The Digital Practitioner: B2C

Showing posts with label B2C. Show all posts

Friday, 19 January 2018

The Future of Digital Marketing: Five Trends to Leverage a Small Business Opportunity

Unknown January 19, 2018 0

Jameson General Store was a historical treasure in the small North Carolina Community. Jim Jameson, the owner, had been part of the family legacy over 100 years old. The company had seen bad times, including The Great Depression. However, their hard work and customer loyalty had sustained the company's success.

Even when a neighboring community got its Walmart's Marketplace Store, their customers remained loyal. Jim did not believe in utilizing online advertising and social media platforms. He believed that these activities were only a fad. Yet, their customers gradually started shopping online because Jameson General Store was limited in its product offerings.

In fact, most of the business that Jameson Store lost was not to local competitors, but online sellers. Jim was adamant about resisting the temptation about shopping online. Yet, when he saw his own 10-year-old grandson purchase a difficult item to locate in the area online at significant costs, Jim had to ponder his current marketing strategy with the changing landscape in the nation.

Today's customers can purchase a variety of items online with minimum effort. Given this scenario, brick and mortar companies are fighting to stay alive with the fierce internet competition. According to a 2017 survey conducted by Square and Mercury Analytics looking at 1,164 U.S. business owners, the following observations were made:

96% of Americans with internet access have made an online purchase in their life, 80% in the past month alone.
51% of Americans prefer to shop online.
67% of Millennials and 56% of Gen Xers prefer to shop online rather than in-store.
Millennials and Gen Xers spend nearly 50% as much time shopping online each week (six hours) than their older counterparts (four hours).
51% of seniors have shopped on marketplaces, 66% at large retailer sites, 30% on web stores or independent boutiques, and 44% at category-specific online stores.

Marketing professionals understand the importance of the internet and how to effectively leverage this power. According to Socialmedia.com, 90% of marketers use social media for their businesses. Sadly, many small businesses do not recognize this fact. Many businesses had opted to bury their heads in the sand in hopes that this 'internet thing' will go away. It hadn't!

In fact, e-Commerce is growing more than 23% annually; however, 46% of American small businesses do not have a website according to Square and Mercury Analytics research. This article focuses on how small businesses can leverage digital marketing to achieve greater success and enhance their market opportunities.

Digital marketing should be a tool that every serious small business should utilize. Digital marketing goes by many names such as e-commerce marketing, online marketing, and internet marketing. Digital marketing can be defined as "the marketing of products or services using digital channels to reach consumers." The key objective is to promote brands the usage of the internet.

Digital marketing extends beyond internet marketing to include channels that do not require the use of the internet. Some digital marketing channels include websites, social media platforms, email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), blogging, podcasts, and online advertising to name a few. Beyond technology gimmicks, businesses should know their customers and their core competencies. Digital marketing is not a silver bullet. Digital marketing is a tool for the savvy business professional.

Catherine Juan, Donnie Greiling, and Catherine Buerkle, authors of Internet Marketing: Start to Finish, suggest that effective digital marketing requires plenty of careful planning. They add, "The heart of getting real traction out of your internet marketing program is to tie marketing and sales data together, with metrics. Track what you're doing, track the impact, and track the resulting sales." Looking at the landscape of technology and internet innovation, small businesses should think strategically about the following five digital marketing trends:

• Artificial Intelligence - Some people develop elaborate doom-day scenarios of machines to control the world. However, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a way of life in marketing. AI can be defined as 'the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence.' Voice Activation technology like Amazon's Echo is bringing AI into public attention. By 2020, customers will manage 85% of their purchases without interacting with a person.

• Internet Searching - Buyers are more knowledgeable than ever with access to the internet. In fact, 81% of shoppers conduct online research before making big purchases. Thus, exploring how to utilize search engine optimization and getting your business at the top of searches is an invaluable step.

• Mobile Communications - Most Americans have grown accustomed to instant gratification and easy access to technology. Mobile and tablet e-commerce will reach $293B by 2018. Smartphone and tablets are part of this wave of innovation. Mobile will account for 72% of the U.S. digital ad spend by 2019. Marketers recognize that mobile marketing is an untapped business tool.

