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Apps are one of the great success stories of the mobile age. People love their easy accessibility and their native speed – what they don’t like is getting them. Going to the app store, finding the right app, completing the download, etc. all create friction in the user experience. In fact, each step to download reduces 20% of users. That’s why over 50% of smart phone users download zero apps a month.
Enter Progressive Web Apps. PWAs borrow the best characteristics from regular web pages and mobile apps — they are fast, reliable and engaging.
Perhaps more importantly, they also reduce the steps between discovery of an app and getting it on your mobile device’s home screen. As a user explores a web page, they get prompted to add it to their device, and once they tap it, POOF – it instantly appears as an app-like icon ready to access.
Movéo insight:
PWAs are new and still have some challenges to overcome before they go mainstream – chief among them is that not all browsers support them. That being said, they will soon co-exist with native apps much like downloadable music co-exists with streaming services. Due to their superiority on a number of fronts (not all covered here), we believe PWAs will eventually replace apps.
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A 360-degree view of the customer has always been the holy grail of marketing, but since 2013, it has also been the impetus behind a new category of martech — customer data platforms (CDPs).
Sharing similarities with customer relationship management, data management, and tag management systems, CDPs have the ability to collect, store, and normalize large volumes of data while creating a persistent customer identifier that spans across data sets.
While gaining traction slowly at first, CDPs built momentum in 2016 when the Customer Data Platform Institute was launched. Today, it is attracting significant investment because of its focus on first-party data (in vogue since GDPR).
50 the number of CDPs in 2018 (twice as many as in 2017)
Movéo insight
The most confusing thing about CDPs is that many martech solutions profess to offer a “single view” of the customer, but in reality it’s often assembled on the fly from many sources of data rather than coming from a central location (as with a true CDP system).
While there is no precise definition of CDPs, the following are table stakes:
- Managed by marketing (not IT)
- Employ a unified, persistent, single database
- Utilize a consistent identifier that links all of a customer’s data
- Fully accessible by external systems
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Last month, leading analyst Gartner released its first-ever global “magic quadrant” for personalization engines. These are stand-alone software solutions that apply context about individual users so that web pages can be tailored to them.
Dynamic Yield, Everage, Monetate, Certona, Adobe and Qubit were listed in the “leaders” quadrant for their respective personalization solutions.
74% get frustrated with websites when content, offers, ads, promotions, etc. appear that have nothing to do with their interests – Janrain study
Movéo insight:
It’s no secret web users increasingly crave brand interactions tailored to their unique needs. Vendors listed in the magic quadrant projected a 35% increase in personalization engine revenue between 2017 and 2018, a reflection of the substantial growth of this new category in the martech ecosystem.
Movéo expects personalization to continue to ramp up in 2019, as it has been shown to increase conversion, marketing effectiveness and customer satisfaction.
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If there’s one holiday tailor-made for Movéo, it’s July 20: National Get to Know Your Customer Day. That’s because customer insights are the cornerstone of how we do business. Even in B2B, marketing is fundamentally a conversation between marketers and customers. And like all conversations, it works best when you know who you’re talking to. That means talking about what’s most interesting to customers, using words that resonate.
If this is starting to sound like search engine optimization (SEO), it should. “Google searches are the literal voice of the consumer,” says Lee Vida, Movéo’s digital marketing manager. “Customers tell search engines exactly what they want, in words that make the most sense to them.” SEO uses this knowledge to tailor the conversation toward what customers want to hear.
However, while SEO is important, it isn’t the first step to knowing your customers. Before you can speak in your customer’s voice, you need to understand these three factors.
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Audience: Who Are They?
First off, who are you speaking to? What’s their title? Role in the decision-making process? Priorities when considering a purchase? Many companies already have a general answer to these questions. But it’s worth connecting with Sales to make sure your understanding matches their experience.
