by admin | Nov 27, 2017 | Mobile Marketing
With more and more people getting access to cell phones and other smart devices these days, push notifications should be an integral part of your mobile marketing and indeed, your larger digital marketing strategy too.
Mobile marketing is all about creating personalised content that breaks through the clutter and speaks directly to the user, and while some people might consider push messages to be an annoying interruption, when they’re done right, they really can boost conversions.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at how you can use them to reach out and engage with customers in real-time. The bonus? They’re free. So, how can you go about making the most of your mobile marketing?
4 Steps to Mobile Marketing Success
Step 1: Think out the box
Rather than just viewing push notifications as an opportunity to engage inactive users, try to find innovative ways of delivering valuable information and unique experiences for your users.
Step 2: Segment
Segment your users based on their profiles, in-app behaviours and known information, then start personalising your messaging for increased click rates.
Step 3: Define your objectives
From engagement to revenue or lifetime value, long-term conversion or retention, defining your key performance indicators will help you to understand the real-time impact as well as the long-term benefits of the campaign.
Step 4: Test
As with any form of digital marketing, finding the best time to send a push message can mean the difference between a user opening a message or not. Research indicates that there is little difference between days, but that the time of day is of far more significance, with messages sent before 1 pm having the best results. Of course, it’s important for you to carry out your own tests to find out the best times for your notifications, as this might vary from audience to audience and time to time.
As digital marketing consultants, we’re able to offer a full spectrum of services that include content marketing, SEO and social media marketing. So, if you’re still trying to figure out where to start, give us a call today and we’ll work with you to create a mobile marketing strategy that’s right on target for your business.
by admin | Nov 20, 2017 | Digital Media Marketing
The yellow pages are dead. If you want your small business to attract new customers, you need to start hanging out where your customers are – online. Cost-effective and targeted, with digital marketing you can make sure you’re reaching and connecting with the right people and that you are making the most of your investment.
Why You Should Consider Digital Marketing:
· Data Beats Opinion
Small businesses that make the most of digital marketing not only position themselves where they can be seen, in front of potential customers, but they also equip themselves with the tools to track marketing efforts. This then offers them far more information as to where to focus their future marketing efforts going forward, which of course means they can make even better use of their marketing budget, while tracking their return on the investment.
When it comes to digital marketing, word of mouth continues to be a primary driver for customers, with most people saying reviews and endorsements play a role in their buying decisions. Here, social media provides a platform for people to “meet” and share their thoughts on brands and experiences. With the growing power of social media influencers as well, it’s clear that what people are saying online about your company is not something you can ignore. Fortunately, social media also affords small business owners the opportunity to get involved in the conversation, to reply to posts and comments and to turn potential bad reviews into opportunities to build trust and loyalty.
Compared to traditional methods of advertising, digital marketing is far more cost-effective. An email or social media campaign can easily communicate the same message for less than a TV, radio or newspaper advert, and it has the potential to be shared all over the world. It’s an enormously powerful communication medium and if you’re not on board, sadly, you’ll be left behind.
- The Power Is in Your Hands
Digital marketing is easily manageable. This means that unlike conventional methods of advertising, which are set in stone once they go live, digital marketing allows you to make changes on the fly. You can add new offers, swap out images, change the copy and send your content out via a multitude of different methods in response to real-time results.
It’s important to realise that digital marketing does not mean that if you’ve got a website, you’re sorted. Rather, it involves a whole host of tactics from the actual web design itself to search engine optimisation (SEO), link building, content marketing and social media marketing. If you need help to pull your digital marketing strategy together, contact us today to find out how we can help you grow your business online.
by admin | Nov 13, 2017 | Digital Media Marketing
With its increasing popularity, Black Friday is one holiday you cannot afford to ignore. The biggest shopping day of the year, whether you’re in retail or business, customers are going to expect some sort of discount or special offer from you. The good news is there is still time to get your digital marketing plan in order and to create an exciting campaign!
Top Digital Marketing Tactics for Black Friday:
- Hype it up: Timing is everything! Build hype leading up to Black Friday with posts about your deals on social media. Make sure your deals are above and beyond any other offers you might have run earlier in the year so that consumers will really feel like they’re getting an unmissable deal. This will not only give consumers the chance to plan their shopping ahead of time, but it will make them feel valued and in-the-know. Google Ads will also work to supplement your social media strategy by building awareness of your brand in search results, while also potentially driving traffic to your website.
- Email it: Say what you will about email marketing, but it works! And it works even better when your emails are designed for mobile, which then clicks through to a website for ease of conversion. Three-quarters of Black Friday emails are opened on a mobile device. So, make sure you’re catering to popular preferences and enable your customers to shop online if they want to. As with the point above, it’s also key to implement your email marketing at least a week before Black Friday and then keep your content coming throughout the weekend.
- Pay for it: Like it or not, organic social posts just don’t have the reach that a paid post does. Use paid social ads for maximum impact over this key period to give your content marketing a boost and potentially reach new audiences. Then drive these customers to dedicated landing pages with special discount codes, making it easy for them to convert. Now, the cost per click is likely to be quite high at this time of year, but you can get clever with local-based words and long-tail keywords. If it all seems too overwhelming, a professional can help you figure out which ones would be best.
- Get creative: Creativity plays an important role when you’re trying to stand out from the crowd and get them to choose you. Build anticipation with eye-catching visuals and persuasive copywriting that create a sense of urgency and excitement – post countdown messages, hint at the discounts you might be offering and keep them waiting to find out more. Then make sure your communication ends with very clear calls to action that tell your audience exactly what they’re meant to do next.
