Page 55 - enLIGHTenment Magazine - February 2017

on the mark

marketing tools for decades and are still part of There is a well-known marketing statistic that
the overall marketing strategy. However, they have states: “3 percent of your market is actively buy-

become increasingly ine ective and their use will ing your product, 56 percent are dis-interested,
continue to diminish.
and 40 percent will soon enter the market.” With

Marketing digitally is more a ordable, can be tai- digital marketing and social media, you have a way
lored speci cally for your customer demographic, to engage with all prospective customers no ma er

and can be integrated into the marketing plans of where they are in the buying cycle.

stores of all sizes. The digital phenomenon also
decreases the time it takes to go from marketing cusTomer enGaGemenT Has sHIfTeD

idea to implementation. The most tactical reason It is impossible to discuss any sales or marketing-
to incorporate a digital marketing methodology is related materials without tripping over the word

that it is immediately available to your prospective “Engagement,” but what does it mean? Basically it

customers at the touch of a nger when they are in means there are strategic actions in being involved
the research phase.
with the client both pre- and post-sale.

Ignoring the changes in the buyer’s journey and The change in buying mannerisms has produced
not modifying your marketing to match the times a customer pro le that is further advanced in the

we are in puts your company at risk. Not being an “discovery and option phase” of their shopping ac-

immediately available and viable option for today’s tivities than their counterparts of the past.
buyer will jeopardize your existence.
Much of the marketing done in the digital world
“To increase
With all the advancements in technology, it is is a rehash of a printed ad strategy that falls short of
easier than ever to implement a digital marketing client interaction. Social media marketing provides
your
strategy. This applies to all members of the channel what no other type of marketing can an immediate

– from a one-person operation to a multi-location two-way conversation. People do not want to see customer
showroom.
product or sale posts all the time. To increase your
exposure and
While the size of each type of company will customer exposure and engagement, you must pro-
determine the details in their approach to online duce content that is worthy of being seen.
engagement,
marketing, the basics for them are the same. Con-
ImpLemenT a sTraTeGy
sider this: everyone who works in the showroom you must
is a part of an in-house production company. That The strategy you employ consists of a series of

means it is important to be comfortable with the steps, the rst of which is to determine who you produce
various methods of fabricating and distributing will be targeting in your campaign. If you answered

content with the tools you have on-hand.
“everyone,” then you are thinking with a billboard content that

mentality. Social media platforms allow you to is worthy of
reacH, anD moTIvaTe
speci cally target members of your audience

There are many tools for reaching potential custom- and present them with a specialized marketing being seen.
ers with an e cient digital marketing strategy, such campaign.

as pay-per-click, Google Adwords, email blasts,

SEO, and retargeting. While there are many ways
to make an impact in the digital world, this article

will focus on the social side of digital marketing.

THe socIaL sIDe of markeTInG

For 2017, eMartketer (h ps://www.emarketer.
com/Article/This-Year-More-Than-Half-of-Amer-

icans-Will-Use-Facebook/1013560) predicts that
Facebook usage will grow to 167 million, followed

by Instagram with just under 100 million. These

two platforms are being consumed many times dai-
ly in the manner that people would have looked at

a newspaper in the past and the forecasted growth
will continue through 2020.

february 2017 | enLIGHTenment Magazine 53