Once you know your general audience profile, you can dig deeper. Segmented behavioral and lifestyle data provide a wealth of information to help you target customers more accurately. Data services such as Prism, Tapestry, or Mosaic can help create a detailed picture of your customers: demographics, interests, purchasing habits, media consumption, and more.
Buyer personas take this data and weave it into a useful, unified narrative. They’re the most comprehensive way to understand who your customers are from a B2B perspective.
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Topics: What Do They Care About?
Now that you know who you’re talking to, the next step is to determine what they need. Effective marketing content must be timely, relevant, and helpful. That makes knowing what interests your audience absolutely essential.
Social listening tools are a great resource to see what topics and hashtags are trending in your industry. Along with platforms like Crimson Hexagon or Sprout Social, you can check Reddit, Quora, or Google Alerts. In the B2B space, LinkedIn is a gold mine of insights. It offers free audience identification for your company page’s followers. You can see their industry and job title, as well as what other content they’ve interacted with. This lets you determine what sparks your audience’s attention — while making sure you’re researching the right people.
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Goals: What Do You Want Them to Do?
When you’re targeting specific audience segments, you should be clear about what actions you want those people to take. If you don’t know your goals, how can you know if you achieve them?
Your goals will depend on the nature of your buyer’s journey, and how far along prospects are in it. If prospects are usually ready to buy right away, your goal may be to set up a sales call. If they take more time, you may want to get contact information to nurture them later. And if your sales cycle is long, you may focus on micro-conversions. Sometimes just guiding prospects to the next page on your website is enough.
Speak Their Language
After answering these three questions, you’ll have robust buyer personas, a library of relevant topics, and an eye on your end goal. Finally, you’re ready to dive into Google Analytics and Google Search Console to identify the best search terms for your audience. Then, optimize your site and content for those terms, to be as helpful as possible.
That’s what it all comes down to in the end: helpfulness. The better you know your audience, the more useful you can be. And the more useful you are, the more likely they are to convert into loyal customers.
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The hashtag. From a straightforward and serviceable way of seeing content around a given event or topic, to finding like-minded people and launching movements, the hashtag has evolved from its “pound sign” origins.
Hashtags help users quickly find your content, connecting you with new people and giving you a powerful way to share your message.
The hashtag was originally used on Twitter in 2007, when early users needed a way to organize tweets. Twitter formally adopted hashtags in 2009. When Instagram launched with hashtags in 2010, their use skyrocketed and rapidly spread to other platforms — even email and print.
LinkedIn was a holdout, discouraging hashtags by making them non-clickable. That began to change this spring, and LinkedIn is now testing a feature that suggests potential hashtags as you type a post.
So how can you use hashtags to your advantage?
DO use multiple hashtags, but not too many.
Linchpin SEO found that tweets with one or two hashtags see a 21 percent lift in engagement compared to tweets with three or more. Tweets or LinkedIn posts with long strings of hashtags can appear spammy.
DON’T use irrelevant keywords.
While it can be tempting to use a top-trending keyword to gain new eyes for your post, think strategically. You risk getting lost in a sea of unrelated content or — worse — annoying potential readers. If you can find a clever way to connect it to your brand in a relevant way, give it a try.
DO invest the time to research what your audience actually searches for.
Conduct several searches of relevant topics to see how your audience is talking about your subjects. You can do this by going to Twitter and LinkedIn and simply searching for your proposed hashtags, then comparing the results. You may discover that #dataquality is used by your audience (and that #DQ is preferred for the ice cream brand).
DON’T make hashtags too long or complex.
Think like your audience. They may not want to type in #2018greatbigextralonghashtag, and long hashtags are more prone to typos. Choose the most succinct option that still makes sense, and avoid acronyms or abbreviations that won’t be immediately understood by your audience.
DO weave hashtags directly into your tweets.
This is especially important on character-limited platforms like Twitter. Rather than ending a tweet with several hashtags, use them in the copy itself: “This is how #hashtags should work.” Rather than, “This is how hashtags should work. #hashtags” On LinkedIn, hashtags are usually in a row after the text of your post, where they’re easily searched but don’t interrupt the flow.
