Digital Marketing New Year Trends that will Help Boost Your Business

by with No Comment BusinessDigital Marketing

Marketers are now heavily investing in digital marketing strategies and exploring new areas for growth to stay afloat. Despite the upheaval, companies that are nimble, adaptable, and inventive are flourishing. A lot of companies are keeping their chins up despite the uncertainty. With New Year just around the corner, more and more people are adopting digital marketing strategies.

1.     Emphasis on a Plan with Measurable Social Impact

It’s not a new phenomenon for brands to advocate for the causes they believe in. However, the shift in how businesses are presenting themselves in response to global events is reflected in the fact that they are placing their impact strategy at the heart of their digital marketing plan. Brands that show initiative and care about their customers’ values and beliefs are more likely to succeed.

2.     Promotional AI

Promotional AI is an incredible strategy that can be worked around New Year’s. Recently, there has been a meteoric rise in the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered services including content generation, chatbots, and search engines.

There’s a lot of excitement about AI’s potential for digital marketers around New Year. There is a correlation between the performance of a digital marketing effort and the speed and accuracy with which data about client behaviour can be gathered using AI.

Marketers’ time can be freed up for more complicated duties like creative strategy formulation when AI is utilised to automate routine chores like data collection and analysis.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Many of your clients are still taking advantage of the convenience offered by digital assistants. Users can now conduct web searches without ever touching their phones, thanks to features like Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, Microsoft’s Cortana, and Google’s digital assistant.

Plan on making adjustments to your search engine optimization (SEO) to accommodate voice searches. Consider the natural language terms individuals would use to ask their virtual assistant to discover you. According to Google,

Digital Marketing voice search stats

 

3.     Visualization of Content for Telling Stories

You could be forgiven for assuming that “readable” material is more important than graphics and design in modern times, what with the rise of smart speakers and voice search.

It’s true that innovations in voice search are impacting how we’ll create content in the future, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore visual content or the fundamentals of brand storytelling in the present. People are more likely to engage with a piece of content if it also includes visual elements.

4.     Personalization

One of the most significant developments in marketing is personalization. Create advertising and marketing efforts that focus on specific people, rather than broad demographic groups to have a significant effect on your traffic, leads, and revenue this New Year.

Email marketing campaigns are the best approach to customise interactions with customers. Consider trust, brand alignment, and comprehension when developing a digital marketing plan.

5.     Introduce Solutions

People are looking for solutions, especially as the New Year starts. They have new motivations, new determination, and a new sense of achievement; therefore, it’s essential to provide them with solutions. People want to follow strong, reliable leaders who can advise them on where to shop, who to work with, and what services to use.

Customers will become loyal to your brand if you establish yourself as an authority in your field and cater to their psychological and social requirements.

6.     Create Material in accordance with Google’s E-A-T Guidelines

If you want your site to rise in the results around New Year, you must prove to search engines that the content you provide is quick, accurate, trustworthy, and authoritative. Create content and develop strategies for digital marketing in accordance with Google’s E-A-T (expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) guidelines.

7.     Invest in a Podcast

Creating a podcast is one of the best ways to transform your C-suite employees into influential voices in your field. In 2022, 62% of Americans listened to podcasts. It’s an easy approach to connecting with your audience, and conveying your expertise, and doesn’t need as much production as video.

8.     Make Promotional Videos

The word “video” or the thought of making one yourself may make you uncomfortable but have no fear. It is an exceptional digital marketing strategy and it won’t cost as much as you imagine. A good camera and a microphone are all that are required. In many instances, a smartphone will do the trick.

Do the following to enhance search traffic to your site:

  • You should make sure your video helps your ideal customer with their problem.
  • Applying appropriate keywords to your YouTube video will increase its visibility.
  • The name you give your video is also crucial.

The most important thing to know about video marketing is that videos are currently the most popular type of content on any social media site.

9.     Use Networking Sites

Depending on your specific business objectives and audience, you should allocate your resources accordingly. Instagram is your best chance to reach Generation Z this New Year. On the other hand, if you’re in the business, you might appreciate the more formal atmosphere that LinkedIn provides.

Use social media for customer retention and customer acquisition. Remember that the more often a potential customer sees your brand, the better chance you have of gaining their trust and, eventually, their business.

What are YOUR plans for the New Year?

When it comes to marketing, do you plan to hire a digital marketer? Hire us at PixaFusion, a digital marketing agency Cardiff to increase your team’s social media activity. Send us your New Year’s resolution and let us know if we can lend a hand.

How to Spice Up Your Sales Through Web Design During Christmas Season

by with No Comment BusinessWeb Design

The impending festival season is undoubtedly creating greater prospects for online purchasing. One of the secrets to thriving online sales this time is improving the web design to catch up with the festive spirit and enhance the purchasing experience.

· Incorporate Seasonal Decorations

Obviously, incorporating seasonal implications into your web design is the first step. Gaining more interest and customers is possible with the help of an appropriate and efficient holiday layout.

Putting some holiday cheer into your online store requires more than just giving your brand a Santa hat. You must consider carousels, sales highlights, background graphics, and videos. You can tailor the amount of holiday spirit infused into your online to the wares you sell and your intended ROI.

Naturally, you’d want to immerse your site’s users in the Christmas mood from every angle if you’re selling festival-related consumables and planning enticing promos. Make sure you have an excellent and eye-catching promotion area on your homepage, with connections to microsites decked out in holiday cheer and offering unbelievable deals.

There is plenty of potential for innovation if you want to use Christmas to boost brand love for your business, even if your products don’t have a Christmas feel.

Here are a few examples of what your site could be used for:

  • A joyful holiday season and New Year greeting in a pop-up newsletter sign-up form.
  • Santa Claus sleigh animations.
  • Incorporate a redder colour scheme in keeping with the subject matter.
  • Rearrange your product catalogue with seasonal best-sellers at the front.

· Incorporate Visuals into Your Web Design

Prepare all the visuals you’ll need to advertise the sale’s changing deals, such as banners advertising discounts. Timed offer modifications can be implemented smoothly on your site, but this requires careful planning and sufficient development and testing time. You should update your promotional graphics and language appropriately across your site.

· Get the Most Out of Your Calls to Action

The Christmas spirit can be amplified with even little adjustments. If you want to give your call-to-actions a festive vibe, you can use icons of cute presents, bells, and snowflakes, or even better, animations.

It might be considered heretical to deviate from a brand’s established visual aesthetic. Having a little lighthearted fun with the buttons is a great way to show your holiday spirit without going overboard.

· Include Excellent Material for the Holidays

This is an essential component of your trip preparations. Find an engaging copy that fits the Christmas spirit, and make changes to your bespoke web design. A good place to start is by developing a content theme that can be used across all Marketing channels (website, social media, and email marketing).

Avoid attempting anything very fancy or intricate. Customers will be inundated with marketing material, so it’s best to get to the point quickly and concisely. Highlight the cost savings that they will incur by purchasing from you.

Customized material is fantastic. Approach a digital marketing agency or a bespoke web designer to get your hands on the best theme for your festival-friendly content.

· Modify the Logo to Reflect the Content

Many businesses are adapting their branding strategies to reflect the joy of the holiday season. It’s time you joined the bandwagon and created a spectacular festive rendition of your logo. Bringing some holiday cheer to your brand doesn’t require much more than a sprig of mistletoe.

Here is a cool example from Nike for your convenience:

Christmas branding

· Give No Space to Errors

Infuriating your online customers is a surefire way to lose sales if your website experiences technical difficulties during the holiday shopping season. Create something engaging to increase the likelihood that buyers will return. Employ a web designer to ensure there are no anomalies.

· Don’t Let Your Brand’s Identity Stray from What it Stands For

Adding a bow or a strand of holiday lights to your logo is a simple way to inject some holiday spirit into your business. However, don’t alter identifying features like your logo, brand colours, or website’s fonts. To convert visitors into buyers, your website must immediately reassure harried browsers that they have arrived at the correct destination.

· Be Welcoming in Your Holiday Artwork and Writing

The more diverse your images, infographics, and writing are, the more people your website design will likely reach. Of course, if your shop sells seasonal goods in preparation for a particular winter celebration, such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali, Yule, or another, you should target your language accordingly.

· Have a Fun Activity Ready for Guests

Make people who land on your homepage eager to start purchasing. Put the main selling point of your store front and centre by adding seasonal touches and a hero image.

