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The Power of Email Automation: Streamlining Workflows and Enhancing Efficiency

It seems as though automation is at the forefront of almost all business growth nowadays — and for good reason. By automating specific tasks, a company can free up essential workers to take on larger roles. Businesses can save money, streamline processes and fight back against employee burnout. Maybe you’re already utilizing automation in different areas of your business, but you could be missing out on one of the simplest — yet most effective uses — email automation. 

READ: Email Drip Campaigns — 3 Examples and Best Practices To Boost Customer Engagement

By unleashing the power of email automation for your business, you’ll streamline workflows, reduce human error, free up employees and enhance both productivity and efficiency within the workplace. 

The best part? Thanks to the popularity of automation services today, harnessing the capabilities of automated email systems is easier than ever. Let’s take a look at some of the advantages. 

Why automation is essential for growth

In today’s tech-forward society, automation isn’t just an effective strategy — it’s a necessary one. Some of the greatest benefits of automating specific tasks include: 

  • Continued growth
  • Enhanced productivity
  • Limited costs
  • Improved communication
  • Fewer errors

Often, you can also expect a profit increase by automating the right tasks. Things like CRM systems for targeted marketing are great examples of automation at work. Imagine being able to solve 65% of customer inquiries without human interaction. CRMs with chatbots can do that. Supply chain management, risk management systems and cloud computing are all fantastic examples of automation at their finest. 

READ: Maximizing Efficiency, Minimizing Errors — Harnessing AI and Automation in Your Marketing Strategies

Cloud computing, for example, can allow your business to automatically process data, financial information and more, from anywhere in the world. It updates in real-time and can automatically adjust your business practices based on that information analysis without a single employee having to lift a finger. Not only can that help to boost your bottom line, but it dramatically reduces human error and takes a lot of the risk out of making changes to your business. 

Small businesses can also benefit from the Internet of Things (IoT).  If you work in an office setting, for example, some obvious IoT implementations to use alongside automation might include smart sensors that manage lighting, temperature and security. Using IoT technology alongside automation allows businesses to streamline mundane and repetitive tasks, which can lead to a better employee experience while making business operations more efficient. 

What is email automation? 

Email automation is nothing more than the ability to send emails automatically. While that sounds simple enough, there is really no limit to where you can go with it and how much it can benefit your business. 

Think about the last time you signed up for an account with a big business or subscribed to a monthly service. Chances are, immediately after submitting your information, you received an email from that company thanking you for joining. Maybe they offered you a special discount or explained the wonderful features you would now be able to enjoy. That was an automated email, personalized for you to make you feel welcome and appreciated.

Email automation isn’t about sending out monthly newsletters to large audiences. Rather, it’s about personalization and segmentation. There are certain triggers and parameters that can be set up within your email system to automatically send out specific types of messages to certain groups of people. Examples include signing up for a newsletter, buying a product or registering for a loyalty program. 

Automated emails can also be based on milestones, like a customer’s second or third purchase, a year within a loyalty program, or a birthday. By sending out these targeted messages automatically, you’re humanizing your brand, fostering a better relationship with your customers and clients and reducing the stress on your employees who would otherwise have to manually search through extensive data and send out countless emails each day. 

READ: Using Video in Email Marketing Campaigns — Best Practices and Benefits

Setting up an automated email strategy

Today’s consumers are inundated with advertisements. So to stand out in a crowd, you need to utilize technology to make your business feel more personal, and sending out automated emails is a great place to start. 

If you want to implement an automated email strategy, your messages need to be relevant, timely and as far away from generic as possible. By making your email content more personal and segmenting your audience, you’re more likely to boost conversions and draw more people to your website. 

It’s also important to make sure your strategy doesn’t overload your audience. If you’re going to set up an automated email system, each message should have a clear objective. Consumers are savvy, and they don’t want to waste time reading irrelevant content. As long as you have a clear message that catches the reader’s eye, your emails are less likely to end up in the proverbial trash bin. 

Chances are, you already have an email hosting provider for your business. Most business communication is still done via email — internally and externally. If you haven’t already looked into the services your provider offers when it comes to automation, now is the time. Not only will you streamline workflows and improve customer connection, but you’ll take a lot of stress off of your employees with a few simple clicks. 

 

Indiana Lee Bio PictureIndiana Lee is a writer, reader, and jigsaw puzzle enthusiast from the Pacific Northwest. An expert on business operations, leadership, marketing, and lifestyle, you can connect with her on LinkedIn.

Unleashing the Power of Local Community Engagement: A Guide to Small Business Success

Running a business is all about finding ways to properly engage your customer base. From your products to your marketing, you want everything to be as narrow as possible. The question isn’t “What does it take for a coffee shop to be successful?” It’s “What does it take for this coffee shop in YOUR town to be successful?

The answer? Let the good people of YOUR town tell you. Modern community engagement is data-driven. As a business owner you need to understand your customer base and be able to use that information to both anticipate their wants and meet their basic needs. 

In this article, we take a look at how you can make your small business flourish by engaging your community. 

READ: How Brands Can Grow Customer Loyalty and Build a Positive Reputation in 2023

Localized marketing strategies

Marketing used to rely very heavily on the “throw things on the wall and see what sticks,” approach. The digital world has changed things. Consumers are now used to having a highly personalized experience with the brands that they frequent. 