DON’T make up hashtags.
If engaging new users is your goal, they’ll never find your invented hashtags. It’s far better to find out what your target audience is already using and use their preferred hashtags. The exception? If you’re launching a well-promoted event, product, or idea. Your hashtag can grow if you use a campaign tagline as a hashtag on print ads, web ads, blog posts, and elsewhere throughout your ecosystem. Likewise, if you’re hosting an event, announce your hashtag and encourage attendees to use it by including it on presentation templates and materials.
DO add hashtags to your LinkedIn Company Pages (and profiles).
Add hashtags as “Specialties” in your About Us section to return in search results. You can do likewise for your personal profile to increase your prominence around key topics. Adding hashtags to your LinkedIn comments on other peoples’ posts can also help boost your profile.
DON’T set it and forget it.
Hashtags are constantly evolving. Don’t choose an initial list of hashtags and make them a permanent fixture of your efforts. Pay attention to how your industry’s preferred hashtags are changing, and adjust accordingly. Set a reminder to do this at least monthly or quarterly.
Hashtags can connect your brand with new people, but you must use them wisely.
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The meteoric rise of Amazon has raised concerns for businesses across the spectrum. And, as discussed in a previous post, healthcare is by no means exempt.
But that doesn’t have to spell disaster for healthcare organizations looking to grow. It simply means that they have to think about their operations differently. Focus on customer satisfaction. Be agile, adaptable, and digital. In short, behave more like retail.
That process isn’t necessarily easy. Healthcare organizations looking to “retail-ify” their operations face a number of challenges. But if they can successfully transform their operations, the rewards are well worth it.
Experience Is King
In the past, many healthcare organizations have responded to patient needs slowly, if at all. But since Amazon has set consumer expectations sky-high, the status quo can’t be good enough. The Health Management Academy reports that 40 percent of “very loyal” patients would switch doctors for a more convenient experience.
Some health systems are making the patient experience more convenient by offering virtual visits. Patients can meet with practitioners by phone or through video chat. This frees up physicians’ time for complex cases that need in-person attention. Plus, 74 percent of the telehealth patients at Brigham and Women’s Hospital reported that the experience improved their relationship with their provider.
Bear in mind, though, that while technology can streamline the patient experience, it doesn’t erase the need for in-person customer service. Vanguard Communications surveyed 20 of the country’s best-known hospitals and found that 63 percent of Yelp reviewers gave them between one and three stars — largely because of customer service issues. Focus your efforts on removing friction from the patient experience at every touchpoint. Your relationships and your reputation will reap the benefits.
Time to Get Personal
No one understands the importance of consumer preferences better than Amazon. Now, it’s time for healthcare to follow suit.
In healthcare, many demographics affect customers’ needs. Age, income level, insurance coverage, and location influence not only what consumers are looking for, but also how and when they want to engage with you. Research and segment your audience to deliver a powerful, tailored experience every time.
That requires reaching customers through the right medium, too. According to a 2014 McKinsey study, 75 percent of patients prefer communicating with their healthcare provider digitally. And it’s safe to assume that number is higher now than ever. When patients have easy access to physicians through smartphone apps, web-based portals, or live chat, they can control more of their experience. This leaves them with a more positive impression of your organization.
Be aware, though, that creating digital tools doesn’t necessarily mean patients will use them. According to recent study by the Department of Health and Human Services, only 28 percent of consumers who have access to a digital health portal have used it in the past year. However, 63 percent of those who did were coached to do so by their physician — so you can help encourage adoption.
Changing Healthcare, One Experience at a Time
Of course, healthcare and retail are two vastly different industries. But in many ways, they aren’t as far removed as they might seem. Both must evolve because of high customer expectations. And both operate on the same principle: those who give customers the best experience will come out on top. If you can overcome healthcare’s unique challenges and bring these principles into your operations, your organization will be poised to thrive in the age of Amazon.
