Tag Archives: Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

The New Era of Hybrid Shopping

The New Era of Hybrid Shopping.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted shopping behaviors from physical stores to digital shops. During the new normal, people are fusing in-store and online shopping experiences. The result is a new era of hybrid shopping!

A digital marketing speaker Hong Kong poses a question if brands are prepared to deliver in the new era of hybrid shopping. It means having a lot of touchpoints both offline and online. Brick-and-mortar shops are back to operations. Digital shops are now exploring live shopping. 

WHAT IS HYBRID SHOPPING?

Hybrid shopping means the best of in-store and online buying to create a convenient and customized shopping experience. Think of your shopping habits. You are browsing on Instagram and saw a shirt you want to try on. You check for the nearest location of the physical store, visit the store, and eventually make a purchase. 

By personalizing the buying journey, a social media agency Hong Kong highlights that hybrid conversion can boost conversion and engagement on brands and businesses. So, they need to invest in integrating their online and physical stores.

BOPIS is becoming a popular hybrid shopping trend. It is an abbreviation for Buy Online, Pick up In-Store. It starts with a shopper browsing a brand or business website for products and services. They choose the items that they want to buy online and check out with a preferred pick-up location. Store associates will pull the in-stock items either in-store, on another branch, or at the warehouse. Once the items are ready, the customer can pick the orders in a dedicated area.

WHERE DO MODERN CONSUMERS PREFER TO SHOP?

Recently, Meta (formerly Facebook) conducted a study about retail shopping behaviors. Here, they have concluded that modern shoppers are trying to experience the best of both worlds. It means that omnichannel marketing is no longer about having different social media pages or online apps and websites. Rather, brands and businesses are starting to merge with physical shops. 

41% of global shoppers prefer hybrid shopping. Here’s a breakdown of the top 11 regions:

  • Mexico – 52%
  • Thailand = 49%
  • United States = 44%
  • Germany = 44%
  • United Kingdom = 43%
  • Australia = 42%
  • Brazil = 41%
  • Canada = 37%
  • Slovakia = 35%
  • France = 34%
  • Japan = 29%

From these data, Meta experts have formulated some keys to a better shopping experience. 

KEYS TO A BETTER HYBRID SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

Enhance Digital Shops

Modern consumers are looking for digital solutions to solve their frustrations when shopping in physical stores. The inconvenience of carrying bulky and heavy shopping bags prompted them to order online with the convenience of getting them delivered right to their doorsteps. 

Hybrid shopping results in online being an appealing destination to find products. They are convenient and easier to navigate. A video marketing agency Hong Kong scales short video clips as a way to promote products online. With 66.3% of shoppers researching for products and services on the web before buying it, they are an effective way to highlight its features and functions. 

Hybrid shopping makes social media a source of interconnectivity among marketing channels. It helped them make informed decisions. Recommendations from Facebook groups, family members, and friends can answer the needs of a shopper. That is why 60% of modern consumers use social media across all markets to find products and services. 84% of them made an in-store purchase after discovering items on social media.  

Make In-Store Shopping More Efficient

In the new era of hybrid shopping, brands and businesses should use technology to make in-store shopping more efficient. Mobile app navigation and online payment processing can boost in-store sales. 

One of the most common pain points in in-store shopping is not finding the right color or size of merchandise. With online inventory being synced to different physical stores, hybrid shoppers can be directed to the nearest store where their color and size are available. 

Modern consumers are also looking for instant solutions. By syncing online checkouts and in-store deliveries, they can receive the goods in under 10 minutes. It makes hybrid shopping more convenient and fulfilling on the side of the customers. 

USE AR and VR to Enhance Immersion

Modern consumers still want a human touch during the buying experience. So, brands and businesses can use AR or VR o enhance an immersive buying experience. Hybrid shopping no longer needs to go to a physical store to try-on apparel, beauty products, fashion accessories, etc. They can even do a test drive for a car virtually.

The conventional wisdom of eCommerce makes it possible for shoppers to feel as if they are physically present in-store to try out new products and offerings. Today, one-third of shoppers are using augmented reality to experience products. 

Reference: https://www.facebook.com/business/news/insights/the-next-era-of-hybrid-shopping-au

Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

Showcase Your Products for Free on Google

Google Merchant Center

Getting products and services to appear online can make or break a business. Google is the answer to such a need. It is the largest search engine in the world, with more than 90% reach to online consumers and over 2 million websites. No wonder more than 7 million advertisers engage in Google Ads PPC. 

Most small businesses and startups have a limited budget on pay-to-play to showcase their brand online. But the good news is, there are ways to showcase your products for free on Google, as noted by a digital marketing speaker Hong Kong. Even though they do not cost money, they can get your brand to Google images, Shopping, and more organically. 

Begin with Google Merchant Center

Google Merchant Center is a Google property where you can reach hundreds of millions of people daily. These people are looking to buy products and services from brands and businesses. As an online marketplace, Google Merchant Center will connect you with the right customers at the right moment.

The first step is to create a Google account if you don’t have one. Afterward, you can now grow your business with Google Merchant Center. Head to merchants.google.com and follow the guide to identify how Google can help your business. Enter the URL of your eCommerce website and follow the simple steps to tell Google the information it needs about your business. You can now showcase your products for free on Google.

Complete Your Business Information

Your business name, store name, or website name will appear next to each product that you showcase for free on Google. But this is not enough to rank on Google searches. You will need to complete your business information to boost visibility. 

With a Google My Business account, you get more than just a listing. You can boost reach and drive customer engagement for free. All you need to do is complete your business information. These include business categories or niches, contact numbers, email, operating hours, physical address or addresses of your stores, and URLs of your websites. 

Integrate Your Third-Party Platform

Are you working with third-party platforms to promote your products online? Or do you have you build your business or eCommerce website? To further showcase your products on Google, you may need to integrate your third-party platforms with your Google Merchant account.

Linking your accounts can help Google understand your business more. It can then provide better services to your business and link third-party platforms. A social media agency Hong Kong also highlights the importance of linking your social media pages with Google Merchant. It is a way to build and sync interconnected online stores to boost visibility on Google searches. As a way to build up your online identity, it also provides merchant trust and quality signals. 

Review Your Product Listings

You will also need to review your listings to better showcase your products for free on Google. Update them from time to time. Under published products, click a product title to see its details and tools. You can then edit and update them based on your preferences. You can also sync inventories across all programs.

If you are using Shopify, Google will automatically detect and import your updated product listing. But for social media Shops and other third-party platforms, you may need to do it manually. Most online searchers look for product ratings and reviews. According to a video marketing agency Hong Kong, the best way to showcase them on Google is to add short testimonial clips of happy customers.

Use the Merchant Center Flow to Help Google Understand Your Products

The Merchant Center Flow helps Google understand your products more. It will match your product information with the most relevant queries. First, you will need to verify your website. Then you will have to set up your shipping information for customers to know how long it will take for an item to reach them together with its delivery cost. If you are a seller from the United States, you will also need to set up the tax information for your business.

After Google identifies your website, it may automatically add your product listing on your Merchant account. All you need to do is to confirm the product entries. If you have less than 100 products on your list, Google recommends manually adding them. As such, you can configure the following data:

  • Brand Name
  • Manufacturer Part Number (MPN) 
  • Strong product identifiers like Global Trade Item Number (GTIN)

From these data, Google will better understand your products and match them with the most relevant searches.

Through Google Merchant Center, you can also update your product attributes to specify color, condition, material, pattern, and size. You can also ensure uploading high-quality images to capture the customers’ attention.  

Visibility

Google wants to ensure that a business provides the best customer experience. So, as a last step before the final review, it will ask you to see and agree with the terms and conditions of Google Policies. Afterward, you will just need to wait for an email as a go signal that you can showcase your products for free on Google. 

Reference: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/378043

Digital Marketing, Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

How to Craft Personalized Marketing Messages to Boost Customer Loyalty

Personalized Marketing Messages

Do you know that Amazon is the pioneer of personalized marketing messages? The company uses sophisticated analytics to customize products offered to its shoppers. It normally sends a confirmation email after a purchase, with suggested bundle offers relevant to the recent item, bought by the customer. Recently, Amazon launched the Prime Wardrobe services for Prime members. Through such services, a team of stylists will do personalized recommendations from millions of brands across Amazon.  

Modern shoppers expect a personalized experience among brands. That is why brands and businesses should craft customized messages relevant to each shopper. This can differentiate them from their competitors and enable them to survive. On a scale, personalized marketing messages lift total sales by 2% plus reduce marketing costs by 10 to 20%. They have also proven to drive customer loyalty and retention. As a result of positive customer interaction, they yield 3x higher return on investment (ROI) than mass promotions. Below, feel free to know how to craft personalized marketing messages to boost customer loyalty.

