Brands aim to truly connect with their audiences and UGC is proving to be an excellent way of engaging existing and potential consumers. But does your brand know the rules? Do you understand user generated content licensing regulations? Avoid a litigious path of potential banana skins, says Simon Banks at Lobster – get to grips with the rights and wrongs of using UGC.
Increasingly, consumers are understanding how useful sharing their data can be, in terms of receiving a relevant communication, a tailored offering or a specific deal. But are marketers really making the most of a personalised marketing strategy or, as research suggests, do many doubt that perfecting personalisation is possible? Currently, personalisation is good, but we need to do it better.
Online juggernaut Amazon is ‘in its Prime’, international research shows: nearly 40 per cent of online spend is conducted via Amazon and consumers view it as leading the field in digital retail. How can other retailers compete? Researcher Salmon has some answers.
Some major brands are really ‘getting it right’ on Facebook, attracting and retaining hundreds of thousands of followers. How do they do it? What’s their strategy for success? And what can smaller businesses do emulate that success and get more followers on Facebook? Here’s some top tips:
People are living longer and demographics are shifting rapidly, with older consumers switching on to digital. However, being internet-savvy doesn’t mean they are fully confident around social media. Marketers should be aware of the rising ‘silver surfer’ age group, says Phil Aiston, but understand their online behaviour and adjust accordingly when it comes to social marketing.
We have grown used to exaggerated ad pitches from desperate salespeople, but now the web is beset by fake news, gathering click-throughs from intrigued viewers. Research from Rakuten shows us that brands that advertise on websites carrying fake content are suffering; their reputations tarnished. Can we save the web in this ‘era of untruth’?
Marketers aim to understand all potential customers’ needs, desires and behaviours in order to give them personalised access to their services and goods. So why do they shy away from segmenting minority populations according to ethnic groups, culture and background? Prof Richard Webber says that by ignoring those differences – albeit with noble and non-racist intent – marketers are actually depriving those potential consumers of the benefits of customer experience personalisation.
Increase traffic to your website through tactical use of keywords, but also ensure that traffic results in conversions. Here’s how to move a search into the buying funnel and thus help your brand to grow:
Data analysis and careful research will lead to better audience profiling – knowing your customers and thus aiming more clearly at your target market through individualisation and personalisation. Understand the 4 key marketing disciplines to define your audience and get a better return on ROI: