Peter Jones, Managing Director at Jones Digital, shares the latest thinking on how the KBB, home interiors, and construction industries can harness the power of the latest marketing technology to raise their profiles … and deliver amazing customer service, 24/7.
The past two years have intensified consumers reliance on digital technology as a tool for connection across all aspects of their lives, with 84% of British adults owning a smart phone, and ONS 96% have internet access, up from 57% back in 2006.
What was once a brave new world of ‘having the internet in your pocket’ has now become the norm and has revolutionised everyone who sells products or services. Like it or not, we all have a digital footprint today, so it makes sense to make the most of it.
During the pandemic, increasing demand for personalisation in offline and online experiences was evident with a wealth of podcasts and video content for users to choose from.
Having a strong message and an in-depth understanding of your target audience’s needs is crucial and, at Jones Digital, we have been privileged to help a growing number of big names such as Homebase, Siemens, Bathstore, And So To Bed, Schmidt, and Poggenpohl to create outstanding digital assets which tell a compelling story and drive sales.
The experts at Jones Digital believe that creating a customer journey needs to begin as soon as a potential customer lands on your website or clicks onto your social media feed. Below are the key ways that companies can make the most of the latest digital trends in the year ahead
Embrace the power of video
Make this the year you come out of hiding and put a face to your brand, as fundamentally people still buy from people. In fact, Forbes predicts that video will be a cornerstone of digital marketing this year.
I completely understand that in our sector we tend to let our amazing products and services speak for themselves and, in the physical world, it is easy to invite customers to ‘feel the quality’ once we’ve built up a rapport and give them samples or brochures to take home.
However using video marketing can really speed up the customer journey so that customers and are already fired up to meet your people and have done their research. Please rest assured that you don’t need to shoot a commercial.
Video marketing is all about providing easy to consume information which sparks curiosity and distils the essence of your brand for your customer, making it easy for them to decide to buy from you.
Once you have your own content, it’s easy to post it on social media channels as well as your website and also to your email list. When it is done well, you will have an evergreen resource which you can use to answer FAQ in a personable and professional way.
Invest in story telling
Your digital story needs to be fully integrated into your marketing strategy for 2022-3, rather than being regarded as a bolt-on which might be nice to have.
Take it as seriously as your mission statement and make sure you communicate it to your team as well as to your customers.
Time and time again, I see that brands are focused on themselves rather than the features and benefits they offer to the customer. Don’t put baby in the corner! Get into the nitty gritty about how you can save your customer time, money and effort so they can quickly grasp what sets you apart from the competition and save them from a deluge of information.
Consumers in 2022 have information coming at them like white noise so cut through with an authentic, straight forward digital story which gives them instant clarity about what you can offer.”
Plug into virtual experiences
The world has become a smaller place thanks to digital technology which connects us worldwide across the time zones.
Having the opportunity to showcase installations and projects virtually is coming through from super-premium property developments to retail showrooms so that customers can ‘walk through’, browse and explore around the clock.
The move to hybrid working during the pandemic and restrictions during lockdown ensured that retailers and manufacturers had to get creative about connection and this trend is set to continue going forwards. We are finding that virtual showrooms are a great asset to KBB retailers as customer are self-selecting and have done their research before they visit in person, which means the buying process is accelerated.
Knowing how much retailers invest in creating beautiful showrooms with bespoke furniture and word-class appliances, it makes sense to bring them to life online so that they get maximum exposure outside of trading hours. You can also seamlessly include promotional videos for core products so that you can give your customers access to as much information as you wish, so that your showroom is effectively an extra member of your sales team.”
Flexibility and future-proofing is vital to every business this. Developing the right content which is tailored to your growth strategy has never been more important and moving from manual systems to digital processes will ensure that your team can work together apart. Every day at Jones Digital we see the tangible benefits of using video marketing, pod casts and virtual showroom tours to propel our clients’ businesses forward. We work with the best videographers and content creators in the business we are keen to share our expertise with you.
- Social: Start a conversation with your customers and grow your audience using creative digital packages that are custom-made for your brand.
- Content: Create engaging online content that works hard to ‘tell your brand story’ and promote your business through the power of words, images and video.
- Branding: Work with Jones Digital experts to help optimise your business strengths and point of difference, so you can captivate your target market and increase enquiries.
- Multi-media: Let the Jones Digital team guide your digital comms so that you can bring the latest audio and video solutions to your business with podcasts, video editing and much, much more! Check out the Media Lab section on the website to get a flavour of what we can do for you!
- Virtual 360 Showroom Tours: Imagine having your showroom doors open to customers all day, every day? A virtual showroom tour means you can support everything you say to your customer with well-rounded visuals and interactive mapping of your showroom and all-important product displays 24/7, 365 days a year!
- Custom Video Marketing Packages: Discover how to keep your brand agile and support your customer’s journey with FOUR exclusive options to maximise your business. Now you can showcase your showroom, brand and products and include interviews with your key people, make a feature of a cooking demo or capture a real-time event for posterity.
Conclusions
Remember not to underestimate just how powerful a personal brand is within a business, as these too can form building blocks for you and your customers.
Embrace the fact we’re all the same and just be yourself, share personality’s within your company by encouraging everyone from junior level right up to management to have a voice online.
As long as you’re all speaking with ‘one brand voice’, you’ll be able to create adhocracy values where innovation, change, and growth become part of your everyday culture and customer relations – old and new.
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