- Be exclusive: Set up a dedicated Black Friday landing page on your website. You can then drive your loyal email subscribers to this landing page and offer them exclusive deals that will make them feel like they’re valued and appreciated by you and that they’re getting something nobody else can.
- Engage: Make sure all your marketing channels are connected, as Black Friday is a huge opportunity to drive engagement and conversions. Ensure your email content mentions your social media profiles and share your emails on your social media too in order to drive sign-ups. It’s all about closing the loop!
If you need help to ensure your digital marketing strategy is on point for Black Friday, then give us a call. From social media marketing to content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), link building and website design, we can do it all! Contact us to find out more about our digital marketing services today.
by admin | Nov 6, 2017 | E-mail Marketing
As we head into the final sprint towards the end of the year, it’s time to turn your thoughts to your holiday campaigns – more specifically, your email marketing. So, how do you stand out from the crowd? We’ve put together our top tips that are sure to get you in the spirit.
7 Email Marketing Tips:
- Get in on the action: Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can do without it. Believe it or not, in 2015, email marketing drove 20% of online holiday sales. Whatever industry you’re in, that is worth taking note of. Take time to carefully plan your email marketing strategy and tailor your message in accordance to highlight your products or services.
- Start early: It’s a busy time of the year and your customers are being bombarded on all fronts by marketing messages. So, beat the rush and get your message out there before everyone else does. Not only does it give your messaging a better chance of being seen, but it also allows your customers to plan their lives around your offer. If you leave it too late you might miss the boat entirely and they’ll already have done their shopping at someone else’s store.
- Share your story: An important part of content marketing is sharing your story. Not only does it keep your customers up to date with what’s going on, but it allows them to connect with you, share in your success and better understand your business offering. One of the best ways to do this is to send out an end-of-year update reflecting on all you’ve accomplished this year. Don’t miss out this opportunity to thank your loyal customers for their support either – this will go a long way to building trust and lasting relationships.
- Network: Because people are out-and-about and on the go over the holiday season, it’s a good idea to give them multiple ways to connect with you. Add social media buttons to all your emails and drive people to whichever platforms you’re on. It’s a great place to improve your engagement and increase your following. You can also share you emails on social media and encourage your followers to sign up for the latest news, views, sales and special offers, which will help to grow your database.
- Get personal: Emails with personalised subject lines, i.e. that use a subscriber’s first name, are more likely to be opened. So, don’t forget this one, simple step when sending out your holiday messaging! Throw in a couple of attention-grabbing power words and you’ll be well on your way to reaching your audience. Whether you’re trying to drive sales or simply wanting to say thanks, words like discount, saving, order now and season’s greetings can make all the difference.
- Time it right: It’s always important to send your emails out at the right time of day, but even more so during this busy time of year. 10 am and 2 pm have been shown to prove the most successful in getting consumers to actually open and read emails. Why not try both times and see which one works best for you?
- Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Any article about holiday campaigns would not be complete if it didn’t make mention of these two big holidays. They’re not just for the big retailers – take advantage of the prevailing public expectation that there are savings to be had and create a special Black Friday or Cyber Monday offer. Not only will your existing customers feel like you’re rewarding them for their loyalty, but an exciting, value-added offer will draw in new and potential customers too. This year Black Friday is on 24 November, so you’d better get busy!
At WSI OMS we use email marketing to help our clients form a virtual relationship with not only their existing, but prospective consumers too. As digital marketing consultants, WSI OMS can help you get your digital and social media marketing in place. From email marketing to social media, SEO and link building, we will work with you to grow your business and maximise your digital marketing.
by admin | Aug 1, 2012 | Articles
WSI Internet Consultants are used to taking on a challenge. That is why Shane Serra a friend and fellow IC from Toronto, Canada rose to the challenge when a power utility from Ontario came to WSI for a digital marketing strategy. Utility companies are not known for their social media presence. Read Shane’s article on devising and executing a social media strategy for the Ontario based company, PowerStream, to see how it is done. – Francois Muscat
PowerStream goes social with the help of WSI
In this day and age social media marketing has become essential for any organization looking to engage with their customers, employees and partners. That is why WSI worked with PowerStream, an electric utility company, to create Ontario’s first utility industry focused social blog and news network.
Compiling a Social Media Marketing Strategy
WSI Optimized eSolutions worked with PowerStream to devise a targeted social media marketing strategy that would let them engage with their target audience. To compile and execute the comprehensive social media marketing strategy our WSI team had to:
- Conduct an industry-wide digital marketing review
- Develop a strategic social media plan
- Develop and implement a fully integrated social media campaign and tools
- Provide on-going training and support
Social media marketing is a first for the utility industry in Ontario. When WSI launched the eStream blog website they wanted a social blog where customers can read, share and comment on corporate news and articles. PowerStream utility experts contribute informative articles for the blog while a Twitter profile provides timely information and news about customers’ electrical services.
A YouTube channel, called PowerStreamTV was created to offer informative videos on programs and services. The digital marketing plan will also include a Facebook page, enabling PowerStream to engage with their customers across a variety of social media platforms.
PowerStream is the 2nd largest municipality-owned electric utility in Ontario servicing 340 000 customers. The WSI Optimized eSolutions team wanted to create a social media strategy that would benefit PowerStream’s customer focused approach. Have a look at the end product, the eStream social blog and news network on blog.powerstream.ca.
If you need help with your digital marketing, contact WSI Optimized eSolutions. We are experienced in creating targeted social media marketing plans for clients from various industries.
Shane Serra
