Sprague Media
Omni-channel is the way now and into the future. The days of Siloing your marketing channels is over. You NEED an omni-channel approach for your brand.
*1. OMNI-CHANNEL: THE NEW NORMAL
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As 2020 has come to a close and 2021 has begun, albeit, a bit better then where we left off last year – the transition hasn’t exactly showed itself yet.
We are really starting to see the results of working across multiple channels vs just a single channel.
Back in 2016, you could’ve scaled an eComm brand to $10MM+ just off FB alone!
Nowadays…
Not a chance!
Why is this?
Because attention has been garnered across multiple channels.
You might feel, “…damn, wish I could’ve done X”.
Of course!
We all do… Hindsight is 20/20.
That’s the past, this is the present.
And as we look at our strategies, we need to consider the past, present, and future.
So, the “New Normal” has quite the meaning here in 2021, in more ways than one.
What we’re talking about today though, is marketing & advertising.
As newer platforms, such as TikTok, have been created and promoted we haven’t seen a decrease in active users on other platforms.
In fact, we’ve seen the opposite.
Active monthly members continue to increase on every platform.
The reason for this?
In today’s attention economy, if someone posts a video on TikTok, they’ll also post it on Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.
This also means that people are more likely to see your brands message if it’s also on multiple channels.
Because what we do, Social Media Advertising, is based on performance, numbers like this excite us.
By simply running ad campaigns on, at least, three or more channels, you increase your purchase rate by ~3x!
Does this seem too difficult to do?
It shouldn’t, but if you’re already not doing this, it could feel overwhelming.
Well fear not!
It’s simple.
As simple as this (follow these simple instructions):
Create a video – this could be an amazing piece of work or could simple be a slideshow video, showcasing your products. You can do this right inside the Facebook Business Manager if you don’t know how.
There are a handful of other things you are going to want to do, but in essence, it’s that easy to get 3-campaigns up and running today.
*2. BUY NOW, PAY LATER
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Financing eCommerce purchases is on the rise.
Brick and mortar department stores have been doing it for ages!
Getting you to sign up for a credit card and having that card cover your purchase.
Remember?
Back in the day when you would go “inside” a store (pre-pandemic).
Now you might ask…
Well, what does have to do with omni-channel?
Great question!
It’s all about conversions… And at the root of it, Omni-channel is all about conversions.
In the US, around 70% of shoppers abandoned carts.
Abandoned carts equate to around $34 Billion in sales left in carts.
With a Buy Now, Pay Later app like Klarna, we see an average of:
These are staggering numbers and a definitive factor in creating success for your marketing & branding campaigns.
And as I previously mentioned, buy now pay later isn’t new.
It’s just now entered the digital age.
That said, there is still risk involved with consumers falling behind in payments and, in their minds, your brand affecting their credit score.
However, what this really opens up is that Gen-Z & Millennial trillion-dollar market.
Allowing for the ease of conversion.
*3. MORE CONTENT – INFLUENCER-BRAND PARTNERSHIPS
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Now that the age of Omni-channel is upon us, we must also step up our content game.
I understand this is what marketers have been saying for years, but it’s really hit its zenith (so far).
Because consumers are on all these different platforms, as brands, we must also be on all these platforms.
It is as simple as that.
But how does one go about creating all this different content.
Well, there are a few ways to do this.
You ever scroll through TikTok or Instagram and wonder how these seemingly nobody influencers are advertising products?
It’s all due to the need for more content.
While you, as a brand, can always create your own content, if you’re wanting to step up your game you add influencers into the mix and bump up your production 10x.
Even with the influencer phenomenon some major brands are still having trouble creating enough content in this noisy internet-atmosphere we’ve created.
But that’s okay, even is you’re a small business.
As there are many micro-influencers looking for work. And frankly, they’re way more appreciative about the opportunity than the big guys are.
The best part about getting influencers to make your content for you?
It’s a double-whammy.