· Offer Holiday-Goers an Incentive to Sign up for Your Mailing List

Put a sprig of holly in your opt-in box and give a coupon code to all the new people that sign up for your email list.

· Update Your Payment Options and the Checkout Process

If you want more people to buy something from you, make the checkout process as painless as possible. Consider accepting other payment options, so clients can make purchases without entering their payment information each time.

Looking for a Web Designer in Cardiff?

If you are looking for cost-effective, modern, bespoke web designs for businesses that build trust and generate quality leads. Look no further as Pixafusion, a competent digital marketing agency, is here to solve your dilemma! Want to discuss any projects? Feel free to say Hi and talk to our experts. 

How Bespoke Web Development Can Improve Your SEO

by BusinessDigital MarketingGoogle AnalyticsWeb Design

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is essential for the success of a website. Every web design company worth its salt prioritizes SEO while developing business websites. But the question is, why is search engine optimisation so important, and how does it affect a company’s business?

Importance of SEO

A website can rise to the top of the results page compared to other sites in its field using search engine optimisation (SEO). Users don’t like to scroll down to find what they’re looking for. They skim through the first couple of websites and quickly decide whether or not they should continue reading.

Therefore, you must apply the correct SEO methods to improve your online visibility and user engagement. SEO increases the likelihood of a customer connecting with your business by making it easier for potential customers to locate and access your website.

The Role of Bespoke Web Development in Improving Your SEO

While working on your website’s search engine optimisation, there are many aspects to consider. However, a bespoke web design stands on its own. Let’s explore the role of bespoke web design in boosting your website’s search engine rankings.

 

bespoke web design and SEO

· Makes Your Site Faster

Have you ever wondered why your website loads so slowly? The loading time of your website is a significant component of SEO. To ensure a quick website, you should minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML, remove render-blocking JavaScript, optimize images, and increase the server’s speed.

According to research conducted by top website designers, nearly 89% eighty-nine percent of frustrated online buyers will never return to a poorly performing website. Therefore, the speed of your website is crucial for search engine optimisation and attracting and retaining customers.

Bespoke web designs optimise your website structure for Search Engine Optimisation so your website can rank higher.

· Helps Make a Responsive Layout

People’s reliance on personal computers and tablets to access the web has diminished as new technologies have become more accessible. It’s a universal desire to have instant access to search results regardless of location.

Mobile devices now account for over 52.2% of all website traffic. This means you are already losing more than half of your consumers because your website is not mobile-friendly.

Google prefers websites with responsive bespoke web designs when determining your search engine position. Therefore, you should consult a top SEO agency in Cardiff if you want to create a competitive website design that helps you rank higher.

· Ensures a Clear Layout

Thanks to the material you’ve posted on your website, you can optimise your keyword usage and target the correct demographic for your business. It will help bring in a steady stream of new customers.

Remember that quality content is not enough. It would help if you were also to pay heed to other factors. Although it may seem daunting initially, designing a bespoke website with information that is easy to read for your visitors is relatively simple if you choose the right web designer.

The best site designs pay close attention to their text’s style, size, and colour. Additionally, they put extra effort into ensuring that their website is interesting and engaging by paying particular attention to white space, length, and additional content (such as graphics). Graphics designers and logo designers can help you in this regard.

Now that search engines have a thorough understanding of your site, they can gauge the quality of your content and the reliability of your website by analysing how users interact with it, what they click on, and how long they stay on a page.

SEO and Social Media

Most people today get their news and other information through social media sites. Therefore, bespoke website development is a powerful method for reaching out to consumers and building brand loyalty. Bespoke websites can incorporate search engine optimisation and social media capabilities right from the start, allowing for immediate deployment. It will undoubtedly affect your website’s position in search engine rankings.

If no one can find your website, it won’t do you any good in expanding your business. This highlights the importance of having a search engine-optimised website. Even though many things can affect SEO results (including, but not limited to, having extensive, informative content and using back-end SEO best practices), your website’s design will substantially affect your search rankings.

A well-designed bespoke website can boost your search engine optimisation in the following ways:

  • Using up-to-date, readable code
  • Making use of a mobile-friendly, responsive layout
  • Offering a straightforward structure for navigating the site so that users may quickly locate the content they’re looking for
  • Encouraging interaction from the user and prolonging their stay on the page.

