Refining Your Digital Marketing Strategy to Enhance Online Presence
Jul 29, 2021
Impacting by marketing uncertainty, marketing budgets have fallen to their lowest recorded level, dropping from 11% in 2020 to 6.4% in 2021. i Brands are continuously reprioritizing resources and moving investments to digital as a reflection of drastic changes to customer activities and buying journeys.
Maximising ROI in Social Media
Social media marketing is proven to be a significant strategy in reaching and converting customers. The total number of global social media users has grown by more than 13% year-over-year and is 147 million higher than that of 3 months ago. Social networking also dominates the world’s online activities with 95% of the global working population spending more time in digital platforms, followed by messaging apps, search engines and web portals. ii To purposefully connect their brands with target market, organisations develop messaging that resonates their audience, extensively capitalise on video viewership momentum, and test different creatives and formats across platforms to maximise return of investment (ROI).
Improving Digital Presence with SEO
Online research remains to be the common starting point of customers’ buying journey. With more than 50% of internet users browsing for products online every week iii, brands are optimising their search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy to gain visibility across the internet and develop a strong digital presence. Despite the budget cuts, SEO has in fact earned a top spot receiving the most marketing investment. iv However, search engine algorithms are always affected by the ever-changing consumer behaviours. For instance, the use of long-tail keywords in search has proliferated due to the increasingly popular voice-based and virtual assistants’ searches. Brands should continuously adapt SEO efforts based on online search trends and developments, and curate buyer-specific contents that support leads nurturing.
Leveraging AI for Conversational Marketing
While strong customer service and engagement across digital touchpoints effectively enhance the overall customer experience, 63% of organisations are still struggling to deliver personalised experiences. v Emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are key to executing an effective personalisation strategy for digital marketing. With AI and chatbots, brands are able to run individualised conversations and automate sales recommendations, which in turn build better relationships and drive higher customer satisfaction.
The current business environment has cast a clear spotlight on the crucial need for resilience and digital capabilities. Data from the first half of 2021 shows elevated growth in digital use around the world. For the second half of 2021, consumer preferences for digital are projected to persist, with some to switch permanently and completely away from their pre-COVID habits. As brands come across challenges from tight marketing budgets, they should revisit digital marketing plans to align strategic priorities. Talk to Regen8 team to learn how to improve your digital marketing ROI.
i Gartner Says Marketing Budgets Have Plummeted to 6.4% of Overall Company Revenue in 2021, Gartner, July 2021, https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/-gartner-says-marketing-budgets-have-plummeted-to-6-4--of-overal
ii Digital 2021 July Global Statshot Report, DataReportal, July 2021, https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2021-july-global-statshot
iii Digital 2021 July Global Statshot Report, DataReportal, July 2021, https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2021-july-global-statshot
vi The State of Marketing Budgets 2021, Gartner, July 2021, https://www.gartner.com/en/marketing/research/annual-cmo-spend-survey-research
v Gartner Says 63% of Digital Marketing Leaders Still Struggle with Personalization, Yet Only 17% Use AI and Machine Learning Across the Function, April 2021, https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/-gartner-says-63--of-digital-marketing-leaders-still-struggle-wi
