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Will the Metaverse Redefine Marketing?

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How Will the Metaverse Affect MarketingThe beautiful thing about technology is that it continues to evolve as new resources emerge. New updates and changes mean new conveniences and new ethical dilemmas as well. When technology evolves, we must learn how to adapt and adjust as we make new rules for the changing environment. While the printing press was the most phenomenal advancement in technology at one time, now the pinnacle of progress is in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic process automation (RPA).

The metaverse is one such new development in the internet’s evolution. We’ve seen iterations of it in science fiction, from books like “Feed” and more recently “Ready Player One.” When print first emerged, marketing evolved in its earliest form, and now with the metaverse, we’re faced with new questions about changes in the scope and influence of marketing. All of this leaves us asking ourselves if the metaverse will redefine marketing.

What Is the Metaverse?

The internet has been around for over 50 years, when the first messages were transported between a computer in Los Angeles, California and Menlo Park, California. Although that first system crashed when the first two letters transferred through the system, that first transmission was the origin of what has become the modern internet.

The Metaverse is a 3d Digital EnvironmentThe metaverse may not be the newest concept, but its actual implementation is among the most interesting advancements. The metaverse is a virtual place where people can get together. For many, it’s a space for video gaming. Augmented reality and virtual reality are among the most common ways that people interact with the metaverse. Augmented reality uses computer generated images and integrates them with the real-world environment. Images are often interactive through a screen, most typically a smartphone. Pokémon GO is currently among the most popular and recognizable forms of augmented reality, along with Snapchat.

Virtual reality is another way that we interact with the metaverse. Virtual reality is a computer-generated environment. While augmented reality incorporates images in the real world, virtual reality creates a whole new world for a user to interact with. From horror games to mental health treatment, virtual reality has several useful applications.

The metaverse is a reimagining of the internet. It’s meant to be an interactive experience for social and professional networks where people get together to interact. Interaction can happen through both virtual and augmented reality in 2D through a computer screen or with the usage of a whole 3D interactive world with a headset. The metaverse is meant to change the way we interact with one another, not just socially, but in all forms of life.

“Just like the internet opened up a whole new world and created the ability for businesses to reach consumers where they live and work, so, too, does the metaverse.”

What Is a Metaverse Strategy?

As this new interactive technology grows and develops, the main thing we start to think about is how we can become involved in the metaverse. The starting point is to develop a metaverse strategy. A metaverse strategy is a way that you and your brand can enter the metaverse. The end goal of any branding or marketing is to gain visibility for your business. The more people who see you and recognize you, the more your revenue can be increased.

Implementing the metaverse into your marketing strategy is one way to stay on top of the trend. The metaverse is expanding, but there’s no real way to predict how much it will grow, or if it will collapse entirely. Currently, augmented and virtual realities are a big part of our lives, now being used in healthcare, education, and entertainment. The combination of the virtual world and the real world has been termed extended reality.

With the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, extended reality has become increasingly important to keeping people connected. Between 2020 and 2024, these extended realities are slated to see an extensive increase in demand.

The great thing about the metaverse is that it also provides new ways for businesses to interact with their market. The more people that become entrenched in an online existence, the more they’ll need virtual products and services. Part of your new metaverse marketing strategy might be creating these virtual products and services to be dispensed on the metaverse. You might also find a way to expand these things into the real world as well.

Creating your own virtual space is another way that you may consider incorporating the metaverse strategy into your marketing plans. Having a place that your consumers can interact with you and your brand via extended reality will keep you present in their minds, and a consistent part of their world.

Metaverse Marketing

What Is Metaverse Marketing?

Metaverse marketing is just what it sounds like—different marketing strategies that are associated specifically with the metaverse. It involves implementing strategies like NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, virtual real estate, and gamification. Taking advantage of the space within the metaverse can give you a competitive edge.

An immersive experience is key to the metaverse. Because of the nature of extended reality, placing an advertisement is obvious, but it might not be the best plan of attack. Creating your own immersive experience that others can interact with and within is the best option.

While most of the usage of the metaverse right now is for marketing purposes, many companies are predicting that it will become a much larger world. Using a virtual conference room where colleagues can interact with each other is just one example of how this world is changing.

Can I Advertise in the Metaverse?

Advertising is an integral way for brands to interact in the metaverse, and, of course, simple advertising is possible. Placing an advertisement on entertainment billboards or placing your brand’s image on buildings is one way to go. However, avoiding overt forms of advertisement and embracing the full breadth of the metaverse’s possibilities will be best practices.

Due to the unique quality of the metaverse, it’s likely that consumers will find new ways to interact with advertising in the metaverse. As previously mentioned, finding new ways that aren’t simple billboard placements are going to be key in this new environment.

Learning ways to organically integrate your brand with the metaverse environment is one of the most effective ways to advertise in augmented reality. Creating customized and branded goods for avatars is one way to do this and employing influencers can also allow you to take advantage of metaverse marketing. Just like social media influencers, virtual influencers also affect the desires of the consumers within the extended reality.

Hosting or joining big events can also be an effective way to advertise in the metaverse. You may not have the ability to host an event yourself, but joining an event is possible for most. Whether you have members of your business or brand interact with consumers, or you help to sponsor an event, these events can be incredibly influential.

Why Is the Metaverse Important?

There are a few reasons the metaverse may be important to the future of marketing. Marketing has always walked a fine line between science and art. The metaverse acts in a similar fashion to the real world, particularly on the time it runs. This means the time in the metaverse and the real world are in sync, running concurrently. You’ll be able to see how effective your marketing and interactions are in real time.

Second, unlike a video game, the metaverse doesn’t stop simply because someone walks away from it. Because it’s time runs like the real world, it is active even if you are not. The metaverse neither ends nor pauses. This can be both good and bad. You can have your interactions running at all times, but that means just because you step away from it, it doesn’t stop when you do. Keeping up with a consistent plan, similar to modern marketing, will be the most effective.

Finally, because all the different platforms can interact across the board, your service or goods can be used from area to area. This means your brand and your business will see the widest possible exposure while it’s being shared across platforms. More platforms mean more exposure. Because the metaverse is an entirely self-contained world, you won’t need multiple entrance points. You’ll just need to strategize for your business or brand to be as visible as possible.

Metaverse Technology

What Does the Metaverse Mean for Business?

As this market continues to grow and change, another thing we’ll be asking is what it means for business. In fact, the metaverse can mean many things for business. First, it means a new way to develop your business and brand. The metaverse is a new way to expand your business.

Just like the internet opened up a whole new world and created the ability for businesses to reach consumers where they live and work, so, too, does the metaverse. The metaverse is an additional market for businesses to participate in. It’s a new marketplace to provide goods and services.

The metaverse can also expand the possibilities of remote work. As the metaverse grows richer and more diverse, there will be additional opportunities for businesses to integrate their goods or develop new goods. More people will be needed to operate in this market specifically.