The issues mentioned above are typically outside the scope of most do-it-yourself website creator platforms. If you choose a professional web design company, you can rest assured that these essential web design best practices will be implemented, leading to optimal SEO performance for your site.

So, Where Can You Find the Best Bespoke Web Designers in Cardiff?

Pixafusion is a digital marketing agency in Cardiff that guides you in the right direction and lets you be your boss. Here we create the best bespoke web design for your company, improving your SEO performance and bringing in more traffic, ultimately leading to higher sales.

When you work with us, you can rest assured that your next web design project will be a success. We have the expertise you need to make your website work for your business, so you can sit back, relax, and let us do our magic!

Bespoke Web Design for a New Business – Does it Help?

by BusinessWeb Design

Bespoke web design is the need of the hour. To start a new business, you must invest in the magic of customisation and get a web design that encapsulates your company’s essence and core values. You, your clients, and your company can reap substantial rewards from investing in bespoke web design.

1. Optimising First Impression

Competition is constant for every internet venture.

Search engines like Google can generate infinite results for competing businesses in your industry and location. Your website and online presence will be virtually indistinguishable from your competition’s.

To construct a one-of-a-kind website that stands out from the crowd, you need to study your brand and competitors’ sites and develop bespoke web design so you can offer your visitors something they haven’t seen before.

2. Functionality

Bespoke web design and development ensures that your site contains all the features essential to the success of your online venture. You can provide the details your customers need and prompt them to take action, such as making a phone call or sending an email. Bespoke web design and development services can provide you with every possible option.

3. Sustainable Online Growth

There will always be limits to what can be changed on a website. However, a visionary web designer in Cardiff tends to grasp your goals and construct a scalable and adaptable site that endures even as your business develops.

Using a template site, you’re up against the most restrictions. You are limited in what you can add and change on the site and may not receive help from the template’s designers. However, bespoke web designs tend to promote sustainable online growth.

You will get the knowledge and expertise to grow and improve your online presence if you collaborate with the digital marketing agency that created your unique design.

4. Expansion

You must increase your web development and marketing efforts to expand your new company. You can use different approaches to get your new website to the top of Google search results for keywords and to increase sales through eCommerce. A bespoke website design plays a pivotal role in this regard.

5. Uniqueness and Personalisation

Many templates are highly adaptable and can be modified to suit your business’s unique needs by changing fonts, colours, and graphics. However, you are restricted to no more than what is possible within the parameters of the given template.

Many pre-built systems allow you to implement a wholly unique design on top of the platform, providing you with a measure of differentiation. However, these systems are built to be duplicated easily. The code structure is always the same; your idea won’t be original for as long as you’d like.

If you hire a good graphic designer or logo designer to build a theme on top of an existing platform, you may end up spending too much for what is, at heart, a template system. That’s only a waste of money and resources. Instead, invest in bespoke web designs to personalise your site.

6. Comparison of Responsive and Imitated Responsive

The user interface (UI) designer is the first step in developing a site that adapts to the screen size of its visitors’ various devices. The designer will seriously consider the user experience on mobile devices, such as smartphones, leaving out unnecessary content while keeping the most critical parts of the site intact. Its format may differ significantly from a standard computer screen.

responsive web design

Pre-built solutions and templates frequently apply responsive design imitations. The system automatically calculates the screen size and modifies the style and the size of other UI elements like images and fonts. The same basic layout is used but scaled to fit the available space. It’s preferable to have an emulated responsive design than to have no responsive design at all.

Be aware of what your web designer is offering you by asking if it is genuine responsive instead of just an imitation of responsive design.

7. Expertise

Modern, one-of-a-kind, scalable, and produced by the individuals responsible for the coding and not simply the design, a custom website will make it easy to make changes quickly and painlessly.

Companies with expert software engineers, user interface developers, highly skilled web designers, logo designers, and graphic designers deliver bespoke websites. You may rest assured that your website will still be around when you hire one of these organisations rather than a fly-by-night, tiny design agency.

8. The invention of Code and Modern Technology

The founder company spends a lot of money developing pre-built solutions since they are trying to make a solution that works for everyone. This means they will have to repeatedly market that solution over a long period to make a profit. Since the world of technology is constantly evolving, you must have a bespoke website built to keep up with the technology.

Looking for a Web Design Agency in Cardiff?

