To begin with:
Who are digital consumers? Are they some mysterious creatures living on a technologically superior planet? Let us simplify the concept of digital consumers for those who are still unsure. Simply put, people who use technology to buy and sell products and services are known as digital consumers. They are the same people who walk into your business, order on a telephone, or request for a discount. These are normal people like us. For instance, an internet user who is reading this article now is a digital consumer on our page.
Human beings have been communicating and interacting with each other for thousands of years. It is just the communication channels that evolve with the passage of time. The internet has made us digital consumers. Remember, no matter how sophisticated the internet has become, we are normal human beings trying to communicate with each other.
In digital marketing, it is important to pay attention to rapidly evolving communication channels. The consumer behavior is changing because of the enabling nature of digital technology and an easy access to information.
Research is of great help
Establishing assumptions about people is not an ideal approach when it comes to digital consumers. The ideal approach to understand the buying behavior of your digital prospects is to conduct a thorough research. Marketers have already done extensive research on understanding the behavioral traits of digital consumers. Following are some of the insights that epitomize the subject:
- Digital-savvy consumers are well informed: the internet has been around for quite a time and people now have learned how to fully utilize its power. As people become more aware of the modern communication technology, they use it more efficiently. This means marketers have to give their best in order to win well-informed prospects.
- They want relevant and quick information: excessive information and a variety of options have made people accustomed to getting the right and hazard-free solutions within seconds. For example, if your website is not responsive or slow, the visitors are likely to bounce back and move on to the next option. It is the instant gratification that makes a visitor love your site. So, while you build a website for your business, make sure that it provides engaging material and highly relevant information.
- They share a lot: online consumers have unlimited opportunities and platforms where they can talk about their experiences, share valuable information, ask for recommendations, provide reviews, and leave comments. In other words, user-generated content plays a crucial role in your online success and promotion.
Influencers can bridge the gap
Opinion leaders or influencers warrant a special mention when it comes to understanding digital consumers in particular and digital marketing in general. They use the power of internet to promote the products and services that they admire. They have already established their authority in the hearts of digital consumers. This is the reason why influencers are important people for online marketers. People pay attention to what they say or write.
One way to understand your online consumers is to build meaningful relationships with influencers in your industry. When you engage with influencers in a positive way, you recruit a team of influential advocates who can completely revolutionize the way you communicate and engage with your prospects and customers.
But how to find and connect with the influencers in your niche? Following are some of the signs of influencers:
- They have considerably large social circle with millions of fans
- They make an excessive use of social platforms like blogs, social channels, forums, and online communities to talk about their experiences of different products and services.
- When they recommend a product or service, people follow them almost blindly.
- They are experts in what they do.
What you need now? Identify the influencers within your industry, understand their way of working, and connect with them in order to boost up your digital marketing campaigns. Do not just go for a random influencer who has nothing to do with your industry. That would certainly be a waste of time. Some people think connecting with celebrities would be of great help. In fact, it is does not worth your time or money.
If you need help on how to start off your own micro influencer campaign, go through the steps mentioned in the post: How to Set Up a Successful Micro-Influencer Campaign?
All starts with a great product!
Keep in mind that even great marketing minds would struggle to sell a product that does not deliver value. One of the lessons we can learn from Steve Jobs is his motto to ‘build insanely great products’. When you focus on building great products, you do not have to spend so much time struggling to understand the behavior of your digital consumers. If your products or services do not deliver what you promise, your online buyers will not hesitate to share the unsatisfactory experiences. Therefore, build the very foundation of your online business on great products.
Promotion does the rest
Once you have built the best you can, it’s time to promote it both online and across the off-line platforms in order to place your products in front of the target audience. Following are some of the essential techniques to promote things online:
- Website is central: website plays a crucial role in all of your digital marketing endeavors. It is the place to which all of your digital activities will direct your prospects. Digital consumers do not tolerate an ill-organized, slow, and visually poor site. This means your site should be able to grab the attention of visitors. Precisely speaking, your website is your online conversion engine.
- Test and optimize: successful marketers test and optimize every marketing effort that they make. Search engine optimization is one of the techniques to improve the visibility of a website in SERPs. Digital consumers do not have time to find you if your site is buried deep down the SERPs.
- Marketing: mobile marketing, email marketing, and paid marketing are some of the tools you can use to promote your business effectively. Email marketing or paid marketing might not be suitable for your business. However, mobile marketing is absolutely essential for any modern business. You will find most of your digital consumers on mobile devices.
Make things simple
Keeping things simple would help you build a meaningful digital customer journey. Following are some of the questions to help you develop a better understanding of your digital customers:
- What kind of digital devices your customers use to visit your website?
- Is your website optimized for those devices?
- What is it that drives your customers to make buying decisions?
- What social channels are your prospects using?
Social media provides a great opportunity to understand and engage with your online customers. Websites like Facebook and Twitter provide an unparalleled opportunity to reach out to your potential digital audience.
It is not hard to understand digital consumers. Understanding your digital consumers would be the beginning of your online success. For more insight, you may visit the blog: How to Align Your Digital Strategy with Your Business Strategy?