• Social Media - Social media platforms, like Facebook, allows buyers to connect with each other virtually. 65% of business-to-business companies have acquired customers through LinkedIn ads. Marketers realize this value.

• Web Content - Good content will attract customers. In fact, customers are more likely to purchase from sellers with good, relevant videos/photos on their website. 52% of marketing professionals globally name the video as the type of content with the best ROI.

Faced with the tenants of competition, small businesses need to utilize digital marketing. Some small businesses may be hesitant to explore digital marketing due to their lack of trust and understanding of the internet. Philip Kotler and Kevin Keller, authors of Marketing Management, note "Top firms are comfortable using technology to improve the way they do business with their business-to-business customers."

This article demonstrated that today's small businesses can utilize digital marketing to enhance their market opportunities. Hopefully, gaining this knowledge will help business owners so that they will not continue to bury their heads in the sand. The internet is here to stay. Pray that you are listening to this message.

Dr. Daryl Green provides consulting, guidance, and management training for today's business leaders. He is the Dickinson Chair at Oklahoma Baptist University. Dr. Green has over 25 years of management experience and has been noted and quoted by USA Today, Ebony Magazine, and Associated Press. For more information, please visit http://www.drdarylgreen.com.

by: Dr. Daryl D. Green
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9833422

Wednesday, 25 October 2017

Differences Between B2B SEO and B2C SEO Campaigns

Unknown October 25, 2017 0

seo

Differences Between B2B SEO and B2C SEO Campaigns

The primary goal of both Business2Business (B2B) and Business2Consumer (B2C) marketing is to generate traffic, increase sales and enhance revenues.

Read on to discover the main SEO strategies which will you help in your goal:

1. Marketing campaign goals - Generally, most search engine optimization clients have been B2C companies operating in an e-commerce environment. However, as business-to-business marketers recognize the potential of search engine rankings, many organizations are seeking ways to implement an effective B2B search engine optimization strategy. However, you should understand the critical differences between B2C and B2B SEO and their implications.

B2B companies generally sell intangible technology, software and services, engineering and industrial products, intermediates and bulk products to be sold to wholesalers, exporters etc. The online marketing campaign goals should focus on increased targeted traffic, increase sales, increase online visibility, establishing your company in local search, establish your business in social media, increase online reputation through online management reputation and improve SEO.

B2C companies sell more tangible products and services. The goal of your marketing campaign is to get more leads, increase sales, build brand awareness, grow market share, launch new products or services, target new customers, enter new markets, improve stakeholder relations, enhance customer relationships, improve internal communication and to increase profits.

The ultimate campaign objectives should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. Some examples of B2C are restaurants and retail stores.

2. Keyword strategies - The starting point of every SEO strategy is keyword research as keyword research helps you decide which keywords to target.

B2B campaigns usually have industry-specific keywords (to understand the questions your potential customers are asking themselves, and breaking them down to search queries)which require intelligence to mine. A B2B SEO campaign takes much longer keyword analysis and intelligence to set up. B2B audience looks for expertise. B2B purchase-driven searches are very specific like specs, features, performance, value, benefit, ROI, cost of product and running costs such as maintenance, support, troubleshooting. In B2B search engine optimization, it is important to thoroughly understand the search terms your prospect may be using in the different phases of the buying cycle.

In B2C business, people already have a firm idea of what they want to buy. They want to find the best source for it. In the first phase of B2C search, people usually use generic terms. There is often less variance in the terms they use. So, B2C campaigns focus on keywords that are used or considered as every day i.e. generic and not so complex. In the evaluation stage of the buying cycle, the purchaser's focus turns from researching potential suppliers to researching specific issues related to the product or service like performance, efficiency, maintenance etc. Just prior to the purchase decision, one last round of searching will likely ensure to confirm the purchaser's intended direction and again different search terms may be used.

3. Content Strategy - Content strategy means to communicate new information about your company, a new product or feature. In simple words, content that is meant to present you in a favorable position to generate leads and drive sales.

For B2B, content strategy is to target an audience of industry experts and professionals who are familiar with your company or product, highlighting your advantages over your competitors. B2B content strategy should consist of company blog, industry publications, whitepaper, LinkedIn groups, landing pages and forums and communities. So, it is meant to educate a person.