You don’t have to be a big business to use data as a way of meeting your customers where they are. There are plenty of data programs out there that provide an affordable and accessible way to understand your shoppers and cater to their desires. 

Taking a look at your sales-related data is a simple way to understand what is working and what is not. Social media can provide an even more granular look at what piques your customer’s interest. Most social media platforms provide analytic tools that will allow you to see how your marketing messages are doing based on a wide range of criteria. 

If you do not feel confident in your ability to comprehend and apply data, there are also professionals available who will consult with your business on a freelance basis. Though not cheap, data-driven consultants provide a valuable service that can be particularly valuable when you are trying to revamp your business. 

READ: How Retail Business Intelligence Drives Customer Experiences and Boosts Sales

Community involvement

Customers value businesses that feel like they are a part of the community. To that end, “market engagement,” is not only about catering your product to the needs of your customers, it is also about catering your brand identity to the wants of the community. 

In other words, ingrain your shop in the lives of the people who use it. Support public initiatives. Cooperate with similar establishments. Contribute to fundraisers. Sponsor town marathons. Set up booths at community events. Do what you can to reach beyond the mere transactional aspect of your relationship with the community. 

Customer relationship management

Customer service is more important than ever. As a small business, you are uniquely positioned to provide a custom and familiar experience to the people that you serve. Get to know regulars. Respond quickly and professionally to phone calls and emails. Be friendly but professional. 

Keep in mind that part of the appeal of small businesses from a community member’s perspective is that they improve upon the faceless and devoid experience of shopping at big-box, international retail conglomerates. People want to feel seen, so use your customer service approach to inject a human element into your business practices. 

READ: 5 Tips for Overcoming Customer Service Obstacles as a Small Business

Collaboration

Market engagement also clues you into the greater business community. In the small business setting, it can be very valuable to have cooperative relationships with other shops in your area. It’s a form of networking. 

Getting to know other business owners can help you better understand the town that you are serving. It can also give you unique insights into the local supply chain, while further improving your ability to provide a unique and bespoke approach to the town you are serving. 

The Bottom line

Local market engagement is an intangible consideration that can have a significant impact on the overall health of your operations. By taking a data-driven approach to how you serve the public, you not only operate more efficiently but also establish yourself as an integral part of the town you serve. 

Community is a vital aspect of small business. By engaging with your market, you will improve sales while also deriving more joy from the process of being a business owner. 

 

Andrew Deen HeadshotAndrew Deen has been a consultant for startups in a number of industries from retail to medical devices and everything in between. He implements lean methodology and is currently writing a book about scaling up business.

Stand Out From the Crowd: 5 Must-Have Promotional Products for Small Businesses

In today’s competitive market, small businesses often struggle to stand out and attract customers. Promotional products can be powerful in creating brand awareness and fostering customer loyalty. Small business owners can effectively promote their brand by choosing the right items while providing value to their clients.

Here are five promotional products that are ideal for small businesses. Each item has unique qualities that make it a good fit for promoting your business.

READ: How Event Planners Nail the Hotel “Room Drop” Welcome Gift

1. Pens

Pens are a classic and timeless promotional item. They are practical, portable and frequently used, making them an excellent choice for any small business. By featuring your business name and logo on pens, you ensure that a wide audience sees your brand. Pens are often shared, allowing your message to reach even more potential customers. Whether used in the office, at home or on the go, pens keep your brand in constant visibility and improve brand recognition.

2. Umbrellas

Customized umbrellas may seem unconventional, but they offer exceptional visibility for your business. You turn your business name and logo into a walking billboard by imprinting your business name and logo on an umbrella. During rainy days, umbrellas are necessary; people often carry them outdoors, exposing your brand to a larger audience. Umbrellas are versatile promotional products that can be used by individuals from various demographics, making them an effective choice for businesses targeting a wide range of customers.

READ: Tips for Marketing During a Downturn

3. Sticky Notes and Notebooks

Sticky notes and notebooks are practical and widely used for promoting your small business. They are essential for jotting down reminders, making lists and organizing thoughts. You associate your business with productivity and organization by featuring your brand on sticky notes and notebooks. These items are often shared, seen by multiple individuals and used in various settings, such as homes, schools and offices. They provide repeated exposure for your brand and constantly remind you of your products or services.

4. Water Bottles

In the recent past, water bottles have become increasingly popular due to the growing emphasis on the health benefits of taking adequate water. By offering branded water bottles, you align your small business with a healthy lifestyle and showcase your commitment to enhancing your client’s well-being. Water bottles are highly functional, long-lasting and portable, making them ideal for promoting your business on the go. Whether used at the gym, office or during outdoor activities, branded water bottles offer your business much-needed advertising.

READ: How Brands Can Grow Customer Loyalty and Build a Positive Reputation in 2023

5. Tote Bags

Tote bags are amazing promotional products that offer a large branding space for your small business. They are eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastic bags and have gained popularity recently. Choosing a well-designed tote bag with your business logo promotes your brand and highlights your commitment to sustainability. Tote bags are used for grocery shopping, carrying belongings and everyday accessories. They provide your business with unlimited advertisements on the go, creating widespread brand visibility and leaving a lasting impression on potential customers.

How Effective Are Promotional Products for Business?

Promotional products have proven to be highly effective tools for business promotion. They create a positive impression of the brand and increase the likelihood of customer loyalty. Customers feel valued and appreciated by receiving a promotional product, fostering a stronger connection with your business.