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Print collateral such as brochures and flyers can be effective in specific settings, but digital healthcare marketing is steadily growing, making up 90.9 percent of percent of healthcare marketing tactics in 2017 according to a 2018 Medical Marketing and Media report. As such, it’s crucial to employ marketing strategies that gives patients (both existing and potential) the functionalities they want while making it as easy as possible to move them down the marketing funnel to usage.
Drive Engagement Through Your Website
Your website should be robust and transactional. It’s important to build brand awareness, but that should be just one factor. By providing clear and engaging calls to action along with features personalized to patients based on location, for example, you’re able to give patients everything they need in one convenient place.
Once your site is developed, keeping your patients engaged is crucial. A customer relationship marketing (CRM) strategy can help you do just that by allowing you to reach and nurture patients at every interaction. Whether it’s through social media or email, keeping your patients engaged and aware of your dedication to their needs can lead to more profitable patient retention.
Practice Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
Even the most well designed websites may not prompt users to take action. To truly understand what is most effective, you must test what resonates with and motivates your audience. This can and should be done often through conversion rate optimization (CRO). The process can be broken down into five steps:
- Define goals and key conversion actions
- Use tools to monitor behavior and identify areas to optimize
- Develop hypothesis to drive more of the desired action
- Test and measure alternatives
- Deploy optimized solution and repeat
There are tools you can — and should — use to support your optimization process: web analytics tools measure performance and helps identify optimization opportunities; behavioral tracking tools show you how users engage with your content, helping to inform and test optimization recommendations; and testing tools execute A/B and multivariate tests to find the most effective content and design executions..
Utilize Paid Search and Google AdWords
Paid search, also known as pay-per-click (PPC) ads, is an effective tool to quickly get your message to those searching for services that you may offer. Using PPC ads to test creative themes can be a cost effective way to get into the mind of your audience; the more they respond to a certain ad, the better insights you have for the creative direction of your future campaigns.
When researching keywords and developing paid search ads, keep in mind that what may be important for you — someone who works in healthcare — may not translate the same to patients and consumers. For example, you may be running a campaign with a keyword about “cancer computed tomography (CT) scans,” but a patient might search “CAT scan for cancer.”
Optimize Your Content for Organic Search (SEO)
Search engine optimization uses existing information and content from your website to yield better organic search results. All the content on your site, from headlines and captions to links, can be “scored” across different variables, and this scoring is taken into account in a search engine’s algorithm (e.g., Google, Bing, etc.). The higher your content is scored within each variable, the better your search engine rank. As you add functionalities or content to your site, you should continue performing SEO to keep your scoring high.
You can find tools to analyze and assess your site’s SEO score for content, website authority, and technical variables, such as page speed. When applied together, you have a higher chance of attracting new patients and moving them through the marketing funnel.
At Movéo, our healthcare clients benefit from data-driven strategies like these to help grow their business.
See how we can help you overcome your digital marketing pain points with a free 60-minute consultation.
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It sounds simple — publishers put a text file on their web servers that list all the companies that are authorized to sell their ad space. Programmatic platforms do something similar to confirm which publisher’s space they are authorized to sell. Ad buyers make sure both match up, and ad fraud is thwarted.
Simple it is — and effective — but for some reason, it’s been slow to catch on. Last December, a study showed that just 20 percent of publishers had adopted “ads.txt,” a fraud prevention solution. A new study, however, reports that 60 percent of the top U.S. publishers are now onboard.
Movéo insight:
As with any new technology, it helps to have champions. Google began blocking purchases of ads.txt-identified inventory in November 2017, six months after it was introduced. Many others have followed; however, the most important impetus may be advertisers. The study quoted earlier notes that half are suspicious of publishers that don’t use ads.txt and another third said they would only advertise with publishers who do use it.
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Yesterday’s brand narrative just doesn’t work in today’s marketing landscape. There are plenty of reasons for this, but one factor rises above the rest: technology has changed the game.