If you are looking for skilled web designers in Cardiff, well your search is over since we are here at your disposal! Not only will we offer excellent bespoke web designs, but will also help you flourish your new business with result-driven strategies and digital marketing services.

What is Google Analytics?

by BusinessDigital MarketingGoogle AnalyticsTechnology

Google Analytics is an interesting tool to use and can be very beneficial when keeping track of statistics that can be used for marketing strategies for your website.

Behavioural Patterns in Customers

By understanding and looking into the behavioural patterns of your customers you can tailor your marketing and context to match this alongside testing which strategies are working better than others. 

So, by giving you information regarding your customer’s behaviours like what device they use or whether your audience has an age/gender/demographic pattern it can show what will work in terms of making the right impression. This data is also presented in an easy manner through charts and graphs, by segregating each demographic it will make the analysis easier to interpret.  

Specifically, it can help with SEO strategies. By having access to specific data such as the demographics, interests, and behaviour patterns of your traffic you can use that to tailor your keyword generation for example. So, by using keywords that clearly resonate with the traffic being brought to your site, it will highly optimize your digital appearance on google as well as improve your ranking… This information can further be used to build your content up on your website and socials again tailoring it to any data provided by google analytics. This provides an opportunity for trial and experimentation to see whether your SEO strategies will reflect on your build-up of traffic to the website.

One issue we find when offering SEO and access to google analytics to show a client’s performance is that it won’t happen overnight. Strategies need time to show activity. Especially as this source of data shows google traffic brought to the site it can be frustrating when these numbers aren’t always converted into leads so this needs time and patience to show some really valuable data!

Understanding your website’s data and performance will put you ahead of your competition!

What is Web 3.0 and How is it Changing Web Design Trends?

by BusinessTechnologyWeb Design

Web 3.0 is powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. It provides relevant search results based on the full context of the user’s question rather than the terms entered. It protects your data from abuse. Moreover, decentralised technologies like blockchain are at the heart of this web design.

Web 3.0’s Essential Components

New York Times writer John Markoff coined the term “Web 3.0” in 2006. The following five characteristics may help define this concept:

  • The Semantic Web identifies the meanings of words rather than just their keywords to improve web technologies’ capacity for content creation, distribution, and integration.
  • Artificial Intelligence allows computers to interpret information on a human-like level by combining natural language processing with semantic skills, allowing them to provide timely and precise solutions. They improve their IQ and foster higher patron contentment.
  • Web 3.0 sites and services heavily incorporate three-dimensional (3D) design. It can be found in many different settings, such as maps, video games, museum brochures, and more.
  • Semantic metadata improves information’s interconnectedness, leading to increased accessibility. As a result, your perceptions will shift, and you’ll be able to deepen your connections by making the most of all available information.
  • It’s decentralised, so you’re free to share or conceal information as you see fit. Because your actions occur in a decentralised environment, you have more flexibility and control over handling your data.

1. Greater Emphasis on Anonymity and Decentralisation

The decentralised web uses blockchain technology to eliminate the need for third-party administrators. It does so by relying solely on unalterable encrypted data. This would have the practical effect of removing data ownership from individual operators. You would have complete control over this data as it accompanied you to different websites.

Nowadays, every website you visit keeps track of information about you in its own database, many of which sell or otherwise profit from this data. This necessitates fundamental shifts in how designers gain access to and preserve information about their users.

2. Multiple-System Data Sources

Since people will now have control over their data, it will incorporate information from anywhere the person has gone online. This allows designers to create much more unique and memorable experiences. But now that you know this, what do you do with it?

Learning to manage data from sensors, whether from trackers, camera feeds, or infusion pump sensors helps organise the business for handling the level of data. It also helps them benefit from the insights they can provide.

Depending on what information they find valuable for improving the brand’s product or service offering, web designers will need to narrow down, prioritise, and optimise these experiences.

3. The popularity of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Experiences

More resource-intensive experiences like AR and VR are now possible thanks to advancements in processing power. Google even has a collection devoted to demonstrating these kinds of experiences. WebXR integrates augmented and virtual reality on the web to make them more accessible and practical.

4. Search Engine Optimisation

Web 3.0 is a more advanced version of the internet that uses machine learning to decipher digital media of all kinds. In the near future, search engines will prioritise providing accurate results on the first try, regardless of the user’s device.