These items serve as tangible reminders of your brand, reinforcing brand recognition and recall. Unlike other forms of advertising, promotional products have a higher retention rate. Customers are more likely to keep and use them, extending your brand’s exposure to a wider audience.

Moreover, promotional products offer long-term visibility. Whether it’s a pen, umbrella, sticky note, water bottle or tote bag, these products promote your business long after the initial interaction. They act as constant reminders, reinforcing your brand message in customers’ daily lives.

Promotional products also generate word-of-mouth advertising. When customers use or display these items, others notice and inquire about them, creating opportunities for organic brand conversations. This word-of-mouth exposure can lead to increased brand awareness and attract new customers.

Investing in promotional products that align with your brand values and resonate with your customers can effectively promote your business, increase brand recognition and drive business growth. Embrace the power of these simple yet effective promotional products to create brand awareness and propel your small business toward remarkable growth.

 

Katherine Robinson HeadshotKatherine Robinson is a writer for Freadom Promotions, a custom promotional products manufacturer committed to dedicating 100% of net profit in support of bold literacy initiatives throughout America.

How to Generate Qualified Leads for a Small Business: 3 Easy Tips

According to a 2021 HubSpot State of Marketing survey, 50% of small business owners say generating qualified leads is their primary digital marketing goal. But generating leads is a top challenge for 41% of content marketers. So, For the growth of a small business, understanding how to generate qualified leads should be a top priority. 

While large businesses can speed up the process using special software for generating leads, small businesses with limited budgets can only rely on lead-generation tactics. But learning how to generate qualified leads for a small business can be daunting. And with so many lead generation strategies, it’s easy to get confused about which one to use.

Here’s a guide on how to generate qualified leads, specifically for a small business.

READ: 8 Steps for Creating an Omnichannel E-commerce Strategy

1. Understand The Target Audience

There are over 2 billion digital buyers today. However, not all are ideal customers.

Research shows that about $37 billion is wasted every year in running ads that don’t engage the target audience.

It’s important for business owners to first determine who they want to reach with their marketing messages.

Start by answering these questions:

  • Who are the ideal customers?
  • What products or services do they want?
  • What makes them buy from you and not the competitor?

Next, use these strategies to determine the target market:

  • Analyze the customer base and conduct interviews with prospects.
  • Scrutinize the existing social media followers.
  • Perform competitor analysis.
  • Create buyer personas.
  • Use Google Analytics to look at industry trends.
  • Conduct thorough target market research.

What’s the best way to conduct effective market research?

A recent HubSpot survey shows that 76% of small businesses use surveys whereas 56% use interviews.

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Image via HubSpot

READ: 8 Steps for Creating an Omnichannel E-commerce Strategy

By knowing the right audience, it becomes easier to leverage the best e-commerce tools and the most effective digital marketing campaigns to generate qualified leads from this lot.

2. Optimize Your Website For Search Engines

When looking to buy something most customers turn to search engines. But these searchers might not scroll beyond the first page.

Research shows that appearing in the first position can attract a click-through rate of 28.5% whereas appearing in positions 2 and 3 can attract a click-through rate of 15.7% and 11.0% respectively.

Image via SISTRIX

It means small business owners should apply the best ecommerce SEO strategies to optimize their websites for organic search.

Here are useful tips for SEO optimization:

  • Conduct thorough keyword research to identify the search terms people are using.
  • Optimize for on-page SEO.
  • Optimize for off-page SEO.
  • Add keywords throughout the pages.
  • Optimize images.
  • Speed up the website pages.

Writing new blog posts on your target keywords never really stops. To stay relevant and keep popping up in the search results, use keyword research tools (SEMrush, Long Tail Pro, Ahrefs…) to find new topics and publish regularly.

As a small business owner, consider helping yourself out by using SaaS tools. For example, use an AI blog writer to keep your blog in shape and an email outreach tool to reach more targets for brand mentions and other aspects of off-page SEO. You’ll reach more goals with less effort and time spent, just choose your fighter.

READ: 7 Reasons Local SEO is Excellent for Small Businesses 

3. Leverage Social Media Marketing

There are over 4 billion social network users worldwide and the number is projected to reach 5.85 billion by 2027.

About 61% of small businesses are currently using social media for lead generation, according to a recent Sprout Social’s ‘The State of Social Media Investment’ survey.

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Image via Sprout Social

And according to the same survey, 63% of consumers expect brands to use social media as the main communication channel to reach out to their customers.

When used properly, social media can be a great tool to generate qualified leads for a small business. Try:

  • Creating compelling lead magnet offers.
  • Optimizing the business’s social media profiles for lead generation.
  • Sharing clickable content.
  • Offering the right incentive.
  • Launching social lead ads.
  • Personalizing offers.
  • Launching a referral campaign.

You can partner with micro-influencers to generate qualified leads. A social media expert can also help you get started with social media marketing. 

READ: 12 Ways to Repurpose Social Media Content for Email Marketing

Get Started Now

Learning how to generate qualified leads for a small business is undoubtedly a tough task. However, with the right guidance, it’s easy for small business owners to fill their sales pipeline with the right leads.