3 Fast Facts About Personalized Marketing Messages

A digital marketing speaker Hong Kong has noted 3 fast facts about personalized marketing messages. These are:

  • 2 in 3 online shoppers would rather buy from brands that are aware of their purchase history.
  • 72% of online shoppers engage with marketing messages crafted according to their interests.
  • 90% of customers find irrelevant marketing messages annoying.

These fast facts further showed that modern customers prefer marketing messages that feature product details, make them laugh, relevant to their interests, and tell a good story. If a brand is successful in crafting personalized marketing messages, it will eventually achieve brand loyalty, conversion, customer retention, and engagement. On the reverse side, a brand that fails to craft personalized marketing messages drives customers away and fails. 

Tips to Craft Personalized Marketing Messages to Boost Customer Loyalty

There are three categories where brands and businesses can craft personalized marketing messages to boost customer loyalty. These are through email, in-app messaging, and text.

Personalized emails increase click-through rates by 41%. It is important to add first names to your subject line. A person’s name is the sweetest word one can ever hear or read. It increases an email open rate by 20% and reduces the unsubscription rate by 17%. As an extra pro tip, it is best to keep your subject line at 25-30 characters. This makes them mobile-friendly. Remember that a majority of modern shoppers access their email on mobile devices. If an online shopper abandoned a shopping cart, send them a reminder email possibly with a discount code to entice sales. Alternatively, brands can also send behavior-triggered emails when an online shopper completes a certain action on the website. This type of email increases the open rate by 70.5%. Through an automation system, behavior-triggered emails are commonly sent to customers who click the buy button, download an eBook, and sign up for a subscription, etc. According to a social media agency Hong Kong, one way to drive viral growth via personalized marketing messages is to encourage customers to share congratulatory emails on their social media accounts. 

One way to improve the content of an email marketing message today is by adding a video like what a video marketing agency Hong Kong does. The most effective email messages are limited to around 50 to 125 words. So, adding a video to the email can help brands engagingly convey more information. Besides, adding the word “video” on an email subject line increases the open rate by 6%. A 2-minute video is recommended as great email content. 

Personalized in-app messaging provides an exciting journey among online shoppers. Most modern consumers download apps on their devices to make their shopping experience convenient and easier. These shopping apps allow them to access and explore new products and services anytime and anywhere. In-app messages are hyper-targeted messages sent to a user when they are actively online on a shopping app. They allow brands and businesses to send a message to the customer or prospect at the right timing. These include customer support, product updates, relevant updates, etc.  Some best practices using in-app marketing messages are 

  • Sending welcome notes with quick beginner’s tutorials
  • Sending daily users with referral codes or special discounts with a simple redemption process
  • Creating pre-built templates to highlight exciting user data or shareable brand stories

Personalized text messages can also add value to a brand’s overall marketing campaign. SMS messages are cheaper and more personal than other forms of marketing messages. Through text messaging, brands can send a welcome offer guiding users on how to explore the brand’s app or website. Creating a unique coupon code can make the receiver of a text message feel more special and evokes brand connection. Modern customers also prefer to get appointment reminders, confirmation of a reservation, or status alerts. Brands can use text messaging to complete them together with a help desk link to cross the extra mile in providing customer service. It is also best to remember investing in a two-way text messaging platform. Reply to text messages received from customers and prospects. SMS yield a 45% response rate and this can make a big difference to the success of your marketing messages.

Reference: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/10-ways-to-personalize-your-marketing-messaging-to-create-loyal-customers/600643/

Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

The Scope of Digital Marketing This 2021

The Scope of Digital Marketing This 2021

Digital marketing or online marketing is any strategy to promote a brand, product, or service on electronic devices. This can be a computer, laptop, smartphone, tablet, and any other devices that can be connected to the Internet. In essence, digital marketing is a way to connect and influence your target customers through Internet advertising. It covers blogging, eCommerce, email marketing, pay-per-click, and social media advertising. Among the common assets of digital marketing are:

  • A business website
  • Branded assets like a brand’s acronym, icon, logo, slogan, etc.
  • Branded images like company photos, infographics, product shots, etc.
  • Branded videos like product demos, video ads, etc.
  • Online products or tools like AR try-on, interactive content, SaaS, calculators, etc.
  • Social media pages
  • Written content like blogs, eBooks, product descriptions, testimonials, etc.