However, they warn that in web 3.0, the battlegrounds for searches will be voice assistant questions, long-tail searches, and position zero results. It will become increasingly important for designers to correctly label these assets for search as systems like Amazon, Alexa, and Google Quick Answers start to display more multimedia content results.

How is Web 3.0 Changing Web Design Trends?

web design trend

Source: Navdeep Yadav, Mantra Labs

The usage of markup languages such as hypertext markup language (HTML), cascading style sheets (CSS), and JavaScript to build interactive and engaging websites is expected to increase in the future. WebGL, which allows developers to make interactive images, will become increasingly popular, as will voice control via gadgets like the Amazon Echo.

Simplifying website layouts, reducing reliance on third-party plugins, and increasing responsiveness to ensure a decent user experience across all devices are expected to become the norm soon. There has never been a better time to launch a brand-new website or improve an existing one. As time goes on, we should expect more frequent and rapid shifts in how the web works. Maintain your company’s edge in the modern digital marketplace by planning.

The following are a few ways in which Web 3.0 will affect web design:

  • Practical and user-friendly web development is on the horizon.
  • User immersion can be improved with CSS, JS, and HTML.
  • WebGL/canvas technology-based, graphically-rich illustrations.
  • The rise of voice-activated devices
  • Websites may eventually become more reactive and less dependent on plugins.
  • Websites that use HTML5, CSS3, and JS rather than Flash or Silverlight perform better.
  • Users with fewer plugins for online games may have a more satisfying experience.

There will likely be a shift toward a more minimalistic web design with fewer graphics to ensure they render correctly on all devices and platforms without hogging too much bandwidth.

Conclusion

Web 3.0 is a reality for today’s young demographic targets, including millennials and Generation Z. Technology is the centre of their universe. They’re looking for something more cerebral. The customer experience (CX) in the Web 3.0 age is predicated on user recommendations, autonomous chatbots, and advanced search results that use machine learning, enhanced connection, etc.

How and why you should be using a platform like TikTok to market your business

by Business

As Social Media marketing is such an important part of advertising, it’s important that all potential platforms are covered including platforms that may not seem suitable for a professional outlook. However, the growth in the platform TikTok has shown to greatly benefit businesses and has made thousands of users successful in marketing their brand on TikTok as well as well-known brands ranging from hospitality like Nando’s to commercial flight companies like Ryanair and to fashion brands such as Zara. Making this app the breeding ground for growing customer bases. However, this does mean that there is very high competition and so it is difficult to compete with these high-end brands that have an existing following base. But no fear, here are some tips and tricks you can use to be resourceful and use this app to your advantage.

  • Firstly, ensure you’re fully aware of how to operate the platform, similar to Instagram and Facebook there are hidden accessories that can make managing your account easier and more effective. For example, it might be as simple as making it a business account so you are able to see analytics of who is attracted to your page. Once you have this information you can assess whether you need to alter your content to get these customer groups or whether you want to diversify.
  • Also, it’s important to note that this app is for all types of content and users so the use of hashtags will be essential. This is because your videos could pop on certain timelines and algorithms and ensure you end up on the right one so you’re targeting the right audience, this can then be closely managed. Once you do it right the first time and fall into the right category all you have to worry about is your actual content.
  • Content is so imperative when it comes to marketing online as it puts across an image of your business to your followers and audience, so you have to make sure your content is creating the right image you want to have. For example, professionalism should be considered but being on an app like TikTok where your videos need to go viral to be successful can make it difficult, so you need to find the right balance. 
  • The best way to find out how to do this is simply through good old competitive stalking, seeing what your competitors are doing that is working. So, even though there is high competition, it also gives you a chance to adapt to their content and make it your own to give you an upper hand in bringing awareness to your brand.
  • Alongside finding customers it’s also a business opportunity to find business partners or potential influencers to market your products. By using this you are able to bring awareness to your products and profile to hopefully grow your following. If you want to find out any more information regarding influencer marketing or the use of word of mouth then check out our other blog ‘The impact of word of mouth and influencer marketing on a business and customer perspective’.

Once you have mastered the ins and outs of a platform like this one, these same skills can be used on other Social media platforms, making marketing on social easier and more effective. It’s good to note that this will take a lot of time and effort, but this will pay off in the future. 