 

Gaurav Sharma HeadshotGaurav Sharma is the founder and CEO of Attrock, a results-driven digital marketing company. Grew an agency from 5-figure to 7-figure revenue in just two years | 10X leads | 2.8X conversions |  300K organic monthly traffic. He also contributes to top publications like HuffPost, Adweek, Business 2 Community, TechCrunch, and more.

 

Unlocking the Power of eCommerce Personalization: 6 Actionable Tactics to Revolutionize Your Digital Strategy

In ecommerce, personalization has become essential as customers expect retailers to understand their needs and expectations and offer relevant products. According to McKinsey, 71% of consumers want personalized interactions, and 76% get frustrated when they don’t get them.

To catch up with this trend, digital merchants are looking for new ways to update eCommerce strategies and modify their websites to deliver personalized shopping experiences. This article provides six actionable eCommerce personalization tactics and illustrates how brands successfully implement them in real-life eCommerce settings.

READ: eCommerce SEO – 6 Easy Tips to Drive Organic Sales

What is personalization in eCommerce?

ECommerce personalization is the practice of crafting unique shopping experiences for individual customers based on their needs and preferences. It relies on diverse customer data, such as demographics, location, browsing history, previous purchases and device type. There are several benefits of eCommerce personalization, including:

Enhanced customer experience

With personalization, customers receive product recommendations that match their unique needs. This drives a satisfying shopping experience, particularly when a retailer delivers personalization across all sales channels.

Moreover, businesses can remove friction points from buying journeys by optimizing the purchase experience and using convenience-oriented features, such as pre-filled credit card details and one-click checkout.

READ: How to Minimize Cybersecurity Risks and Balance Customer Friction for Your Online Business

Improved conversions

Personalization addresses customers’ individual needs, thus increasing the relevance of a brand’s offerings to shoppers and encouraging them to make a purchase. According to Netcore Cloud, retailers see an average increase in conversion rates by 45% from personalization.

Stronger customer engagement and brand loyalty

Customers feel understood and taken care of when they get tailored product offers from a brand. A survey by Segment shows that 60% of consumers are likely to become repeat buyers after a personalized shopping experience.

Businesses cultivating customer engagement and loyalty with personalization can significantly expand their customer base, cut acquisition costs and boost retention rates.

READ: Unlocking Brand Loyalty: Enhancing Customer Experience in the Digital Age

Increased revenue

According to the previously mentioned research by McKinsey, companies that employ effective personalization techniques generate 40% more revenue from these activities than average players.

Competitive advantage

By incorporating personalization into their sales and marketing strategies, retailers can stand out among other brands that fail to meet customer expectations for tailored shopping.

5 effective eCommerce personalization tactics

With accumulated customer data and dedicated software, digital merchants can apply multiple eCommerce personalization methods.

Dynamic product recommendations

eCommerce companies can also recommend specific products based on customer demographics, location and purchase history.

The effective techniques of dynamic product recommendations include showing products similar to what a customer has viewed, cross-department suggestions of complementary products and prompting customers to continue shopping where they’ve left off.

  • Example: Pura Vida Bracelets, an accessory business, introduced two recommendation categories on their product pages, “Products you recently viewed” and “Customers also like”, displaying similar popular products. Within the first year, product recommendations demonstrated an average conversion rate of 7.9%, with more than a 10% increase in overall revenue.

Personalized emails

An effective way to engage customers and increase conversions is to send personalized emails and newsletters with discounts for products that customers have recently viewed. Emailing time-limited offers can add urgency and increase purchase intent.

  • Example: Adidas sends personalized Birthday Style Ideas emails to customers with products they can like. This way, the brand values its customers by recognizing their special day and showing a deep understanding of their preferences.

READ: Email Drip Campaigns — 3 Examples and Best Practices To Boost Customer Engagement

Search personalization

eCommerce website search engines can be enhanced with semantic search capabilities to provide relevant search results to each different customer, with allowance for spelling mistakes and differences in how they can describe the same product.

  • Example: Jenson USA, an online bicycle retailer, segmented its customers into different types of bikers to deliver web search results tailored to a particular user. For example, if a customer has bought a mountain bike, then suitable tires and gear will pop up at the top of their search results. As a result, the company increased its revenue per visitor by 8.5%.

Abandoning visitors retargeting

Cart abandonment is a pressing problem in eCommerce, and personalization can help bring customers back to complete their purchases. Ideally, companies should retarget customers at risk of abandoning the cart with personalized offers through email or messages on social media.

Experts advise limiting your retargeting period from 7 to 14 days to reach out to customers when they are most likely to complete the purchase.

  • Example. Morvelo, a cycling clothing brand, sends customers an email reminding them of the products left in the cart and encouraging them to return and finish the purchase.

Personalized loyalty programs

Online retailers can personalize their reward and loyalty programs to build a stronger emotional bond with their audiences and increase customer satisfaction, ultimately leading to more conversions.

Best practices for loyalty program personalization include personalizing all communications, tracking loyalty points accumulated by program members and offering personalized deals to motivate customers to achieve reward goals by making more purchases.

  • Example. Starbucks uses AI-powered real-time personalization with gamification features in their loyalty app to engage customers. The brand makes product recommendations and comes up with personalized games to reward loyalty program members and encourage them to try new products. The games tripled Starbucks’s marketing campaign results and spendings from customers who redeemed offers.