According to a digital marketing speaker Hong Kong, digital marketing is more cost-effective and reaches a larger audience than traditional marketing. Through it, brands can track campaigns daily and control their ad spending based on ROIs. They can also target global prospects who have higher buying intent which can result in more sales. It also levels the playing field among big corporations and small businesses. Social media agency Hong Kong notes that social media platforms balance advertising and marketing among all users. 

As of April 2021, there are around 4.7 billion global Internet users. That is almost 60% of 7.863 billion people in the world. This means that digital marketing is very important among brands because of the growing Internet usage from time to time. The scope of digital marketing can be defined through the numerous channels and strategies that connect brands and customers. Such a scope differs as trends change. Below is the scope of digital marketing this 2021. 

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is some kind of promotional partnership between a brand and a website. This can be done by hosting video ads through YouTube’s partner program and posting affiliate links on social media pages. Every time a consumer clicks on the affiliate link and buys a product or service on the link, the affiliate website will earn a certain commission. The affiliate can be an individual or a company. Today, affiliate marketing commonly involves social media influencers.  

Content Marketing

Content builds relationships out of trust, and trust can drive revenue among brands. This is the principle of content marketing. It is the process of creating and distributing valuable content to highlight the benefits of a brand. The process includes writing blog articles, eBooks, infographics, and whitepapers. Yet content marketing also involves podcasting, posting on social media pages, webinars, and updating website content. A video marketing agency Hong Kong highlights the importance of videos in content marketing. In 2021, video is still the king. Most consumers today prefer watching videos over reading long posts. Digital marketers noted that video marketing is 68% more effective than Google ads and 74% more effective than static images. Today, most social media channels support the hosting and sharing of branded video content. One trend to watch out for this 2021 is the search engine optimization of images and videos. 

Email Marketing

Most companies use email marketing to connect to their audience by promoting content, discounts, or events. It comes next to social media and content marketing as a digital marketing strategy. Around 87% of B2B marketers use email to distribute ads and campaigns. 

Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is one of the most cost-effective scopes of digital marketing. It is 61% less expensive than PPC, paid social media ads, and traditional advertising. Among the tactics used by brands on inbound marketing are automated messaging, email spam, pop-up ads, true view video ads, etc.

Pay Per Click

Most digital marketers pay search engines like Google to drive traffic to their websites. The best example of PPC is using Google Ads which show on the top slots of Google’s search result. Every time a searcher clicks the ad, Google will charge the brand per number of clicks. Social media channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter also allow PPC. Facebook paid ads are featured on top of the newsfeed of matching business users. Twitter displays profile badges and tweets among a dedicated audience segment. On the other hand, LinkedIn allows sponsored direct messages based on the member’s background or industry.

SEO.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of increasing website traffic through content and website improvement. There are 3 approaches to SEO.

  • Off-page SEO is done through backlinking using relevant links within the website. This is to allow a connective flow among the pages of the website. Off-page SEO also uses links from another website to increase the audience reach of page content.
  • On-page SEO is done by using relevant keywords on the site’s content to rank higher among search results. The key is to target the most common words that users type on the search box and answer those queries in the most informational manner.
  • Technical SEO focuses on the website’s element. These include the number of clicks to access a page, data structure, image compression, speed of loading, etc. Its main goal is to provide a better website experience among guests and visitors.

Social Media Marketing

Brands and people are going social. This means that they are commonly on social media platforms connecting with family and friends, searching for products and services, and watching out for news and trends. This scope of digital marketing aims to drive brand awareness and generate leads for a business. This 2021, the top social media platforms for marketing are:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram

The scope of digital marketing is getting bigger and larger as people find new ways on how to access and enjoy the Internet. As such, digital marketers should always be flexible and on the lookout for the latest news and trends.

Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

How Video Marketing Influences the Buying Experience

How Video Marketing Influences the Buying Experience

If a picture paints a thousand words, then how much can a video express? Around 87% of social media agency Hong Kong use video in their strategies. It is a straightforward means of campaigning and a powerful tool to connect with people. In 2021, video marketing will continue to rise, especially now when consumer habits have changed. It is no longer just a piece of a marketing plan. Rather, it is now the central focus of digital strategies. People go online more often as an effect of the pandemic lockdowns. They now commonly search for products and services in digital shops instead of physical stores. So, the question is: How does video marketing influences the buying experience?

What Is Video Marketing?