The metaverse eliminates the limitations of geography. Because the metaverse can be accessed from anywhere in the world, it erases the barrier that distance can create. Your business will be able to interact with anyone, anywhere in the world. While a website can do this too, a space in the metaverse provides consumers with a fully interactive experience that you can control. It is a totally new way for you to fully control and develop the user experience.

Limitations of the Metaverse

While many are saying that this is the next promised land of development, there are still quite a few limitations present for the metaverse. These things can limit not only brand and business influence, but also user interactivity. One of these things is the limitations of the technology itself. Virtual reality is still in the early stages of development and needs to be developed further for metaverse implementation.

Another limitation is ease of access and use. Not everyone has access to the resources required to join the metaverse. In countries that are richer, more than two thirds of the population is on the internet. However, there are still many remote areas of the world where internet access is limited.

Another limitation is the cost and resource requirements. While playing video games using virtual reality is commonplace these days, implementing extended reality for the workplace requires the usage of more money, time, and resources. This is putting a strain on not only the businesses interacting with the metaverse, but also those individuals interacting with the metaverse.

Find Your Place in the Metaverse

The metaverse can certainly change the landscape of the world at large. New ways to interact socially, academically, and professionally may harken advancements simply by giving people access to a more global community. While the world is adapting to this new community, marketing already has a leg up on individuals. Certainly, marketing will need to grow and adapt, but this is a fundamental tenet of marketing already.

Marketing already needs to adjust with the changes in growing markets, so a new market will only help those who know the business thrive. The metaverse may not redefine marketing, but marketing can help define how we experience the metaverse.

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Chris Weatherall

President and SEO Strategist Chris has over a decade and a half of website development, SEO and organic link building experience. He manages the strategy for each client and drives the search engine rankings and traffic Eminent SEO is known for. When you hire Eminent you hire Chris, which means you have a veteran organic search expert on your team. Oh, and he’s funny too!

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Why Online Differentiation Is Key for Marketing Your Value Cannabis Brand

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Why Online Differentiation Is Key for Marketing Your Value Cannabis BrandAs the number of states legalizing medical and recreational cannabis continues to rise, more consumers than ever are purchasing products from adult-use and medical markets, and cannabis businesses now dominate the US market as one of the fastest-growing industries.

In 2020, legal sales across the nation reached a record $36.9 billion, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down. The 2021 Annual Marijuana Business Factbook estimates that cannabis sales in the US will hit $48.4 billion this year, an increase of 31% from 2020 sales, and Marijuana Business Daily projects that this growth will skyrocket to $84.3 billion in 2025.

Due to these unprecedented levels of success, even amid a global pandemic, the cannabis industry has become saturated with businesses expanding throughout both new and mature markets across the nation. If you own a cannabis business, you already understand how difficult it can be to stand out among literally thousands of competitors in the legal market.

The key to success in such a highly competitive and constantly evolving market is creating a brand that resonates with consumers emotionally and allows you to differentiate your offerings from your competitors’ products.

Today’s cannabis consumer base encompasses a wide variety of clients, from affluent cannabis connoisseurs willing to pay top dollar for artisanal products to average middle-class clients who want to enjoy the benefits of cannabis without straining their budgets.

As the cannabis industry grows, so does the opportunity to secure potential customers by featuring value-priced cannabis brands as part of your business plan. Review the information on creating online differentiation for your cannabis brand.

Understanding a Brand Versus a Business

Understanding a Brand Versus a BusinessBefore diving into the specific branding and marketing tactics you can use to differentiate your cannabis brand from competitors, it is critical to understand the difference between a business and a brand.

A business or company refers to the organization that creates products or services. At the same time, a brand is defined as the image and personality a business creates to engage its target audience and establish itself as a valuable resource for what it is seeking.

In other words, a business is composed of the organization’s daily operations and its employees, and a brand serves as the public face of the company’s particular line of offerings. Your brand works to influence consumer preference and purchasing decisions.

Because a single business can encompass multiple brands, businesses in consumer markets primarily promote their brands rather than the overall company name. Each brand targets different prospects, sometimes in entirely different market sectors, and therefore must take different approaches to market their products with highly targeted campaigns.

For example, the international cosmetics company L’Oréal owns several cost-effective brands such as Maybelline New York and Garnier, as well as luxury brands such as Yves Saint Laurent and Giorgio Armani Beauty.

Even though these brands all offer beauty products, each one has its own distinct personality and is carefully marketed to appeal to different types of consumers with varying needs, preferences, and budgets.

The Principles of Effective Marketing Strategy

Many different marketing theories and models exist, but the most helpful strategy is customer-value driven, meaning it focuses on determining what cannabis customers really care about and using this information to guide your marketing efforts.

To make your target audience care about your brand, you should be able to prove that your brand understands their needs, desires, and preferences. Ensure they can identify with your brand.

When your marketing campaigns can accomplish these goals, you can engage a broader range of potential clients, give them the information they trust, demonstrate your credibility and authority in your market, and convince them to buy your products.

A customer-value driven strategy involves the following three essential elements:

  1. Targeting/segmentation: Who is your ideal customer?
  2. Positioning/differentiation: What makes your product unique?
  3. Value proposition: Why should customers buy your product?

When you have the answers to these questions, you can implement the four Ps of marketing to develop your brand identity while satisfying the three elements above.

The four Ps are:

  1. Product: What goods or services will you be selling?
  2. Price: How much will your products cost?
  3. Place: Where will you concentrate your sales efforts?
  4. Promotion: Where and how will you advertise your products to drive sales?

Marketing Value-Priced Cannabis Brands

Marketing Value-Priced Cannabis Brands

Taking cues from other successful businesses, many cannabis companies have diversified their offerings across several brands, each with its own distinct products and accompanying marketing strategy.

Like brands in other industries, data-driven marketing for cannabis brands is crucial for differentiating these brands from competitors, making connections with prospects, and turning them into paying customers.

An effective cannabis brand differentiation strategy involves many components, including how brands are created, which products will be offered on the market, how these products are displayed, and even the language used to communicate with consumers.

Utilizing a customer-value-driven strategy for your value-priced cannabis brand means you need to deliver economic value to your customers at a price point that accurately reflects this value. After identifying your target audience and developing a brand with unique products that interest them and offer value, you can implement a targeted strategy based on this insight to promote brand exposure and awareness.

As customers engage with your brand and have positive experiences, they can become advocates for your brand and create further engagement and viral opportunities to expand your reach. With a comprehensive strategy in place, you can firmly establish your reputation for high-quality yet affordable cannabis products and create a foundation for future success and growth.

Cannabis Brand Targeting

The first step in marketing value-priced cannabis brands requires conducting thorough research into your desired target audience to define who they are and understand their needs, interests, and preferences. With this information, you can determine what motivates them and build your marketing strategy around engaging them and giving them the information they need to make a purchasing decision.

Detailed demographic data can include age, gender, income, occupation, location, shopping behaviors, motivation for cannabis consumption, and any concerns they have or challenges they face, as well as how they discovered your brand.

It might seem like a good idea to develop a brand identity and message that appeals to everyone who could potentially become a customer, but this strategy actually undermines your marketing effectiveness. Instead, you should target the minimal viable audience or the smallest group of customers you can work with to sustain your business and focus on making unique products that can help improve their lives.

By targeting this audience instead of sharing a diluted version of your message for the sake of mass appeal, you can develop a compelling, impactful message for the people who matter most rather than wasting time trying to please people who are unlikely to interact with your brand.

When targeting your prospects, it is crucial to recognize that value-priced cannabis customers have different goals and budget constraints than affluent buyers seeking luxury cannabis products. Research shows that value customers are frequent users, typically consuming at least once per week, but they tend to earn lower incomes and avoid heavy spending or splurging on fancy material goods.

In addition, they tend to be 40 years old and up and have been cannabis users for a long time or have consumed in the past and recently decided to start again. In most cases, they began purchasing cannabis from the informal market and are focused mainly on price and convenience, not flashy marketing tactics or promotions.

Cannabis Brand Positioning

Cannabis Brand PositioningAfter you have acquired essential data about your audience, you have the information you need to develop your value-priced brand around their needs and preferences. You should be in total control of your brand image from the very beginning so you can distinguish yourself from other brands, tell a compelling brand story, and create a positive and lasting first impression for your customers.

In such a saturated market, your brand identity must have a solid personality, so you can engage prospects, show them what makes your product unique, and make sure they can find your brand among a sea of competitors. Because cannabis has a long history in the black market, it is imperative that your branding presents a respectful image. Hence, clients view you as an established, law-abiding business they can trust for quality products.

Unfortunately, many brands neglect this opportunity for creativity and use a stereotypical symbol that can already be found on thousands of products—the cannabis leaf. According to the US Patent and Trademark Office, 44% of logos registered by cannabis-related businesses as trademarks include the cannabis leaf, meaning a great deal of existing brand logos have similar appearances that make them nearly indistinguishable on the shelves.

If your competitors use the same symbols, you need to do something different to stand out. Keep in mind that your logo should be professional enough for your marketing campaign yet cool enough for customers to wear on T-shirts, hoodies, hats, and other merchandise.

Cannabis Brand Unique Value Propositions

The final element of your customer-value marketing strategy is your value proposition, a statement that explains why prospects should choose your brand rather than a competitor’s offerings. Ultimately, customers are motivated by receiving more value from a product than the money they pay to purchase it, meaning this value is not solely based on price but consists of a relative measurement of perceived value.

Similar to audience targeting, creating a value proposition requires understanding your minimal viable audience and what they want, so you can tailor your offering to meet their demands and  solve their problems. In addition, it should review your angle in the marketplace and include hard data about benefits and costs to prove the value your brand delivers to clients.

A value proposition usually includes a worldview or mission statement and is designed to target people who share your views or mission. The way people view the world and interact with brands significantly affects how they make purchasing decisions and the stories that prompt them to act.

The knowledge people believe to be true serves as a more accurate predictor of browsing and purchasing behavior than age and economic status. The correct value proposition indicates to prospects that you can offer what they genuinely care about—consistency and integrity. Customers want to know that they will receive the same value from your brand every time they make a purchase and that your company will promptly resolve any issues that may arise.

How Most Cannabis Brands Are Lacking Clear Differentiation

Just as many cannabis brands settle for unremarkable logos, they also tend to market their products on the ambiguous claim that they provide the highest quality for customers. However, quality is subjective and depends strongly on each person’s definition, so this claim is not adequate for differentiation.

Customers will only remain loyal to a brand if they continue to receive products that they consider to be the best value unless brands find an accurate way to differentiate their offerings from others. Without a comprehensive branding and marketing plan in place, value-priced brands are forced to compete solely on price. They will inevitably find themselves in a race to the bottom to offer the cheapest products.

Should Your Cannabis Business Have a Value Brand?

Because so many value-priced cannabis brands lack clear differentiation, it can be challenging to see the potential that these brands have for helping businesses reach wider audiences and generate more sales. These brands recognize that most of today’s cannabis consumers are not the sophisticated connoisseurs that previously dominated the initial legal market looking for high-THC, small-batch cultivated, and hand-trimmed products from luxury brands.

While affluent consumers value these characteristics, many average consumers are very conscious of price and want to enjoy the benefits of cannabis without making a considerable investment. Thus, the cannabis market offers a real opportunity for cannabis companies to find exciting ways to differentiate themselves and offer affordable products while still acquiring substantial profits.

Where Cannabis Brand Marketing Is Going

Where Cannabis Brand Marketing Is GoingThe cannabis industry features several unique challenges in terms of marketing, particularly considering cannabis remains illegal on the federal level. As the laws continue to change and cannabis consumption rises, your business must take advantage of this rapidly growing market segment. By identifying your consumers and giving them what they actually want, you can increase your exposure, drive engagement, and boost sales. However, it is imperative that you differentiate your value-priced cannabis brand from other brands if you want to stay relevant in this competitive, highly saturated, and ever-evolving market.

To learn more about how you can create a value-priced brand for your cannabis business, contact Eminent SEO today. We understand this industry’s unique challenges and opportunities and have provided leading health and wellness brands with expert digital marketing strategies for decades.

Our team can help you develop and promote a brand that effectively reaches your target audience and gives them exactly what they want when purchasing cannabis products. With our help, you can establish your reputation for providing high-quality products at competitive prices and set your business up for future success.

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Jenny Weatherall

CEO, Business Consultant, Researcher and Marketing Strategist

Jenny Weatherall is the co-owner and CEO of Eminent SEO, a design and marketing agency founded in 2009. She has worked in the industry since 2005, when she fell in love with digital marketing… and her now husband and partner, Chris. Together they have 6 children and 3 granddaughters.
Jenny has a passion for learning and sharing what she learns. She has researched, written and published hundreds of articles on a wide variety of topics, including: SEO, design, marketing, ethics, business management, sustainability, inclusion, behavioral health, wellness and work-life balance.

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How Digital Marketing Has Evolved Over the Last Decade

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How Digital Marketing Has Evolved Over the Last Decade

Over the past several years, the landscape of digital marketing has continued to morph and grow. It’s been developing since the dawn of the internet, changing to better suit trends of the time. Advertising doesn’t come with a strict doctrine, and digital marketing is certainly no exception. Rather, methods of marketing must evolve to suit the culture being advertised to.

As social media continues to evolve, and as our use of these platforms’ changes, so must the strategies businesses use to market to audiences.

Also, as a result of social media picking up steam over the past decade, companies have gained an increasingly quick means of receiving feedback from audiences. If a product or a campaign launch has a lackluster reception or even a disastrous response, companies are going to know instantly. This was certainly not always the case for advertising. Take Kendall Jenner’s 2017 Pepsi ad, which led to an instantaneous, large-scale PR nightmare for the company. This speed and level of response wouldn’t have been possible, decades earlier.

SEO has also come a long way, over the past ten or so years. Marketers were caught in a race to change alongside Google’s frequent updates, new product features, and new or developing algorithms. Search engines are only getting smarter, and brands have had to stay in touch with that fact. A lot has changed in the world of digital marketing, and a lot will continue to change, in the years to come.

A Timeline of Digital Marketing Over the Last Decade: Influencer Marketing, Social Media Marketing, and Beyond

A Timeline of Digital Marketing Over the Last Decade

2011: The Internet Overtakes Television

While 2011 wasn’t a revolutionary year for digital marketing, it was a year when several small (but important) steps were made.

Probably the biggest development in social media marketing of the year was the launch of Google+. Although the site didn’t allow marketers to create brand pages until October (several months after the platform’s launch), the platform showed immediate promise. Google+ gave marketers a unique level of personalization, making it easier for brands to target people based on their interests. This was definitely an improvement over Facebook-based advertising at the time.

Speaking of Facebook: In 2011, the popular social media platform overhauled much of its approach to marketing on the site. Toward the end of the year, it became clear that “likes” were losing meaning to advertisers. This was thanks to the introduction of Facebook Gestures, which allowed marketers to transform any verb into a link. The switch over to the Timeline style of profile also allowed brands to create pages for themselves, for the very first time.

Google Panda was also launched this year. This was a major algorithm update for the search engine, which heavily prioritized the quality of a site’s content as a part of SEO. For example, sites with duplicate content, a high ad-to-content ratio, or a lack of trustworthiness were seen as unfavorable. To rank well with Google, sites had to begin putting even more effort into creating the highest quality content they could manage. If anything, Google Panda foretold the future of SEO.

It was also in the year 2011 that, for the very first time, web use by young people overtook their level of TV viewership. This was an incredibly important figure for marketers and brands to take note of since it was a pretty clear indication of where audiences were moving. A concerted transition over to digital marketing was more important than ever, especially for marketers targeting a younger audience.

2012 – 2013: The Digital Landscape Is Shifting

In the world of digital marketing, 2012 was an eventful year. It was a year when the shifting digital landscape was only becoming more obvious, to marketers.

For one, 2012 brought search engine result pages that, finally, began to truly incorporate social content. In addition, several IPOs were launched within the sphere of digital marketing. The year also saw a notable increase in Google’s search dominance, as well as a heavier-than-ever reliance on digital marketing agencies and tools, as a means to support the marketing efforts of many companies.

In 2012, there was also an increasing use of marketing automation. More than in the past, digital marketers were using triggered emails, which included “welcome” campaigns sent to potential customers. This particular shift can be attributed to the accessibility of low-cost email systems — including MailChimp and Aweber. Previously, these kinds of automated communications were only available to businesses through (much pricier) Enterprise systems.

Google Ads (then known as “AdWords”) remarketing gained considerable popularity in 2012 too. In April 2012, Google also released Penguin, another major revamping to their search engine algorithm. This time, the company was aiming to address back-linking strategies — so, this algorithm update had a noticeable effect on how Google evaluated links during the ranking process. Updates such as this encouraged the adoption of white-hat SEO strategies, rather than black-hat strategies.

Important to digital marketing in 2013 was the purchase of Tumblr by Yahoo. At the time, Tumblr was one of the most highly trafficked social sites, despite a lack of focus on advertising. After being purchased by Yahoo, Tumblr made a big move toward monetization, which hadn’t previously been a feature of the website. This was also the year that Instagram Ads was launched.

Growth hacking, as an approach to digital marketing, picked up significant steam in 2013. This strategy is based largely around conversion rate optimization (CRO), although it’s actually quite a bit broader than that. Rather, growth hacking involves testing various business models, refining product offerings, and refining pricing models.

2014 – 2015: Targeting Audiences and Refining Search Engine Optimization

Targeting Audiences and Refining Search Engine Optimization

The year 2014 saw several major events in the realm of digital marketing.

This included:

  • Mobile device usage surpassed desktop internet usage. Clearly, audiences were spending more time on their phones than on their computers. This is a trend that had been building for several years prior to 2014, although this is when it crossed a key threshold.
  • Tailored advertisements were introduced to LinkedIn.
  • The Facebook Messenger app was launched.
  • Also, this year Facebook acquired WhatsApp.

All of these events had an impact on methods of digital marketing at the time.

Furthermore, 2014 brought about Google’s Pigeon update — yet another major revamping of their search algorithm, attempting to continue filtering out black-hat SEO users. With Pigeon, local search was even further reshaped. Well-optimized sites became even more heavily rewarded, gaining an advantage over their competitors in local search engine results. Location-specific search was also improved upon, as well as location-based browsing on mobile devices. This had a significant impact on local advertisers, especially.

It was that same year that Google algorithms began prioritizing HTTPS websites over their unencrypted counterparts. This is, in part, because encryption promises data integrity, protecting confidential user information. So, a safer website meant better SEO and ranking for websites, beginning in 2014.

In 2015, Snapchat first launched its “Discover” feature. Before the release of Discover, Snapchat was really only known as a photo messaging app — not exactly an advertising hub. At its release, the goal of the Discover page was to provide audiences with a stream of content, all supplied by major media corporations. Snapchat Discover introduced a brand-new method for digital marketers to generate revenue.

Other significant digital marketing happenings in 2015 included:

  • Predictive analytics began to pick up some traction, gaining new popularity. This is a form of data analysis that, years later, would become integral to the digital advertising landscape. After collecting and analyzing user data, predictive analytics can be used to better understand the wants and needs of consumers, identify consumers’ behavioral patterns, and help marketers to make even more strategic and effective decisions. Predictive analytics employs mathematical modeling tools, to create predictions about an unknown event, fact, or even just a characteristic. This allows advertisers to target their audience with even more precision than in the past.
  • There was a rise in the popularity of wearable tech, providing a new, unique mode of delivering advertisements.
  • Facebook introduced “Instant Articles” in 2015. This was a noteworthy step in the rise of digital content marketing, which involves the creation, publication, and eventually the distribution of content for a particular targeted audience.
  • Pinterest introduced buyable pins, opening up opportunities for content marketers and retailers on the platform.

2016 – 2017: The Rise of Social Media Influencers and Influencer Marketing

Influencer MarketingBoth Snapchat and Spotify launched ads in 2016. And another huge trend for digital marketing in 2016 was marketing automation. This was yet another way for advertising and technology to be brought together, helping to build more efficient, far more personalized marketing campaigns. By determining just when and how consumers entered the funnel (and factoring in some general information about audience interests), marketers were able to discover similarities and patterns. It also provided advertisers with vital information on possible areas of opportunity.

In 2016, online influencers saw a massive surge in popularity — thus, the promise of influencer marketing began to open up. The number of online influencers, who are essentially the celebrities of the social media age, skyrocketed. Not only were there more influencers but also, these stars received their name for a reason: they were influencing the public and on a growing scale. This, of course, is a phenomenon that would catch marketers’ attention. Social media influencers were then brought on by companies to promote products to their growing audiences.

As of 2017, Google and Facebook had prevailed as the largest media owners on the planet. Together, these two corporations were bringing in 20% of the world’s total advertising revenue, according to market research.

With increased digital connectivity came increased access to potential competitors within a target audience. Paid advertising was growing even more important, no longer sitting on the sidelines as a supplementary strategy by marketers. Rather, it was becoming the core of some marketing campaigns. (Still, this doesn’t mean that SEO was suddenly obsolete — SEO was, and still is, important to advertisers.)

Also in 2017, advertisers began to dip their toes (and their marketing materials) into the world of virtual reality, commonly known as V.R. Some companies began to introduce facets of V.R. into advertising campaigns. For example, this was the year that Ikea developed its groundbreaking virtual shopping experience. This wasn’t enough to make V.R. marketing a norm, although it certainly planted a seed in the marketing world.

Several marketing takeaways could be drawn from 2017’s fiasco with Pepsi and Kendall Jenner. To start, it served as a bit of a wake-up call to advertisers: When it comes to presenting modern social issues in advertisements, it’s crucial not to paint them with the standard, idealist marketing. In the process, Pepsi seemingly made light of actual social injustices and protests of the time. This advertisement was met with an overwhelmingly negative response and was accused of being out-of-touch and insensitive by most audiences.

Additionally, the Pepsi situation was a strong reminder of just how instantaneously brands can receive marketing feedback. As soon as the infamous ad aired, Pepsi began to receive responses on social media. The “sit back and wait” component of old-school advertising was long gone.

2018 – 2020: Where Content Becomes the Key of Brand Management

Content is the Key of Brand ManagementIn a number of ways, 2018 was a year for building on digital marketing foundations. These foundations were originally born earlier in the decade.

For instance, as a way for brands to continue improving their SEO, there was a surge in popularity for long-form content. With longer-form content, companies realized they’d be able to rack up even higher user session durations. Of course, this came with the caveat that the long-form content must be engaging enough to hold a user’s attention. Still, when brands succeeded, they could create a highly positive impact on their SEO with their longer content strategy.

In the past, Instagram videos had a maximum length of just sixty seconds. Then, Instagram TV was launched in 2018. Using this new feature, users on the platform became capable of uploading content that was several minutes long. This opened up a whole new world for creators of scripted and comedic content, for example. It also led to a surge in DIY tutorials, full product demos, and much more.

Although the concern had been steadily building for some time, by 2018, worries over user data reached a tipping point. It was a well-known fact that brands and websites store user data en masse, to improve the effectiveness of targeted advertising. However, many people worried that this was putting their own privacy at risk. After all, several companies were beginning to see information leaks and data breaches. Plus, it had become common knowledge that sites were selling user data to other companies. For many social media users, this was only growing more concerning.

These same concerns led to the creation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which was introduced by the European Union in 2018. The goal of the GDPR was to hold brands accountable for protecting the data of their users. It also sought to bring users better control over what data they were giving to companies.

Certainly, 2019 was an eventful year for digital marketers. That year, brands were given not only a new search algorithm but also, a brand-new major platform: TikTok.

TikTok provided marketers with an entirely new frontier. In recent years, we’d seen a number of social media platforms rise, before crashing and burning — think of Vine and Google+, for example. However, TikTok was (and still is) unique. TikTok’s explosion in popularity was rapid, and the growth has only continued over time, leaving marketers with an incredibly valuable landscape for advertising.

BERT was Google’s 2019 update to their search algorithm. It was easily one of the biggest updates seen in years, lending the algorithm an understanding of context, rather than simply the words of a search term. As of 2019, Google’s algorithm began to put a much stronger concentration on user intent. With the introduction of BERT, digital marketers really had to rethink how they were approaching SEO.

By 2020, content was more valuable than ever. In fact, it had become obvious that, in order to succeed, brands would have to consider prioritizing content creation, over other marketing strategies — and video content had become especially popular. Many individuals consider video content to be more convenient, compared to text-based content. Video marketing had become an important factor to companies crafting their digital marketing strategy.

There’s also been a recent increase in brands working with niche influencers. In the not-so-distant past, digital marketers were far more likely (or even guaranteed) to turn to celebrity influencers as product promoters. However, as of 2020, a number of brands focused their attention on smaller, more niche creators, allowing them to advertise to specific markets and audiences. As a bonus, smaller influencers are more likely to form a closer, more personal bond with their fans. So, there’s a better chance that their followers will trust what the creator has to say.

2021 And the Future of Digital Marketing

2021 And the Future of Digital MarketingAs with every year, in 2021, the digital marketing industry has only continued to evolve and develop. Interest in neuromarketing is increasing, for one. Semantic keyword searches continue to revolutionize SEO, as user intent is more important than ever when it comes to ranking. We’ve also seen an increase in the use of voice search, which has already had a notable effect on how sales funnels are navigated. More so than in the past, marketers have begun to consider voice search potential, when they’re working to optimize their content.

So, what’s in store for digital marketing, moving forward? While it’s impossible to say with certainty, current trends point toward increased interest in chatbots and AI, as methods of marketing to customers. Other forms of interactive marketing content are also likely to continue rising in popularity, including quizzes and games.

No matter where digital marketing is headed down the line, we’re excited to stick around and see. Contact Eminent SEO to get started on a custom website or online marketing strategy for your business today. We’ve been developing digital marketing strategies since 2005. That means we made it through the evolution of SEO and the ever-changing digital landscape… and we haven’t quit yet.

Let’s have some fun together!

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Jenny Weatherall

CEO, Business Consultant, Researcher and Marketing Strategist

Jenny Weatherall is the co-owner and CEO of Eminent SEO, a design and marketing agency founded in 2009. She has worked in the industry since 2005, when she fell in love with digital marketing… and her now husband and partner, Chris. Together they have 6 children and 3 granddaughters.
Jenny has a passion for learning and sharing what she learns. She has researched, written and published hundreds of articles on a wide variety of topics, including: SEO, design, marketing, ethics, business management, sustainability, inclusion, behavioral health, wellness and work-life balance.

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Is Marketing Science or Art? Why Answering This Question Matters in the Digital Age

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Is Marketing Science or Art?When it comes to marketing, what is the best approach? Should you rely on hard facts and data, or on the human connection? To answer these questions, it’s important to consider another question that helps you determine which tactics better reach your audience:

Is marketing science or art?

While both a scientific and an artistic view of marketing have compelling arguments, it is a combination of the two that truly leads to marketing success. The ability to balance both the art and the science of marketing is key to capturing customer retention and growth.

Science Versus Art: The Beginning

The science versus art of marketing debate began as early as 1945, in an issue of The Journal of Marketing. A scientist by the name of Paul D. Converse explored marketing as a scientific business practice, a view which, at the time, went against the understanding of how successful marketing worked. When it came to the classical definition of advertising and marketing at the time, the perception was definitively biased towards marketing as an art. Over time, however, Converse’s notion caught on. By the time the digital revolution occurred and the internet, web search and SEO entered the scene, marketing was making a move towards a scientific approach.

So, the debate continues, is marketing science or art?

We are taught early on that people develop a tendency to rely on one side of the brain over the other. Right brain thinkers tend to be more artistic and creative, driven by emotion and gut feelings or relying on personal perception to assess a situation. Left brain thinkers tend to be more serious and rely on science—hard facts, tangible data, and having solid evidence drives this type of thinking. When it comes to consumer decision making, however, even strong left-brain and right-brain thinkers buy with both rationality and emotions. If this is how people shop, why would the concept of how to market to these individuals be any different? Marketing is often called the art of selling. However, as Converse posited, to sell successfully, marketers need to target both right-brain and left-brain consumers with a blend of art and science.

Perks of the Artistic Marketer

The right brained thinker is a creative thinker with artistic intuition. As a marketer, the right brained individual is able to focus on producing high quality marketing materials that will capture the hearts and minds of the intended audience. Perhaps even more importantly, the creative thinker is uniquely able to create innovative content that thinks outside of the traditional box. To this point, consider the fact that 47% of business-to-business (B2B) buyers consume 3-5 pieces of content before even engaging with a salesperson. Thus, individual marketing materials must speak to the consumer before another marketer draws their attention. The artistic marketer is faced with the challenge of making sure that the material is captivating and engaging.

To do so effectively, creativity is truly key—especially in the digital age. Due to the increase in mobile phone and internet use, the average consumer is constantly bombarded with ads, blogs, links, and suggestions each time they open a web browser. Think about what happens when you scroll through a popular social media platform; if you’re on Facebook, for example, odds are you will scroll through a half dozen different ads within the first few minutes of using the app or website. This is where the creative marketer is crucial. Now more than ever, the understanding of what captures the consumer’s attention can make all the difference.

Creative Use of Data

Creative Use of DataIt’s important not to overlook the impact data can have on the creative marketing process. Utilizing creativity has always been important, but in the past, it was difficult to measure the success of that creativity. With the rise in social media and mobile phone use, marketers have a better ability to gather data as it flows in.

However, while it is important to rely on data driven insights, it is equally important to avoid losing focus of the human element. Another perk of the creative marketer is that they often can use their intuition to help guide decisions. Similarly, artistic marketers also tend to make deeper connections with prospects and customers. Relying on intuition and emotion to drive a marketing technique can be a bold step, but often results in rewards. In fact, half of B2B professionals are more likely to make a purchase if they feel a genuine emotional connection to a brand. Both perks highlight how those who think more artistically tend to develop a better understanding of human behavior and what drives a consumer to make a choice.

Ultimately, it often takes an artistic thinker to be able to look beyond the hard marketing data and make decisions that appeal to the human side of marketing. An artistic thinker can craft campaigns that speak to an audience’s heart, and capitalize on the desires, fears, frustrations, and other qualities that make us human. Marketing is an art of selling, and no one better sees that art than the right brain thinker.

Perks of the Scientific Marketer

As opposed to the right brained thinker, left brained thinkers view the world as a science-driven, fact-based reality. They tend to operate on logic, facts, and analysis. It’s important to note that this does not mean left brained thinkers are void of creativity, or that they don’t understand the human element—simply that if given the choice, they would rather rely on proven truths. It’s a thought process pervasive in the marketing world, as nearly 65% of marketing professionals feel that data-driven marketing is more important in the digital age.

In the past, before the rise of internet use and the subsequent reliance on mobile phones, scientific marketers had far less research to rely on. Scientific marketers could only focus on readily available data elements such as demographics, macroeconomic information, and sales figures. With the advent of digital technology, the information that can be gathered is practically limitless. Scientific marketers are no longer limited by “dark spots” in the hard data aggregates. Consumers, their interests, likes, and even their locations can be easily tracked, quantified, and analyzed with the help of technology.

A Scientific Approach to Marketing Data

A Scientific Approach to Marketing DataA scientific marketer makes their decisions based on facts and evidence, in a seemingly endless process of analysis and adaptation. A left-brain thinker clears objectives, tracks important metrics, and analyzes their results to determine which tactics are the most successful. In addition, the scientific marketer, tends to prioritize accuracy, a mindset that pays off the most when it comes to audience targeting.

If a marketing campaign inaccurately targets a consumer or demographic, there is little to no likelihood it will produce any return on the marketing investment (ROI). A scientific marketer understands that to ensure accuracy, they must construct a comprehensive buyer persona, complete with key traits and characteristics shared by the best-performing potential customers. Thanks to accurate data, marketers can successfully learn who their target buyers are, discover where to find them, and develop strategies to increase engagement.

One of the most essential elements of success for scientific marketers capitalizes on the human aspect of marketing—the ability to create hyper-personalized campaigns. With the continued rise in technology, social media, and the connectivity both provide, people still want to feel important. In fact, 78% of customers will only engage with offers that have been personalized to them, and nearly as many will only recommend brands that deliver this personalized experience. A scientific approach to analyzing consumer data supplies the foundation for understanding what the consumer wants.

Is Marketing Science or Art?

So, what makes for the best approach to successful marketing? Is it the creative, artistic marketing approach that allows for a unique experience with a human touch? Or, is it the data-driven scientific approach that can help success? Most marketing experts agree, to find optimal success, you need to utilize both. Neither aspect of marketing can exist separately from the other, so using both sides will lead to building an approach that gains and retains a strong customer base.

Marketers must have a creative mindset to build a brand and develop innovative campaigns. However, they must also consult data to support these campaigns and understand the best way to reach the target audience. By utilizing the perks of both scientific and artistic marketing styles, you’re setting a foundation for a well-balanced campaign that will appeal to both the logic and emotions of the consumer.

Finding the Right Balance of Science and Art

Finding the Right Balance of Science and ArtBalance is key when it comes to creating a successful marketing team. As such, there are a few distinct aspects to keep in mind:

1. Build a Well-Rounded Team

Choose a diverse team of individuals that bring different strengths to improve the overall success of your brand’s marketing efforts. A team with both artistic and scientific marketers will give your brand the best chance of success. A scientific marketer can evaluate data and ensure that each marketing choice makes the most sense based on data, while an artistic marketer can help to flesh out the scientific data and evidence while considering the user experience.

2. Ensure a Mix of Marketing Science and Art

If you were to construct your marketing decisions based only on hard data alone, your content could seem cold or robotic. As a result, a consumer who was only given hard facts may not feel drawn to the product. Without making a connection, the consumer will quickly forget what they have seen and learned about your brand. On the other side of this coin, if your approach consists of creative campaigns only, you run the risk of missing out on bigger opportunities with your marketing efforts.