What does that mean?
Not only are you getting content but they (the influencer) is also sharing said content with their own followers.
Even if they only have 1,000 followers, they tend to be 1,000 true fans.
That’s a big deal because it means that it is easy for them to get their content seen by those 1,000 true fans.
It’s a relatively simple process.
So what are you waiting for?
Get out there and find some influencers to help promote your content!
Think of it as a budget-friendly way to get your content out there.
*4. SOCIAL SELLING THROUGH SHOPPABLE VIDEO
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Shoppable video has been around a while.
Previously, making you go in-store to purchase your products.
What we’re talking about here is the rise of Shoppable Video.
But unlike old days, where one would only be able to rely on their store to get them into the store, now they can also rely on a video (with a shoppable element) to get consumers to buy on your brands website.
Now you’re no longer relying on store traffic.
In fact, you could even run your campaign on Instagram without posting it to a storefront.
Shoppable Video is the new way for shoppers to shop on-the-go and is the most common type of video that consumers are watching today.
Which means…
You can potentially get them to buy online!
This involves integrating your app into all of the major ecommerce platforms – i.e. Shopify, BigCommerce, etc…
However, there are two major challenges to this.
The first is technical in nature.
The second is budget-friendly.
Since this isn’t something you can just do through shared ads – this requires a certain level of capital to get done properly.
But it’s worth it, as Shoppable Video is the future of video marketing & eCommerce.
*5. DTC ON SOCIAL WILL MEAN MORE THAN JUST PHYSICAL PRODUCTS
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DTC (Direct to Consumer) continues to be an important strategy in eCommerce.
This is because of the ease of which consumers can purchase physical products.
However, as time goes on, we are seeing social selling evolve into Social Sharing & Referrals.
This is when your customers share your product with their friends, family, colleagues, etc… Which leads them back to you for more.
A new approach to this would be creating a community based platform with exclusive content from influencers who want to create DTC campaigns themselves.
Think of it like a “Product Hunt” but instead of discussing the newest tech gadget or app, it’s clothing and accessories.
The clothing industry is slowly becoming more and more social.
But it still feels like there’s a gap between the influencer community (Facebook & Instagram) and the real world.
That said, if your brand creates video campaigns that showcase influencers promoting your products this could be an opportunity to bridge this gap.
And with that, we would be able to truly say that there is a “little bit of the digital” in your physical store now too.
So don’t worry!
This isn’t some big leap.
It’s merely taking the modern-day digital approach to physical product sales.
On top of that, we’re seeing a trend that goes beyond physical products.
Whether you’re in the automotive industry, housing & real estate, or even digital products, we’re seeing a huge surge in these types of companies focusing their strategies on DTC.
This trend will continue and increase as CPMs remain low and results fly in.
With eCommerce on the rise and omni-channel quickly becoming the only way to do business online, brands need to know what trends to implement today.
*6. BEYOND FACEBOOK ADS – CHATBOT MARKETING
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Facebook ads are an amazing tool for marketers but they are not the only tool in your toolbox.
Used correctly, chatbots can be a powerful resource for businesses, turning customers into life-long advocates… Without ever having to pick up a phone!
In fact, according to Business Insider (2018), nearly half of Americans (around 68 million people) have tried out chatbots for customer service or information on a product or service in 2017 alone.
There’s a reason why this is so huge.
It’s because consumers are moving their attention from desktop to mobile on a daily basis.
This means that by using chatbot technology to engage with consumers, you are giving them the information they need when they want it.
And when someone searches for a product on their mobile device, they are 2 times more likely to purchase than if they were searching on a computer!
But there’s more.
You can also use chatbots for lead generation and brand awareness campaigns too…
And because it’s all automated, you can scale up your lead generation and increase your brand awareness without breaking the bank… Or hiring people.
Recart (https://recart.com) is an amazing tool that can help kick your chatbot marketing into high gear.