Video marketing is using moving images to promote a brand, product, or service. It can be used for everything – from building rapport, promoting products and services, to telling a brand story. It is pretty simple. The rawer a video is, the more authentic it appeals to the audience. It is also cost-effective. Today, you can shoot a 4K video or one with excellent quality just by using a smartphone.

A brand should first identify what type of video it would like to create. According to a digital marketing speaker Hong Kong, there are several types of video content.

  • Behind-the-Scene videos help brands establish a closer relationship with their customers. These give them a unique video experience seeing how a brand is conceptualized, how it works, and how they move forward. It’s watching what they don’t usually see on video ads.
  • Event videos showcase the highlight of the event, interesting interviews, presentations from the gathering, or even a live broadcast while an event is happening. 
  • Explainer videos commonly answer frequently asked questions about a new offering. They may also highlight the functions and benefits of a certain product.
  • How-To videos can be a demo on how to use a product, putting the product to a physical test, or unboxing a gadget plus how to assemble them.
  • Interview videos are a great way for brands to build authority and trust within a community. They highlight the expertise of an influencer or thought leader endorsing a brand.
  • Live Videos mean streaming real-time to announce something important or interact with the customers.
  • Presentations and talks are informational videos related to the brand. They can be a conference of brand advocates, industry experts, and thought leaders in a certain field. The main goal of such video content is to highlight that a brand participates in communities and innovation.
  • Product Demo is an in-depth explanation of the unique selling proposition (USP) of a featured product. It shows the product’s benefits for the potential customers to realize what they could get after buying it.
  • Review videos are commonly user-generated content highlighting how a brand, product, or service helps someone or solves a problem. These types of video marketing alter the viewer’s perception and influence their buying decision.
  • Testimonial videos are also user-generated videos of happy or renowned customers highlighting their good experience with the brand. These increase the confidence of potential customers to try out the brand as it produces positive results.
  • Tutorial videos teach the customers instructions on how to better understand a brand or a product. Like how-to videos, they give clear instructions on how to assemble or use a product the right way.
  • Vlogs are video versions of traditional blogs. They are fun and entertaining content showing how brands can help their clients. It also shows how customers enjoy the benefits of a product and make life easier for them.
  • Webinars are live video talks with a host and several numbers of participants exchanging ideas over a live and multi-participant broadcast.

How Does Video Marketing Influence the Buying Experience?

A recent survey made by Animoto showed the following insights on how video marketing influences the buying experience. These insights clearly show that brands should consider a video marketing agency Hong Kong as a major part of their strategies.

  • Among the best social media platforms for video marketing today are YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. This year, YouTube expanded the reach of TrueView video ads. They can now be seen before an actual YouTube video, during a mid-roll streaming, and at the end of the clip. Facebook has seen a surge of real-time shopping videos. Instagram, on the other hand, positioned itself by enhancing short-form video content. These include IGTV, Reels, and Stories.
  • Around 93% of consumers find videos helpful when purchasing a product. Video is a gold mine to an SEO strategy. By boosting likes and shares, they drive traffic to a brand’s site. Putting the right meta descriptions and tags on videos increase their chances of ranking in Google. Typically, consumers prefer the top 3 on the 1st page of Google search results. After finding the video helpful, searchers are turned into buyers.
  • Consumers prefer videos over photos and reading when learning about new products and services. This is because they are more entertaining than still images and text descriptions. They also make it easier for consumers to explore the content. Studies showed that viewers retained 95% of video messages. This is way higher than the 10% information retention when reading a text. So, when they are ready to purchase, they will most likely remember the brand on a video they have recently watched.
  • Videos are the top 1 favorite content among social media users. Social media users are 4x more likely to watch a product video than read text descriptions of a product. Videos increase the conversions on landing pages by 80%. Even on emails, merely mentioning the word “video” increases the open rate by 19%. These are clear statistics showing the strong influence of video marketing on buying decisions.

The Bottom Line

Today, brands should find a way to make their video marketing stand out. Short-form clips and vertical videos continue to grow in popularity. They are engaging, eye-catching, and relevant. Most social media platforms are equipped with A/B experiment tools. Use them to know what draw your audiences in. Act now, and start creating the most enticing video for your brand. Doing nothing is not marketing. Create pictures that paint a thousand words, and record videos that travel a million miles.

Reference: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/how-video-is-influencing-consumer-decision-making-in-2021-infographic/598171/