New technologies have introduced more sources of value for many companies — as well as more challenges, learning curves, and potential disruptors. To create a brand that resonates with today’s customers, companies must seek out innovative ways to infuse traditional branding with the latest technologies and tactics.
This was exactly the topic up for discussion at AMA Chicago’s Brand Smart 2018 conference. Our Consulting & Engagement team attended Brand Smart to connect with other marketing experts and pick up the latest insights. To help spread the wealth, we’ve collected our top takeaways here.
The Personal Is Powerful
Artificial intelligence (AI) is on the rise, but it can never fully replace human attributes like empathy, creativity, and the ability to connect with others. That’s where marketers can provide big value to their clients: by finding ways to augment machine learning with a human touch.
For example, AI platforms like Bombora track how users consume content, and then allow marketers to target those users based on their preferences. The platform provides the data, but it takes a human touch to leverage those metrics and insights in a marketing campaign.
Honesty Is the Only Policy
In the age of “fake news,” distrust of media is rampant. The annual Edelman Trust Report, reviewed at the Brand Smart conference, shows just how low consumer trust has fallen. It’s important for businesses to use technology responsibly and build a brand that establishes them as trustworthy thought leaders.
Prospects are searching for knowledgeable experts. To build lasting customer relationships, that’s what businesses need to be. Providing thought leadership through white papers, case studies, webinars, and honest business practices will help a business’s branding process come out on top.
Overcome Narrow Thinking
An AI-focused session raised two fascinating examples of how thinking inside the box can damage a brand. One discussed a problem with AI systems like Amazon’s Alexa: these systems can learn to ignore some African-American voices. While this is a technology issue, it has far-reaching lessons for marketers. When assembling creative or a branding strategy, marketers must consider all audiences they hope to reach. A message tailored for one niche segment won’t have the same impact on another.
Another example came from the world of automotive. Australian test-drivers found that the animal detection systems in Volvo’s self-driving cars don’t recognize kangaroos. Volvo’s engineers failed to plan for this because … they’re based in Sweden. Not exactly the land of kangaroos. In our interconnected world, an insular viewpoint can be damaging. Innovative and effective ideas require thinking beyond our habitual thought processes. Additionally, both examples illustrate how a diverse team can positively influence creativity.
Did you attend Brand Smart? We’d love to hear what insights most interested you. Share your personal takeaways in the comments!
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Developing and maintaining loyalty should be priority number one for any brand or company. There are two types of loyalty that, when established, can help boost your ROI: brand loyalty and customer loyalty. To reap the rewards of both types of loyalty, though, we must first understand the difference between the two.
Brand loyalty represents how consumers feel about your brand. You want to build a level of prestige through your unique offerings, while demonstrating key benefits for consumers. Make an emotional connection that resonates with consumers, which can lead to a positive brand experience that boosts your company’s reputation — and keep your company in high regard to consumers. Once this loyalty is established and earned, consumers are more likely to try your other products and services — or, even better, recommend your services to others.
Customer loyalty, on the other hand, is all about consumers returning to your business, and can be effectively developed through consultative offerings or memberships. In some ways B2C companies have an easier time developing that kind of loyalty — through rewards programs, for example. To tap into that same type of loyalty, a B2B company personalizing their unique message and proving that they hear and understand customers’ pain points can help maintain customer retention. This can be best done through customer relation management (CRM) and other nurture campaigns.
The differences between these types of loyalty are subtle, to be sure. But building up both over time can help yield a higher ROI.
Loyalty isn’t just a “nice to have” for your business — it’s a necessity that can make a real impact on your bottom line. Acquiring new customers can cost five to seven times more than retaining existing customer, with a 5–7% conversion rate for prospects versus 60–70% for existing customers.
Moveo’s branding experience gives us unique insights into building true brand awareness that translates to loyalty. Contact us today to see how our expertise can help you overcome your branding or customer retention challenges.