The bottom line

Modern consumers expect personalized interactions from brands and are likely to become loyal when their shopping experiences are tailored to their needs and preferences. By incorporating eCommerce personalization into marketing strategies, companies can better understand customers, predict their wishes and provide them with the most relevant offers.

eCommerce personalization is a rewarding practice that improves customer relationships, reduces churn rates and acquisition costs, sets your brand apart from others and drives revenue. Retailers that hesitate to adopt personalization today can miss business growth opportunities and lag behind competitors.

 

Alena KuptsovaAlena Kuptsova is a Technology Research Analyst at Itransition, a software development company based in Denver, CO. She analyzes current digital transformation trends and explores the opportunities the emerging technologies bring to businesses across industries.

Unlocking Brand Loyalty: Enhancing Customer Experience in the Digital Age

There’s no denying the importance of digital marketing when it comes to the success and growth of any business. However, today’s consumers want more than traditional advertisements and techniques — they want better experiences and stronger relationships. If your business focuses on those things, you’re more likely to build customer loyalty and create brand ambassadors. 

With that in mind, let’s explore some of the strategies and best practices to improve customer experience and foster brand loyalty in the digital age. 

READ: How Brands Can Grow Customer Loyalty and Build a Positive Reputation in 2023

Why is brand loyalty important? 

Why should you invest your time and energy into building your brand? The reason is that brand loyalty keeps your business going, as it allows you to draw from a dedicated and loyal customer base.  It will help you to experience continued growth and sustainability, even in times of economic uncertainty. 

In addition, your consumers will be more willing to pay more if they trust your brand.  Plus, the more loyal your customers are to your brand, the more likely they are to give you free word-of-mouth advertising, whether it’s digitally or in-person. In order to begin cultivating relationships that can lead to brand loyalty, you need to start by meeting your target audience where they are. 

Understanding the customer journey

The first step in enhancing the customer experience is understanding the journey your target audience goes on from start to finish. Doing so helps to establish a customer-centric business model where your primary focus lands on the needs of your consumers. 

So, what can you do to map the customer journey and ensure their needs are being met every step of the way? Some of the basic steps include: 

  • Looking where your customers move online and in person.
  • Noting what actions they take when they need help.
  • Checking on data from your marketing team.
  • Common areas of frustration.

Understand that mapping the customer journey isn’t a one-time process. It’s something you will need to continue to look at and redesign periodically to make sure you’re optimizing the user experience for everyone who comes to your website, checks out your social media platforms or visits you in person. 

Building a better experience

Once you’ve figured out the paths your customers are taking — especially online — what can you do to improve their overall experience? 

Don’t focus on individual steps. Rather, focus on improving your company culture to be more customer-centric. That means creating an emotional connection with your customers after developing an understanding of who they are and what they want. Create a vision for every customer so everyone who has an experience with your brand online feels valued, heard and understood.

READ: 5 Tips for Building a Strong Company Culture in a Hybrid Work Environment

Your goal should be to form healthy relationships with your target audience. Doing so will make your brand more easily recognizable, whether you put it on your packaging or you strictly have an online presence. Not only will more people know who you are, but something as simple as seeing your logo can help them associate that visual with what they know about you. Your brand becomes your identity, and it’s how your customers will start to view you. 

A great customer experience typically starts with a healthy company environment and happy employees. With that in mind, get feedback from your team regularly about what you can do to improve the overall customer journey, and what they’re willing to do to help. The happier they are with their work environment, the more likely they are to create a pleasant experience for your audience. 

The bottom line 

A great customer experience needs to be personal, tailored and well-suited for your business. Don’t assume there’s a cookie-cutter concept that works for all customers and all brands. Think about your audience and what they might value most from start to finish. 

By cultivating great relationships with your customers, you’ll unlock brand loyalty, create customers for life, and grow your brand using grassroots tactics that are focused on relationships, rather than outdated marketing techniques. 

 

Indiana Lee Bio PictureIndiana Lee is a writer, reader, and jigsaw puzzle enthusiast from the Pacific Northwest. An expert on business operations, leadership, marketing, and lifestyle, you can connect with her on LinkedIn.

8 Steps for Creating an Omnichannel E-commerce Strategy

With the digitalization of commerce, customers are adopting new shopping patterns. According to Salesforce, 78% of customers use several channels to start and complete a transaction. Additionally, on average, customers communicate with companies through nine different channels. That’s why it’s essential to optimize your e-commerce strategy for omnicannel purposes.

However, providing omnichannel experiences requires substantial effort, resources and competence from the retailer. Therefore, future-thinking merchants should focus on a comprehensive e-commerce strategy if they want to advance their omnichannel initiatives.

READ: From Clicks to Conversions — How to Craft an Effective Online Advertising Strategy

What is omnichannel e-commerce?

Omnichannel e-commerce is the integration of a brand’s separate sales channels to provide uniform, seamless shopping experiences. With omnichannel capabilities, customers can start their buying journey in one channel, switch to another and pick up shopping right where they left off.

Why is omnichannel e-commerce important?

Wider reach

Omnichannel e-commerce enables companies to provide meaningful customer experiences across numerous popular channels, thus reaching more people and making brand interaction hassle-free.

Sales growth

Delivering relevant shopping experiences consistently across channels can strengthen customer relationships, which positively influences sales. According to a Sprout pulse survey, 77% of customers are more likely to buy more from brands they feel connected to.

A better understanding of customers

E-commerce businesses can collect and merge comprehensive customer data from multiple integrated sales channels to gain insights into customer behavior, deliver personalized experiences across touchpoints and plan data-driven marketing campaigns.

READ: Determining Your Business’s Target Market – Why It’s Necessary and How To Do It

8 steps to an effective omnichannel strategy

1. Make your e-commerce strategy mobile-friendly

Companies striving to make cross-channel shopping seamless need to first check that store visitors using their desktop, smartphone or tablet can access it with equal convenience. If not, then merchants should redesign their websites to provide consistent experiences for different devices. 

2. Tailor your message to the channel

Once a business chooses the channels to be present on, it should define the purpose of each channel and create content relevant to this purpose. Even though all channels should deliver a consistent brand message, they don’t have to duplicate it. Instead, store owners can adapt content to the specifics of the channel and use different timelines, tactics and formats.

READ: Email Drip Campaigns — 3 Examples and Best Practices To Boost Customer Engagement

3. Map the customer journey

For each channel, businesses should understand how customers behave during the purchasing process. This will help merchants visualize the customer journey and ensure a convenient transition between every step as well as different channels, providing seamless experiences and increasing the chance of a purchase.

4. Power up omnichannel with data

Omnichannel commerce requires integrating back-end systems and sales tools to enable data sharing across various touchpoints and cross-team collaboration. This way merchants can track inventory across all sales channels in real-time to maintain supply chain stability and deliver orders on time. With their tech stack integrated, brands can synchronize critical commerce-related data and provide more up-to-date and relevant information to their customers.

5. Set up cross-channel customer service

In the omnichannel approach, companies should consolidate individual support requests from different channels into a single source of truth to give context to support reps and enable them to quickly resolve customer issues.

According to Gladly’s 2021 report, 63% of customers love brands specifically for excellent customer service. This means that establishing omnichannel customer service will also help companies increase customer satisfaction, improve retention rates and maximize customer lifetime value.

6. Keep testing

Companies should regularly review their customer-related activities to determine if current methods are working. The testing scope can include various marketing and technology components, from reviewing the correctness of customer segmentation to website performance testing, making sure it properly handles the traffic.

7. Remarket across channels

With omnichannel marketing campaigns, store owners can remind their customers of unfinished purchases by showing relevant ads on marketplaces or social media, sending targeted emails, or pushing personalized notifications in the app. Such omnichannel re-engagement helps accelerate conversions, reinforce brand recognition and encourage brand loyalty.

READ: How Brands Can Grow Customer Loyalty and Build a Positive Reputation in 2023

8. Invest in human talent

Even if a business adopts best-in-class omnichannel technology, improper or poor use by the employees will undermine the investment in the long run. That’s why employee training should accompany the introduction of the omnichannel e-commerce strategy.

Additionally, companies can identify areas where they lack in-house resources or expertise and hire external specialists to support every tech component and strategic initiative within their omnichannel agenda.

The bottom line

Omnichannel e-commerce strategy enables merchants to erase the boundaries between multiple shopping channels by centralizing data acquisition and providing consistent, personalized experiences. With the right omnichannel strategy, e-commerce businesses can turn their brand experience into a competitive differentiator, fostering customer loyalty and driving more sales.

 

Alena KuptsovaAlena Kuptsova is a Technology Research Analyst at Itransition, a software development company based in Denver, CO. She analyzes current digital transformation trends and explores the opportunities the emerging technologies bring to businesses across industries.

How Does Google’s Quality Score Impact Customer Experience?

Google’s Quality Score is a crucial element of digital marketing, and it impacts not only the success of a business’s advertising efforts but also the customer experience.

READ: Improving Your Customer Experience and Boosting Satisfaction — 3 Easy Tips

The components of Google’s Quality Score

Google’s Quality Score is determined by three main factors: ad relevance, expected clickthrough rate (CTR), and landing page experience. The importance of each of these factors can vary depending on the context of the search query.

Ad relevance refers to how closely the ad matches the user’s search query. The expected CTR is an estimate of how likely it is that a user will click on the ad based on its relevance, ad format, and position. Landing page experience refers to the quality of the web page to which the ad directs users.

How Quality Score affects ad position and cost

Quality Score affects ad position and cost-per-click (CPC). Ad position is determined by a combination of the Quality Score and the bid amount. Ads with higher Quality Scores can achieve higher ad positions even with lower bids. Lower CPCs are also possible, which can result in lower advertising costs.

The relationship between Quality Score and customer experience

Google’s Quality Score plays a significant role in ensuring that relevant and useful ads are shown to users. Ads with high Quality Scores tend to be more relevant and useful to users, which increases the likelihood of users clicking on them. This means that businesses with high Quality Scores are more likely to attract engaged customers who are interested in their products or services.

In addition to ad relevance, landing page experience also plays a crucial role in customer experience. A high-quality landing page can increase the likelihood of users converting, while a poor-quality landing page can result in users leaving the site without taking any action.

READ: From Clicks to Conversions — How to Craft an Effective Online Advertising Strategy

How to improve quality Score and customer experience

To improve their Quality Score and customer experience, businesses should focus on improving ad relevance, CTR, and landing page experience. Strategies for improving ad relevance include using targeted keywords, creating compelling ad copy, and using ad extensions.

To improve CTR, businesses should focus on improving ad format, such as using eye-catching headlines, using high-quality images, and including a clear calls-to-action. To improve landing page experience, businesses should focus on creating high-quality landing pages that are relevant to the ad, load quickly and have clear navigation.