How significant is customer behaviors: The factors of Purchase Intention

by with No Comment Business

We are all customers or have been at least once before and we all have different behaviors that put us in certain target markets, from a business point of view it’s essential this is done effectively. In essence, this looks into a customer’s buying habits/patterns and influences what encourages purchases, and social trends so a business can better market their products and services, this also takes into account how natural tendency and inclination can impact the decision to purchase.

All of these factors correspond with each other but need to be looked into separately. Customer buying patterns are usually influenced by an external factor some of the time this can be social media however, these social media trends need to be categorised and adapted to marketing strategies for example, with the summer months coming soon, this means hotter weather, therefore, summer clothes are in demand and so customers may buy now during sale periods so they have summer clothes for the occasional hot weather that’s occurring now and for when it’s at its peak. So, for a fashion brand, you could market a sale of summer clothing going on, attracting customers and increasing sales. An article created by Forbes magazine found that 80% of consumers were more likely to purchase a product if a friend highlighted it on social media, stating that “the era of virtual word-of-mouth recommendations is in full effect”. Therefore, showing the significance social media has on purchasing behaviors.

Consumer behavior can be dependent on several factors, one proven is the color emotion association theory, this means that an individual may be more drawn or more likely to purchase a product depending on what colors are on the packaging, the brand, the product, etc. Color is a key element in any business brand/package process as you want the color to be associated with your brand. For example, in supermarkets green would be ASDA, blue would be Tesco, red for Sainsbury’s, etc. This also goes hand in hand with the actual brand logo and association with that but having the initial color trigger the familiarity with your brand creates awareness and customer loyalty. If customers are reminded of your brand by seeing certain colors they will most likely purchase again, creating retention. A study conducted by the student, Satyendra Singh found that 90% of consumers make purchases dependent on their color by making ‘snap judgments’- the initial thought of the product. This also took into account the perception of the brand and also associations/traits that came with that certain color, this study was called ‘Impact of Colour Marketing’.

It’s also important to take into consideration the key differences between old and new customer behaviors and how they differ. Although your targeted audience may stay the same it’s also important to understand what has influenced your target audience to change their purchasing habits. This can be highlighted by measuring purchase intention, this can show what is encouraging purchasing and how retention is formed (and upheld). The main way to do this is through customer feedback via surveys, by asking them scaled questions where they are able to provide a rough estimate as to when they may purchase a certain product again can provide information on which demographic should be targeted when that time comes. This can be done through tailored and directed marketing strategies like a personalized email during the post-purchase stage.

Overall, understanding consumer behavior can be very difficult without extensive research into the targeted audience and has elements of psychology, chemistry, and economics that need to be taken into consideration but when the understanding part is achieved it’ll make marketing and selling goods easier, more effective and efficient for the business and customers will feel more satisfied when their needs are met.

The Impact of Word of Mouth & Influencer Marketing

by with No Comment Business

Both of these strategies of marketing are very effective and work for hand in hand; an influencer complimenting a product and showing how desired it is, makes customers want it (especially if said influencer had a large following of the intended targeted audience). If this type of marketing is done correctly then it can be greatly beneficial in creating sales and creating a large awareness of the brand, product, or service. 

However, like many marketing strategies, this needs to adhere to your business and its needs. By being a small local business you may not have the funds to pay for sponsorship for example and so positive word of mouth would need to be taken advantage of. Word of mouth can be spread through social media and so having a presence across certain platforms would greatly help this, as the public will be able to comment/review your product or service on your platforms. It’ll be the first place a potential customer will look to see if it’s worth investing in. The issue with word of mouth is that unfortunately negative reviews spread quicker and are seen by more compared to positive reviews which can’t be helped, customers may purposely search for negative reviews to make a decision as to whether it’s worth their visit. It may sound obvious but it’s important to realize how customers behave especially when they choose where to take their business, M. Nick Hajili stated in the International Journal of Market Research that:

 

“Trust, encouraged by social media, significantly affects intention to buy. Therefore, trust has a significant role in eCommerce by directly influencing intention to buy and indirectly to influence perceived usefulness.”

Alongside using word of mouth online it’s also very effective face to face as 92% of consumers stated that they would trust a family or friend’s opinion on a product/ service compared to the advertisement, this was found in a report by Nielson. 

