This past month we attended Internet Summit to get the latest and greatest about digital marketing tools, ideas, and practical solutions that can be applied as we move into 2018. Below are the top 3 themes from dozens of speakers that resonated as we grow with our clients in 2018.
Iterating is key. Ongoing incremental changes bring long-term positive effect. It’s important to test audiences and messages constantly and fail quickly. In order to best organize, focus on aligning personas, the customer journey, platforms, and KPIs. The more we test, the more data we have and the more we learn and move the needle in a positive direction.
Empathy is key, but pathological empathy is necessary to best understand your customers’ needs and the moment your product/service is enabling. Instead of thinking “we need a piece of content for X” think “Our customers need X” to put your customers first in content planning. Start with a moment/need and create emotional hooks they can relate. Start by building personas and then build a story around them. Talk to your customers at every opportunity.
Less is more - move towards targeting a smaller audience versus a broad one. When you think more is better and swing for the masses, you are seeking the average person and will be invisible in the clutter of the internet and competition for their time. Aim for the “outliers” and think of exactly who you are connecting with and why. Build a community where people have a shared identity to foster loyalty. Find small threads of interest to connect and multiply.
As we move into the New Year, think of these ideas in your audience and content planning and outline Q1 objectives accordingly. The more we can put our customers first and learn from them, the better marketers we will all be in the coming year.