Importance of ongoing optimization and testing

Ongoing optimization and testing are crucial for improving Quality Score and customer experience. By regularly testing different ad formats, landing pages and targeting strategies, businesses can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions to enhance their digital marketing efforts continually.

READ: Determining Your Business’s Target Market – Why It’s Necessary and How To Do It

The bottom line

By focusing on improving ad relevance, CTR and landing page experience, businesses can improve their Quality Score and enhance customer experience. Ongoing optimization and testing are critical for continually improving digital marketing efforts and achieving long-term success.

 

Jill BrooksJill Brooks is a freelance writer from the East Coast who enjoys discussing how technology impacts the future of work. In her free time, you can find her in the mountains, or on a hunt for the world’s best mac-and-cheese recipe.

Email Drip Campaigns — 3 Examples and Best Practices To Boost Customer Engagement

If you’re not currently using email drip campaigns for your business, you’re missing out on effective ways to engage your audience and convert them to customers. But the good news is that it’s never too late to start.

We’ll cover some email drip campaign best practices and examples to help you connect with your audience in the right way and at the right time.

READ: Is B2B Email Marketing Dead? 

Email drip campaigns — best practices

Here are some email drip campaign best practices you can apply to your own email marketing campaigns.

Segment your subscriber list and send personalized messages

According to Statista, over 60% of online shoppers can’t be loyal to businesses that deliver non-personalized content. With that in mind, group your recipients into different segments to help you send personalized and targeted email drip campaigns.

To achieve that, you must thoroughly understand your target audience by knowing their pain points, shopping preferences, and demographics.

For example, if it’s a cart abandonment email you’re sending, think of what problems the customer would have encountered. Maybe your shipping costs were too high, or you hadn’t clearly stated your return policy. Then, craft a personalized email addressing these issues to boost your chances of converting the prospect.

You can use an email marketing platform to engage better and understand your audience, helping you segment them into appropriate groups.

READ: Using Video in Email Marketing Campaigns: Best Practices and Benefits

Add a call-to-action in the drip marketing campaigns

Your recipients should know what they should do at the end of every email — whether signing up for a free trial or scheduling a call. So always include a call-to-action (CTA) at the end of your email drip campaigns.

Tailor your CTA buttons according to your audience’s buyer journey stage. For example, if a segment of your audience has recently signed up for your newsletters, you can ask them to follow your brand on social media. You can share a case study or a white paper if they’re at the consideration stage.

Use social proof to increase your audience’s trust and credibility

Social proof is where people are influenced to buy your products or services because they trust and follow the actions of other buyers. Giving evidence in your email drip campaigns that other consumers have used and benefited from your products establishes your company as trustworthy and reputable.

According to a 2023 BrightLocal survey, 44% of consumers are highly likely to give a positive review if they feel your business went above and beyond to offer an exceptional experience. 

So, look for ways to solve your customers’ problems and give them great experiences to get positive reviews you can use to attract more prospects. For example, you can ask subscribers questions about their business challenges through interviews or questionnaires, then send them emails educating them on how to solve their issues.

READ: How Brands Can Grow Customer Loyalty and Build a Positive Reputation in 2023

3 effective drip campaign examples

Let’s look at three effective drip campaign examples to inspire yours.

Welcome drip campaign

One essential drip campaign email to send new subscribers is the welcome email. These emails are triggered once a user submits their email address or joins your newsletter.

The welcome email is your brand’s first impression with these new subscribers and sets the tone for the rest of your interactions. 

Here’s an example from Spotify:

email drip campaigns
Image Source: Spotify

The welcome email is simple and straight to the point. It thanks the prospect for signing up, then highlights the value they’ll get from the brand and an option for unsubscribing.

Cart abandonment drip campaign

Customers abandon close to 70% of their shopping carts. But the good thing is that around 75% of such consumers typically want to return to your website and complete their purchase.

With open rates of over 49% and conversion rates of 8.38%, sending abandoned cart drip campaign emails can help you recover those would-be-lost sales. 

Here’s a drip campaign email example from Society6:

email drip campaigns
Image source: Society6

Lead-Nurturing Drip Campaign

A lead-nurturing email drip campaign focuses on prospects who are interested in your products or services but have yet to buy. The email marketing strategy is to keep the leads engaged with your brand and build a relationship with them until they’re ready to purchase.

In your lead-nurturing emails, offer valuable information and attractive offers to boost your chances of persuading your customers to buy. 

Here’s this lead nurturing campaign example from The 5TH offering a 60% discount for their New Arrivals:

email drip campaigns
Image source: The 5TH

The Bottom Line

The best practices and examples above can help you create drip email campaigns that convert your leads and prospects into customers. So, consistently offer your audience value and relevant content to help them decide to purchase. That way, you’ll be able to boost your company’s revenue.



Author
Skirmantas Venckus

Skirmantas Venckus is a writer by day and reader by night. He hates talking about himself in third person. He is also the growth hacker at Sender.net – the email marketing provider that is focused on user-friendliness, affordability, and utility.

