to have a hard time with it. Most consumers find a brand they like and stick with it. According to one study, 80% of American millennials agree that “once I find a company or product I like, I keep coming back.”
Tip: In order to break into an established industry, you have to offer something substantially different.
15. 50% use at least four sources to make a purchase decision, and one third use seven or more sources.
Buyers are researchers, and they go to a lot of sources to get the information they want. If a customer buys from you, there’s a very strong chance they’ve also looked at your competition, and read as many online reviews as they can find.
Tip: Give customers the best information you can in order to help them make an informed decision.
16. 82% will join a brand-sponsored online community.
Your Twitter account, Facebook page, and LinkedIn presence do matter. Consumers are willing to identify themselves with a brand.
Tip: Form your communities, and give them some love.
Conclusion
2015 can be a pivotal year, depending on how you posture yourself in the market. There’s huge opportunity, but equally large risks.
How are you going to change your digital marketing approach in 2015?