3. Build Your Buyer Personas

Developing a diverse team helps ensure your various target buyer personas are realistic and as close to your ideal consumers as possible. This project often begins at the scientific end, by looking at data, following statistics, anticipating demands, and understanding the real foundation you need to proceed. As the project develops, the artistic marketers can help to ensure that the messaging appeals to the consumer’s real emotions.

Technology has opened many doors, but people still want to feel that they are valued as an individual. Therefore, the more areas your campaigns can leverage to appeal to your target consumer, the better. Supplying facts and evidence of the benefits of your products and services while remaining approachable, personal, and reliable increases your chances of success.

Build Your Buyer Personas

4. Track Hard and Soft Metrics

Utilizing both the scientific and artistic aspects of marketing is extremely important when it comes to analyzing the hard and soft metrics you’ll need to construct and evaluate your campaign. Hard metrics are concrete, quantitative features such as leads generated, cost per click, click through rate, and more.

It’s no surprise that these metrics are often more easily broken down and understood by the left brained thinker. Soft metrics are those that can’t be represented numerically, but are still just as important as hard data, including audience sentiment, thought leadership, brand awareness and audience engagement. The artistic right brained thinker will be well-equipped to plan and understand these more subtle elements of customer acquisition.

5. Invest in Tools for Success

Another crucial element of developing a balanced marketing approach is making sure you invest in the right tools for your team. Technology continues to adapt and change, and the global market has never been as competitive as it is now. To stay ahead, you must be sure to supply your team with the best technology possible.

This involves a marketing tech stack that incorporates systems that store and maintain substantial amounts of data, track performance, generate reports, and automate administrative tasks. The more efficient your technology, the more your team can benefit and grow without being too overwhelmed by the process of gathering and analyzing data associated with your marketing approach. This allows more time and energy for creative projects.

For Successful Marketing: Find the Right Blend of Science and Art

Successful Marketing Blends Science and ArtThe purpose of marketing is to influence the behaviors of others to bring them closer to your brand, organization, product, or service. The best way to achieve it is to strike a balance between the hard data and evidence that support the best path to take, and the human appeal and creative approach necessary to solidify its impact. While some may argue that the debate between the art and science of marketing is still ongoing, it is becoming increasingly evident that the most successful marketing approach uses the strength of both sides to create one clear path to success.

If you’d like more information about scientific and artistic approaches to marketing—and how a dedicated marketing partner can help you power your brand—contact the experts at Eminent SEO today.

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Jenny Weatherall

CEO, Business Consultant, Researcher and Marketing Strategist

Jenny Weatherall is the co-owner and CEO of Eminent SEO, a design and marketing agency founded in 2009. She has worked in the industry since 2005, when she fell in love with digital marketing… and her now husband and partner, Chris. Together they have 6 children and 3 granddaughters.
Jenny has a passion for learning and sharing what she learns. She has researched, written and published hundreds of articles on a wide variety of topics, including: SEO, design, marketing, ethics, business management, sustainability, inclusion, behavioral health, wellness and work-life balance.

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Jenny Stradling and Jim Haggerty Talk Healthcare Marketing Today

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Healthcare Marketing Today

Jim and I met years ago when he was the acting CEO for an addiction detox and treatment center on the East Coast. I was hired to help with the website design and marketing. After his contract ended, we stayed in touch and over the years we’ve collaborated on several projects. One we are mutually proud of is a non-profit organization Jim founded in 2014, The ECHO Foundation. He asked me to join the ECHO Board of Directors and act as the marketing lead.

Jim has extensive experience in the healthcare space and has overseen the development of Utilization Processes, Quality Assurance Guidelines, Marketing, Billing, Accounts Receivable and IT Tasks for dozens of organizations.

Today I am talking with my buddy Jim about what’s happening in healthcare and what providers need to be focused on when it comes to marketing their businesses in this challenging time.

Here is a copy of our conversation:

Jenny: Thanks for doing this interview with me Jim!

Jim: Absolutely Jenny, my pleasure.

Jenny: Above I touched on what you do, can you expand on that for us?

Jim: My goal is to help enhance, create systems and increase revenues allowing treatment providers the time to focus on their patients or clients. I work to create efficiencies and get true ROI on all of the systems a facility has in place. Healthcare businesses spend large sums of money on EHR, Billing Software and trying to create end to end RCM. And, in my experience they only get between 35% and 60% out of the value out of the various tools and systems they’ve purchased and tried to customize.

We want to maximize the ROI they can achieve from these investments and build profit centers that allow for growth and long term sustainability.

Jenny: What do you think are some of the biggest issue’s healthcare businesses are experiencing today?

Jim: The healthcare industry has really been a focus for everyone during this last year of COVID-19. For example, Telehealth is exploding. Insurance companies are seeing growing mental health costs and are actively pursuing solutions to contain costs and provide the necessary care for their members. I see a tremendous amount of money being spent in the private sector on digital health technology. The businesses that have not yet adapted really need to consider their services moving forward and the losses they can expect to competitors who have already implemented digital services.

Jenny: What advice would you give these business owners?

Jim: Providing the highest level of care and picking the right system to increase retention, evidence based results and solidifying relationships with MCOs and other payers seems to be the most efficient model for a successful business in this healthcare space. Full scale RCM, constantly updating and changing with trends along with real time analytics and reporting helps owners keep their fingers on the pulse of the organizational needs.

Jenny: How do you think the industry has influenced public perception around mental health and substance abuse recovery, specifically the stigma around getting treatment?

Jim: I have seen a significant focus and acceptance in the mainstream healthcare industry as well as overall empathy over the past few years. During this past year with record high overdose deaths, there has also been a rise in mental health challenges for everyday people, such as anxiety and depression. Many people are struggling while working from home during the pandemic and this has actually helped shift some of the stigma around the mainstream conceptualization.

Everyone has had their challenges and more people can appreciate the struggle for others, our children and how they work.

Jenny: Do you think marketers can play a bigger role when it comes to helping healthcare brands drive more awareness?

Jim: Absolutely. Bringing Mental Health awareness and wellness to the forefront and in a way normalizing how everyone can struggle with these challenges from time to time and for others who have been struggling for years with SUD and Mental Health issues. I really think with the COVID-19 pandemic, something that has affected every segment of our daily lives, has created a once in a lifetime opportunity for those of us in this industry to inform and educate others on the significance of the disease of SUD and Mental Health on a broader level.

COVID-19

Jenny: Have you found that most healthcare organizations are not taking full advantage of all digital marketing opportunities?

Jim: Without a doubt many organizations are not optimizing all that they can do to improve and enhance their “product” or services.  Working in the healthcare industry over the past 25 years I have always looked at those who work in the industry as heroes and unbelievably exceptional people who lead with their hearts.

