Some truly compelling statistics on digital marketing have been found that are quite thought provoking. As per survey conducted, 98% of respondents feel that leaders must possess digital skills but very few are actually good at it. Surprisingly SMS delivers six to eight times greater level of audience engagement than does email. Over the Christmas weekend, searches via mobile phones increase by a whopping 500%. This in spite of half the shoppers in UK feeling fearful of getting ripped off during the Christmas period. This was also a period when searches on eBay rose by 50%. Unfortunately for some of the stand alone retailers, their stores get overlooked during this festive season. Several companies’ websites though have bombed due to their under-preparedness to handle such large traffic on Fridays. Business intelligence gathered by Capgemini confirms that sales finalized using smartphones has increased exponentially recently. A negative trend of retailers though is the failure to allow smooth checkouts. Also more than two-fifths of shoppers in the UK are using their mobile phones to find beast deals while present at the concerned store. Instagram has been found out to be the most engaging social media for the B2C segment. In terms of user experience though, it is non-profit firms that are lagging behind.

Source:  https://econsultancy.com/blog/67352-16-thought-provoking-digital-marketing-stats-from-the-past-week/

An online publication has provided is a list of marketing goals that must be targeted for this year. There must be an increased focus on the quality of content not its quantity. A content marketing plan must be well in place. This content must be dispersed in innovative patterns. While Facebook has to be the anchor social media, others such as Pinterest or Twitter have also proven to be ideal channels for digital marketing initiatives. Beyond online modes, companies must renew their efforts at face-to-face sales pitches. It is also important for organizations to find strategic partners who share a similar philosophy. Goals set must be realistic to align with trends. Some firms have even started doling out freebies since it attracts attention but also lets potential customers sample the products on offer. Organizations must themselves execute only such activities that they are really good at, while outsourcing the non-core business operations. Marketers must be proactive to seize opportunities but also be prepared to face unforeseen challenges. Business innovations must be experimented with periodically. It is important to find right mentors in the industry but one can start by being a mentor towards some others as well. Data must be utilized to track market movements. Most importantly, marketers must have fun as there is no point without the element of enjoyment. 

Source: http://www.business2community.com/marketing/16-marketing-goals-business-2016-01415008#qssPv76Yzobyxx8Z.97

There seems to be a disconnect between the investment on social media by businesses and its impact. Certain factors are responsible for this divide. A large number of organizations are guilty of not aligning their social media campaigns across various channels. This generates a disjointed digital marketing footprint. This also reflects the lack of clear goals regarding social media. Customer use of social media needs to be better captured using relevant data. Only about a tenth of respondents on marketing research anchored by CMO confirmed they were satisfied by the marketing impact of social media. A set of marketers are not leveraging the potential of their business partners or outsiders to brand their products on social media. Marketing leaders need to possess cross-functional abilities in order to best leverage platforms such as Facebook or Twitter. Also as social media is a relatively new phenomena, number of marketers are struggling to develop competencies for the same. Similarly a lot of marketers struggle to attune the social media marketing with the financial side of the organization, using the platforms for only branding where final sales must also eventually generate.

The highly respected Forbes publication has detailed a list of tactics every firm must add to its marketing campaigns this year. Several companies these days are good with attracting viewers to their website but fail to convert due to lack of relevant content on the site itself. Increased usage of data backed business analytics needs to be done. Such analytics will also enable real time marketing where promotions are pushed at the right time to the concerned audience using such metrics from captured data. Customer experience needs to be paid top priority on. Videos are amongst the best ways to catch young audiences and they must be made liberal use of. Buyer personas need to be tagged and segmented targeting needs to executed accordingly. Instead of going all out individually, it will always be beneficial to attach the firm’s social media pages with others groups so that influence based marketing can take place automatically. In current circumstances the mobile phone remains among most potent sales cum branding tools and thus no digital marketing will be complete without a mobile friendly interface in addition to the web. Content must also be well dispersed to the maximum population using a combination of paid and organic methods. A number of firms these days are guilty of working relentlessly yet without proper direction. This needs to be rectified using proper thought leadership from the very top.

There is so much talk regarding digitization in business, yet the customer experience needs to be kept simple. Digital technologies must seamlessly merge with daily chores. Business intelligence gathered by Salesforce points out two important trends which are creating a balance between the physical and digital spaces. The first one was the integration of mobile phones in the buyer journey. Then there is the increased use of CRM. Wearables are also adding to the list of technologies making lives easier. This way technologies as well as its vendors remain agile and adaptable to circumstances.

Big or small firms, all are active these days on Facebook. It has been proven to be the most effective as well as efficient method of conducting digital marketing. However, many players are unable to crack the code of how to really excel at marketing via Facebook. One firm that has succeeded is UK based Lancaster Insurance that provides insurance to vintage cars. The entire Facebook page is full of classic pictures of such cars that instantly attracts the niche audience. Similarly Nike has a page that that showcases all engineering and product test designs. March of Dimes caters to health of babies and their deep knowledge as well as sense of care reflects from the company Facebook page.

Certain technologies are powering the growth of ecommerce. Online transactions in the USA have risen from a mere 2.8% of the total volume in 2006 to 7% presently. Innovative retailers are now aligning their online and in-person strategies in such a way that customers get sense of brand convergence. The mobile phone is progressively being targeted more using features such as geo-fencing which enables location tracking. Specific geography based notifications can then be pushed to the potential customers. Instead of small retailers marketing individually, platforms such as ‘Garmentory’ let boutiques display their wares at one place. Several customers are worried about cyber security and that is where Blockchain technology is so useful as it is the most powerful tool to secure information. This has helped spike rise in online payments. Retailers are now considering holistic customer experience across the chain. Sustainability is the buzzword. Technology is enabling vast data warehousing operations to take place where information gets tracked before analysis can take place.