 

Promote Your Real Estate Business — 5 Best Digital Marketing Strategies

Digital marketing is one of the go-to marketing channels for real estate businesses, including but not limited to brokers, agents, appraisers and property managers. Outside of traditional methods, there are online platforms, channels and technologies which make promoting and selling products or services to a more targeted audience a much easier task. Various strategies are used, but they never stay static. Search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, social media marketing, email marketing, and more are some of the main methods you can use to promote your real estate business by:

  •  Reach a wider audience
  • Generate leads
  • Build brand awareness
  • Showcase property listings
  • Engage with potential clients

This will ultimately help you attract more clients, close more deals, and grow your real estate business.

READ: LLCs and Real Estate Investing — Pros and Cons You Should Know in 2023

Put effort into SEO to promote your real estate business

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your website’s visibility on search engines like Google, making it easier for potential clients to find your real estate business. Effective real estate SEO includes some of the key things to make sure you do to increase visibility. Some are very technical and could be handed to a specialist or agency, and some are very straightforward and can be done by a non-specialist.

Keyword research

Identify relevant and high-traffic keywords to target in your content.

On-page optimization

Optimize page titles, meta descriptions, URLs, and header tags for targeted keywords.

Content creation

Publish informative and engaging content related to the real estate industry.

Link building

Acquire high-quality backlinks to your website from reputable sources.

Local SEO

Optimize your website for local searches by including your business address and contact information. As most real estate businesses cover a specific geographical area, it’s important to have your listings on Google, Yelp, Bing (yes, Microsoft’s Bing as well), and other important listing sites to have the same rich information, a lot of reviews (good ones), and be actively maintained.

READ: 7 Reasons Local SEO is Excellent for Small Businesses 

Technical SEO

Ensure your website loads quickly, is mobile-friendly, and has a secure HTTPS connection. A key thing to understand is how to make the website “seen” by search engine bots.

Make your real estate website more user-friendly

A user-friendly website is essential for engaging and retaining potential clients. Some of the must-have features for a real estate website include:

Responsive design

Ensure your website works well on all devices, including mobile phones and tablets. Already, 50% of users do all their searches on mobile, in some industries, it can be as high as 90%.

Easy navigation

Organize your website with clear menus and intuitive navigation.

High-quality images

Use professional and appealing images to showcase your property listings.

Property search functionality

Include a search feature that allows users to filter properties based on their preferences.

Contact information

Display your contact details prominently, making it easy for users to get in touch.

Testimonials and reviews

Showcase positive client feedback to build trust and credibility.

Use Google Ads to get fast results

Google Ads is a PPC advertising channel that can help your real estate business get quick results by driving targeted traffic to your website. Important things for advertising through Google Ads is to make sure you have the right keywords and audience and are actively measuring results. Do not let any ads run until the conversion tracking is properly set up and you have a good idea of attribution of leads coming from different channels. Important things to remember are:

Use location targeting

Target your ads to users in specific geographic areas where your properties are located.

Create compelling ad copy

Write engaging and informative ad text that highlights your unique selling points.

Utilize ad extensions

Use features like call extensions, location extensions, and site link extensions to provide additional information and improve click-through rates.

Test and optimize

Regularly review your ad performance and make data-driven adjustments to improve your results.

You can hire a professional or an agency to handle this, but keep your eyes on two of the most important metrics.

  •    How much do you pay per lead? — CPL (cost per lead)
  •    Quality of the leads

If two of the above metrics are within your targets, then scale the campaigns as much as possible.

READ: Determining Your Business’s Target Market – Why It’s Necessary and How To Do It

Develop a social media marketing plan to promote your real estate business

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn can be valuable tools for promoting your real estate business. A successful social media marketing plan for real estate should:

Set clear objectives

Establish goals for your social media marketing efforts, such as increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or engaging with potential clients.

Choose the right platforms

Focus on the platforms that are most popular among your target audience and best suited for showcasing your properties.

Share high-quality content

Post visually appealing images, informative articles, and engaging videos that showcase your properties and expertise.

 Engage with your audience

Respond to comments and messages, ask questions, and participate in relevant conversations to build relationships with your followers.

Monitor and analyze performance

Regularly track your social media metrics to understand the effectiveness of your strategies and identify areas for improvement.

READ: Don’t Get Left Behind — Top 8 Social Media Trends for 2023

Utilize email marketing

Email marketing is a cost-effective way to nurture leads, communicate with clients, and promote your real estate business. The best practices for a successful real estate email marketing campaign include:

Build a segmented email list

Collect email addresses through website opt-in forms, social media, and other channels, and segment your list based on factors such as location, property preferences, and engagement levels.

Personalize your emails

Address recipients by name and tailor your content to their preferences and needs.

Create valuable content

Share relevant and informative content, such as market updates, property listings, and tips for buying or selling a home.

Use eye-catching subject lines

Write compelling subject lines that encourage recipients to open your emails.

Monitor and optimize

Track key metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions, to evaluate the effectiveness of your campaigns and make data-driven improvements.

The bottom line

By implementing these five digital marketing strategies, you can effectively promote your real estate business, generate more leads, and grow your client base. Prioritize search engine optimization, create a user-friendly website, leverage Google Ads, develop a social media marketing plan, and establish an email marketing campaign to maximize your online presence and reach your target audience.

 

Michael HakobMichael Hakob is the founder and CEO of Andava Digital, with 10+ years of experience in digital marketing and focus on SEO and organic channels that drive traffic. Graduate with a degree in Management of Information Systems, Game Theory enthusiast and Management 3.0 follower.