Being smart about their business plan and optimizing all aspects of their organization sometimes gets lost because the time it takes to provide the highest level of care with this population can sidetrack you from running the business side of the organization.

Jenny: So true. I think the same can be said for almost every business, however. Many business owners overlook important sales and marketing tasks because they are too busy managing other more pressing matters. What’s one big mistake you think new businesses make when it comes to marketing their brand?

Jim:  Most new businesses have a tremendous amount of energy and ideas. However, as you mentioned, many do not have the time to execute on their ideas and think it’s too expensive to outsource. In my experience branding and marketing is an investment worth making if you intend to be successful. If you can’t dedicate the time to fulfilling the tasks yourself, hire a pro and trust the process. Without marketing your business will only go so far.

Jenny: As a healthcare professional, if you could go back in time and learn one thing earlier on, what would that be and why?

Jim: How important branding and marketing really are and how the right plan directly translates into an ROI for the business. So many organizations go light on marketing and branding believing that if they just work extremely hard everything will work out, that’s often not the case.

I wish I knew the true value earlier on as I would have not only hired a professional, but I would have invested even more into developing my own assets and organic marketing channels. Businesses who understood that the big payoff comes from long-term, residual ROI, invested early on and had patience as their brand visibility grew with time. Not surprisingly, these are the same businesses that are successful today.

Jenny: Do you have any other advice for professionals in the healthcare industry that need help growing and managing their business?

Jim:  It’s important to lean on colleagues and peers within the same vertical that you work in. Trusting the people who have been in the industry for some time can help you learn and not repeat the same mistakes made as they built their own organizations.

Finding a colleague that can act as your mentor can help you achieve your goals.

Jenny: If anyone wants to chat with you, what’s the best way to reach out?

Jim: I’d love to hear from anyone who wants to talk with me in more detail about their business and marketing needs. I can be contacted here on my healthcare consulting website: Apogee System Consultants.

Jenny: Jim, thanks so much for sharing your wisdom and expertise with us today! It’s been a pleasure working with you and collaborating on projects that make an impact and give back. Thanks for all the work you do and the love you put into it.

The Future of Healthcare is Now

One thing that you can count on always being consistent, ironically, is change. With healthcare marketing that couldn’t be any more true. Addiction treatment centers, behavioral health facilities and other healthcare providers have to stay flexible and adaptable in order to thrive- especially now.

Investing into the right technologies and marketing strategies is key if you want to remain competitive. If COVID-19 taught us anything it’s that it’s no longer realistic to wait for the market to change and respond to the changes. You have to anticipate your patients needs and make plans in anticipation of their changing needs.

Before the pandemic forced us all inside, there was already a growing demand for easier ways to communicate digitally. Younger generations expect websites with chat agents and online booking systems. But, it’s not just millennials looking for convenience. Patients of every age want access to fast prescription refills, quick answers to health questions and the option to make or change an appointment without waiting on hold.

Healthcare businesses that offer telecommunications and other digital services signal patients that the organization cares about their time and is willing to invest into the right systems and tools to aid in their convenience.

Closing Thought

Charles Darwin Quote on Business

Businesses that are not prepared to adapt are in for a lot of trouble. The internet changed everything. Updates that can permanently impact your organization can happen over night. This means dire consequences for the ill prepared.

Change can be scary, especially if you’ve had success for a long time with the same systems and strategies you’ve always had in place. But, for the organization that is well managed, responsive and nimble, rapid change can be just what the doctor ordered.

The status quo makes it tough for the new and smaller businesses to take on the established players. Rapid change levels the playing field and puts everything up for grabs.

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Jenny Weatherall

CEO, Business Consultant, Researcher and Marketing Strategist

Jenny Weatherall is the co-owner and CEO of Eminent SEO, a design and marketing agency founded in 2009. She has worked in the industry since 2005, when she fell in love with digital marketing… and her now husband and partner, Chris. Together they have 6 children and 3 granddaughters.
Jenny has a passion for learning and sharing what she learns. She has researched, written and published hundreds of articles on a wide variety of topics, including: SEO, design, marketing, ethics, business management, sustainability, inclusion, behavioral health, wellness and work-life balance.

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Vol. 107: Preparing Your Business Marketing Strategies for a Unique Holiday Season

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Vol. 107

Preparing Your Business Marketing Strategies for a Unique Holiday Season

The current COVID-19 pandemic is changing the shopping habits of many consumers, which means a change in the way you reach your prospective customer. Fortunately, it has not decreased consumer willingness to spend.

What Will the 2020 Holiday Shopping Season Look Like?

The 2020 holiday shopping season will be quite a bit different from anything we have experienced mainly because no one has ever before tried to predict what holiday shopping during a pandemic looks like.

So how do you adjust your holiday marketing strategies and holiday advertising in 2020? You embrace the current situation and meet consumers where they are most likely to be—online. By recognizing the current shopping trends, the unique needs of consumers, and addressing their safety concerns, you can make the most of the current holiday shopping season.

Marketing the Holidays in 202

What Are the Best Holiday Marketing Strategies for 2020?

Consumers are always looking for a deal, and with unemployment remaining high, that is not likely to change any time soon.

It is important to incorporate bargains, special deals, and coupons into your email and online marketing strategies. You should also build them into your social media platforms. Now is a good time to create and run pay-per-click ads, as most prospective buyers will begin their online shopping with a search engine query.

Advertising Reflects Current Consumer Expectations

There are several points to keep in mind as you review your platforms and update your information.

  • Make Sure Your Digital Media Is Ready for the Holidays
  • Update Your Website with Relevant COVID-Related Information
  • Freshen up Your Brand
  • Optimize Your Social Media Presence
  • Make Sure Your Holiday Advertising Reflects Current Consumer Expectations

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Why Should You Hire an Expert Business and Marketing Consultant?

Meet Marketing Consultant Jenny Stradling
Meet Marketing Consultant Chris Weatherall

When you want to map out a marketing strategy that considers the long-term goals of the company, potential risks and rewards and projected ROI, working with an experienced marketer is a must. Someone with deep experience understands what data to look at, what tools to use, the right questions to ask and the impact of the different marketing channels and tactics available today.

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A Professional Marketing Consultant Can Help You Understand the Changing Digital Landscape

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Marketing Tips & News

The biggest problem entrepreneurs and small business owners have is that they’re experts in their field and novices in what it really takes to effectively run a business. That’s what usually trips them up, sooner or later.

Don’t let that happen to you. Admit that you don’t know what you don’t know about business… and follow our #tipsforbusinesses. Some are straightforward, others are counterintuitive, but they’re all true. And (chances are) some day they’ll save your butt. You’re welcome.

Tips

TIP #1: Always make sure there is and will be enough cash in the bank.
Period. The most common business-failure mode, hands down, is running out of cash. If you know you’ve got a cash flow or liquidity problem coming up, fix it now.

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