This is not to say however that a small business can’t use influencer marketing, if by chance an influencer stops by your store and posts about your product/service or if a said business decided to send an influencer or celebrity a package of their goods known as a PR package in hopes they may review your products to their followers without paying a large cost for a potential positive fake review. PR packages should be very specific and require research into who to send what, this could either be the make or break of your brand.

Even though this all looks pretty pessimistic regarding negative reviews or negative word of mouth but think of it as customer feedback, unfortunately, it is very public and could be detrimental but it also highlights how to better your business, which you can do for your future customers. This leads us to the fake reviews and some customers’ opinions on influencer marketing;

Fake reviews from paid promotions can be beneficial but not if they put your business in a position where they can’t offer it, for example, a spot cream that’s meant to reduce the look of spots might be marketed by the influencer as completely disappearing them… for future customers, it can cause confusion and may do more harm than good, so it’s important that the influencer won’t just say positive things just because you’re paying them to, you want them to be honest with your future customers. Alongside this, customers’ opinions on this type of promotion can be fairly negative as they feel that the influencers are only saying positive things because they are getting paid for it, providing a fake review. This would probably give the influencer more negative feedback than intended. Still, it will also reflect badly on your brand- you’re willing to pay someone just to say something good about your product- the fact that you need to go to those lengths for a positive review may do more harm than good on your brand image. This could be argued as 61% of consumers said they trusted influencer reviews and recommendations which is still over half of the intended audience showing it has some significance over opinions (source thesocialshephard.com) 

In general, if you wish to take your brand into these types of marketing strategies, it’s important it’s done properly and with extensive research to ensure it’s done correctly, picking certain influencers that correspond with your products (makeup influencers given makeup products to try) and encouraging customer feedback directly to the business can be worth it for your businesses future.

The Key Differences Between Traditional & Digital Marketing

by with No Comment Business

The diversification from traditional to digital marketing has been very significant in recent years. External factors and environments have meant that businesses have needed to adapt to the growing demand to become online or e-commerce. The most recent being Covid-19  which led to physical customer interaction being limited and so being moved into becoming intangible for example, the use of the platform zoom for meetings.

This has also allowed businesses to integrate from physical marketing (most traditional types of marketing) materials like magazines and newspapers to a well-designed website and the use of video telephony to visibly communicate with customers directly over a screen.

Regardless of the pandemic’s aid in pushing businesses to become digital, it was always a  means to reach global relations. For most businesses global expansion is greatly beneficial which has been achieved through several digital marketing strategies, it allows a closer relationship to be formed with suppliers and customers, making them feel safe and trusted in relations with the company and providing a cost-effective way to expand (increasing their  ROI). ROI is Return on Investment, this is important to track as it shows how profitable the investment is showing to be and whether it was worth the initial cost, if this is high it means you will make back the money invested quicker. Through traditional marketing means, almost a fifth of marketers found that email campaigns provided excellent results for their ROI according to email marketing statistics on the podium showing the positive aspects of traditional marketing materials.

There are still several aspects however where traditional marketing is still very effective and reflects the image of a business well, especially if they are a local and small business. This means they won’t need to make large investments in some digital marketing services and can stick with a simplistic local image. It all depends on the business and how you want it to be perceived by your target audience, especially if the business operates in a niche market.

Overall, for most businesses it’s encouraged that a digital approach is taken, especially as it was found to have 50% higher interaction rates with customers compared to traditional marketing means (sourced from digitalthirdcoast.com) and also as we are growing in a fast-paced environment that’s becoming more digitally aware, it means businesses need to be up to date with how fast pace this is becoming. Being up to date with growing trends through the use of digital means, allows your content to be relevant and your data collection is accurate.

As Digital Marketing is such a key aspect in businesses it’s important you choose the right marketing agency for you, that fulfils your and your business’s needs. At Pixafusion we ensure that these needs are met and ensure the perception you want is shown to your customers. On our website you can see the range of services we offer that have both traditional and digital aspects, so we can do it all for you! That being said our expertise lies with digital marketing materials and so if you wish for this to be done by professionals then look no further.

All in all, it’s important to take into consideration recent times and how that can affect your business and as marketing is a key aspect of several business operations it’s important it’s done correctly.