“As competitive brands approach their digital positioning and marketing strategies for 2015, they must be mindful that consumers expect and demand relevant and personalized marketing messages,” notes Kirin Ross in a recent essay in the Kansas City Business Journal. “And they’d really like to have them served up in small pieces that can be viewed on the fly from mobile devices!”
Ross is right — about that, as well as the need to get action plans ready for the coming year.
The first step? A review of the data.
“If your company was active in social media and other digital marketing in 2014, compile and review all the data available to you regarding those efforts,” Ross advises. “How did they perform in terms of customer engagement and conversion? What messaging inspired engagement and clicks? Which platforms and tools (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs, digital banner ads, text ads, etc.) converted sales or generated leads and at what cost?”
It’s also time to integrate social media marketing, Ross explains.
“Social media is no longer a stand-alone initiative for your marketing and public relations departments,” Ross says. “Social media MUST consistently integrate with your online and offline marketing efforts. Social media “touches” customer service, sales, email marketing, website, e-commerce, even print and radio efforts, so the messaging and tone should be consistent.”
And marketing on mobile needs to be at the forefront of strategic planning for the new year. Ross cites Pew Research stats indicating that 90 percent of adults now have a cell phone — 58 percent a smartphone — and that 63 percent of adult cell owners use their phones to connect with the internet. Then there’s the fact that nine of 10 mobile searches lead to action, with 74 percent of consumers using their mobile phones while shopping and a substantial majority of those making a purchase.
Ross also makes the case for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) research.
“If you’re not using Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools, you should be,” Ross advises. “These help you take a hard look at your Web content and determine what your traffic looks like and how and why that traffic ends up on your site. Did you know that you can access the keywords and search queries that are delivering sales and qualified leads?”
There’s much more to read and review as marketers prepare for 2015. To check it out, click here.