A chatbot will hold a conversation with your consumers and will be able to provide them with the information they need in real-time.
It’s like your virtual sales rep!
With Recart you can also engage with current customers through Chatbot Messaging and Chatbot Voice Calls.
Think of Recart as a platform that will help you create all types of digital experiences.
In fact, it’s an all in one tool for success for both Facebook & Instagram Marketing and Chatbot Marketing.
So where do you start?
Check out their article HERE (https://blog.recart.com/messenger-marketing-for-shopify-a-comprehensive-guide/) .
*7. THE IMPORTANCE OF 1ST PARTY DATA (DUE TO iOS-14)
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Most of us know by now that Apple’s recent iOS update has changed the way consumers purchase products through ads.
They no longer get driven to “apps” (or “click-pages” or “landing pages”) in an ad but rather they are driven to iTunes.
In addition to this, if you go to your “purchased section” you will see if there are any products you have previously viewed and/or purchased.
Now Apple does say that if you want links in your ads (i.e. click-throughs) they will allow them but they also say that the links themselves are not linked to your name.
Now this is important for a few reasons.
First, it’s simple, as link tracking is fairly easy to do and most of the time it can be done for very low cost.
But more importantly, it’s because first party data can be used in a better way.
What do I mean by that?
Well, in an age of data privacy, first party data is a huge priority for consumers and brands alike.
Because Apple has your credit card information and has a record of what you have purchased in the past, it’s possible for brands to access this data.
By using tools like Jumptap (http://www.jumptap.com/google-analytics-integration/) it is possible to track this first party data with Google
Analytics and Facebook Pixel tracking.
This gives you the ability to better understand your customers so that you can create better quality content to reach consumers who are more likely to convert.
But there’s more.
Because you have the data available to you, you can now take it and do all sorts of crazy data-based marketing!
You can figure out what types of products that you are selling are popular in certain parts of the country and use that information to tailor your content and targeting.
For example, if we know that there is a particular demographic of people who are buying a product (for example, sweaters in New England) we can create content (say a video campaign) based on this data to target these consumers more specifically.
In addition to this, brands can identify their best customers and better target them with newsletters, discounts, offers and promotions.
This is the reason why it’s so important for a brand to have a first party data set that they can use to create content for these consumers.
So even if you’re going to be working with 3rd parties like Facebook & Google (Google/AdWords) you still want your own first party data set.
*8. MULTI-CHANNEL ATTRIBUTION TRACKING
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While we’ve talked about the importance of first party data, it’s only a piece of the marketing puzzle.
What you should know is that there are other ways to gather data and use it for better targeting your campaigns.
You can take a look at attribution tracking in Google Analytics.
What this does is help you understand how your content performs in relation to other content from various mediums.
If someone views an ad on Facebook and then goes back to your website they will see that they came from Facebook and not from your website.
But what if you want them to see your website as the source? Simple – just track where they arrived from – i.e. Facebook.
Now you can use this information to determine whether or not the viewer is a match for your audience, which will result in better ad targeting…
For example, when you sell products online, if someone comes from Facebook and not from your website you can create custom landing pages for that person.
Another thing that you can do is take a look at the landing page that the viewer is sent to after coming from Facebook.
If it’s a different website than your own, then don’t convert them into future customers.
And if it is another website, then convert them right away!
It’s pretty amazing how much value you can get out of just a few pieces of technical data from Google Analytics.
You can do the same thing in Facebook.
Here’s how:
Now with this data it is possible to create content that targets the same audience but in a different medium…
This will help you to build a better relationship with your customer base over time.
You can use this information too, when it comes to selecting the right location (or location-based targeting) to target by using Facebook’s location feature.
This way your ads are shown on relevant pages and websites that are related to what your customers search for, which means more conversions!
Digital Performance MarketingAgency Founded on Relationships.
Specializes in PPC / Paid Search & Paid Social for eCommerce & DTC Brands.