The main strategy for the B2C content marketing is to drive backlinks and increase rankings. So, it is generally meant for outreach.

4. Link building - It is the process of facilitating the creation of links in third-party websites that point back to your own site and thereby boost your web presence.

Consistency in B2B messaging and customer-interactions fundamentally means patience. B2B campaigns still focus on conversions, they do not come easily. B2B SEO campaigns usually tend to drive low volumes of leads as a key performance indicator.The purpose of link building is to drive real, organic, quality traffic to your website and to improve your site's ranking with Google and other search engines.

B2C campaigns are usually focused on conversions and quick wins. So, link building in B2C focus more on sales and revenue per month with sales happening in shorter sessions, generally from single or multi session visits within days and weeks.

5. Conversion metrics - It is the sales life cycle: long, considered sale vs. short and impulse purchase.

Driving site visitors through a set conversion channel is not applicable in B2B. So, your focus should be on getting visitors to research deeper to other relevant, confidence-building content. Usually, the primary motivator in B2B purchase decisions is risk or fear of making the wrong decision. Therefore, one of the key objectives of B2B searchers after they click through to your site is to evaluate both your company and its offerings. An average B2B transaction can take anywhere from three to 24 months depending on the product or service being sold and the number of decisions to be made within the buying process.

Conversion ratios in the B2C environment are usually measured as the percentage of organic click-throughs that resulted in a sale. Detailed analysis goes into conversion ratios. Because the sales funnel in B2C SEO is very narrow and short. It can help in measuring the impact of optimization is quite easy and immediate. An average B2C transaction can occur anywhere from minutes to weeks, with the number of decision makers generally being less than 2 individuals and the buying process being much more straightforward.

SEO strategy is crucial for the success of every business. So, a trusted SEO company can help you to understand the differences between B2B SEO and B2C SEO campaigns.

Mahendra Raulo is the author of this article on SEO Company. Find more information, about SEO Services here.

by: Mahendra Raulo
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9803928

Tuesday, 12 September 2017

Beginner's Guide To Making Money With Affiliate Marketing

Unknown September 12, 2017 0

Small Business

Beginner's Guide To Making Money With Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is when you, as an affiliate, promote a company's product or service in exchange for revenue, otherwise known as a commission.

As an affiliate for a company you'll have an unique affiliate URL link that directs a prospect to the product sales page on the company's website.

If the prospects buys the product after clicking on your link, the company will pay you a commission based on the total value of the sale.

Your affiliate links can be used on your website, blogs, social media pages and emails. In fact anywhere that you can reach your target audience.

This popular business model is the simplest way to start your own online business.

Do You Need A Website To Get Started?

Some beginners do start affiliate marketing without website. They direct potential customers to product sales pages using online advertisements or social media links.

However, the most successful affiliate marketers build relationships and add value with their target market on their own website.

Think of it like meeting someone in person for the first time. They introduce themselves and immediately try to sell you something.

Your reaction is to get away from them as soon as possible.

Well, the same principle is relevant to affiliate marketing. You want to engage with the prospects first and build a relationship with them so they come to know, like and trust your recommendations.

The Benefits of Affiliate Marketing

One of the great benefits of affiliate marketing is that you don't have to develop, store, organize delivery or manage payment systems for the products and services you are selling.

The product owner takes care of all these things. There's also no need to worry about answering any customer questions or issues, as all you are doing is referring business.

While it may sound like a quick and easy way to make money, you do have to put in some time and work to build your business.

Where Do You Find Products To Sell?

There are numerous products and services you can sell as an affiliate.

Many people start with Amazon Associates where you can earn income by promoting the countless numbers of products that are on sale at Amazon.com. The beauty is in the simplicity.

As an Amazon associate, you advertise a product using a link on your own website and when a consumer clicks through and makes a purchase, you earn a commission.

You can also sell digital products that your customer can download instantly to their computer after purchase. If you plan to promote digital products, you can find affiliate programs on sites like JVZoo.com, ClickBank.com, and WarriorPlus.com.

Companies are happy to pay commissions to people just like you, in return for selling their products and services.

You have the potential to make a great income when you choose the right niche, stay committed, and understand your audience.

by: Jon Allo
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9755106