Inspiration

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Ecommerce Trends in 2018 (+147 Statistics About Online Shopping)

Top 19 Ecommerce Trends of 2018

Here are the top 19 ecommerce trends and growth strategies recommended by Internet Retailer 1000 brands and the experts that advise them, in order of priority.

  1. Localization, Personalization & CX.
  2. Community Building, Customer Engagement & CRM.
  3. New Content Types & SEO.
  4. Mobile Optimization.
  5. Social Media Advertising, Campaigns & Retargeting.
  6. CRO & Data-Driven Optimizations.
  7. Technology.
  8. Email Marketing, Automation & AOV.
  9. Influencer Marketing.
  10. Omni-Channel Management.
  11. Payment Solutions.
  12. Branding.
  13. International.
  14. Customer Lifetime Value & Referral Programs.
  15. Catalog Extension.
  16. PR.
  17. Shipping + Fulfillment Optimization.
  18. Sales Tax Liability.
  19. Pricing.

To help keep you focused on these priorities, I’ve broken down the top 10 below, and looked at:

  • What it means
  • Why it’s so important
  • Materials you can use now to brush up on the topic
  • Brands already doing it well so you can mimic their approach, and alter it for your specific audience.

This is your ultimate checklist for what you should be focusing on, in order of priority, for 2018.

Källa: Ecommerce Trends in 2018 (+147 Statistics About Online Shopping)

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Dags att haka på nästa marknadsföringstrend – upplevelsemarknadsföring

I takt med att allt färre tittar på tv och fler installerar reklamblockerare krävs det nya sätt för att nå ut till konsumenterna. Det senaste kallas upplevelsemarknadsföring, och går ut på att skapa upplevelser som kunderna vill ta del av, och som de sedan berättar om på sociala medier.

Enligt Raja Rajamannar, marknadschef på Mastercard, har det blivit allt svårare att nå ut till konsumenterna. Dessutom har uppmärksamhetsspannet sjunkit till ca 6 sekunder, så det är svårt att både fånga och hålla konsumenternas uppmärksamhet tillräckligt länge för att hinna prata med dem. Traditionell marknadsföring har dessutom varit fokuserad på att berätta för konsumenterna vad de ska köpa, tycka och tänka, istället för att fråga dem vad de vill ha och sedan lyssna på svaret menar Michael Curmi, varumärkeschef för Jaguar Land Rover North America.

Genom upplevelsemarknadsföring är det enklare att möta kunden öga mot öga, och dessutom inleda en dialog istället för att föra en monolog. Det är därför inte förvånande att en studie som upplevelsebyrån Freeman gjorde tillsammans med mätföretaget SSI visade att en tredjedel av alla marknadschefer planerar att flytta över 21-50 % av marknadsbudgeten till upplevelsemarknadsföring de närmaste 3-5 åren.

Men vad innebär då upplevelsemarknadsföring? Som namnet antyder handlar det om att skapa upplevelser, men inte vilka upplevelser som helst. Jaguar skapade exempelvis en VR-film i form av en biljakt där kunden är föraren, medan M&M gjorde en AR-app som förvandlade hela Times Square till ett interaktivt arkadspel för att marknadsföra sin nya smak på M&M. Swarovski å sin sida gjorde en kampanj tillsammans med Mastercard för att sänka tröskeln för att genomföra ett köp. I ett par VR-glasögon kunde konsumenten se hur Swarovskis ljusstakar såg ut i olika miljöer, och genom Masterpass från Mastercard gick det sedan att genomföra köpet direkt i glasögonen.

Företag idag ser dessutom till att upplevelserna har en tydlig koppling till sociala medier. Tidigare hoppades man mer på att aktiviteten skulle få viral spridning, medan man idag ser till att ha färdiga hashtags och material som lämpar sig att dela redan från början. Ofta kan det dessutom finnas ytterligare material eller vinster att ta del av för de som delar vidare företagets kampanj. På så sätt blir det även lättare att följa hur kampanjen presterar och vilken spridning den faktiskt får. Eller som Andy Pharoah, chef för företagsaffärer och strategiska initiativ på M&Ms moderföretag mars säger ”Upplevelser utan någon form av förstärkning i sociala medier skulle inte vara värt det för oss”. Något som utan tvekan tyder på den starka koppling som idag måste finnas mellan ett företags kampanjer i den fysiska världen och dess motsvarighet i den digitala världen.

Fortfarande finns det dock inget bra sätt att mäta effekterna av upplevelsebaserad marknadsföring. Såväl vilka mätmetoder och mätvärden som är viktiga, som hur kundupplevelsen faktiskt ska värderas är frågor som branschen just nu brottas med. Många menar att den känslomässiga upplevelsen hos kunden är viktigast, medan andra pekar på att det i slutänden handlar om konvertering, hur många som faktiskt köper dig produkt som en följd av din marknadsföring. I nuläget är det fortfarande upp till varje företag att avgöra vad de värderar när de genomför sina kampanjer, men i framtiden kanske vi kommer att få se mer av standardiserade mätvärden från tredjepartsaktörer såsom Nielsen som bedömer värdet av upplevelsemarknadsföringen.
Källa: Dags att haka på nästa marknadsföringstrend – upplevelsemarknadsföring | Dagensanalys.se

SparaSpara

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Nöjda kunder viktigare än högre omsättning enligt Salesforces senaste undersökning

Salesforce presenterade nyligen sin årliga ”State of Marketing” rapport som visar intresanta trender inom digital marknadsföring. Kraven på en personlig upplevelse med företaget, oavsett kanal, driver marknadsföringen mer mot ett helhetsgrepp där hela kundresan står i fokus.

Närmare 90 % av de tillfrågade menar att det är absolut kritiskt att ha en strategi för kundens resa med varumärket för att lyckas med sin marknadsföring.

Ett av de stora resultaten i undersökningen var att kundnöjdhet numera rankades som ett viktigare mått på framgång än såväl omsättningsökning som att hitta nya kunder. Att ha nöjda kunder har alltid varit viktigt, men det är först nu som det anses som viktigast för att avgöra om marknadsföringen är framgångsrik. Studien besvarades av nästan 4000 marknadsförare världen över, där de själva fick bedöma om deras organisationer var högpresterande, medelpresterande eller underpresterande baserat på hur nöjda de var med resultaten av sina marknadsaktiviteter.

Att använda sig av digitala medier för sin marknadsföring är idag standard, men studien visar att både de som använde mail som huvudsaklig kanal, och de som använde sociala medier som huvudsaklig kanal rapporterade hög ROI. Samma sak gällde för de som aktivt använde sig av mobila strategier (gps-tracking, pushnotiser, sms och mobilappar). Det verkar alltså spela mindre roll vilken kanal som används, huvudsaken är att kundens upplevelse av varumärket är intakt genom olika interaktioner.

Att skapa en sömlös upplevelse för kunden är därför viktigare än vilken kanal som är den primära. Detta stämmer överens med det jag tidigare skrivit, att valet av kanal är underordnat kundens upplevelse i kontakten.

Läs även: Service Leadership Forum visar vägen till bättre digitala kundupplevelser

Däremot visar studien att integrationen av olika kanaler ger ökad effektivitet, men då behöver strategin hänga ihop. Av de som bedömt sig som högpresterande har en majoritet (60-64%) integrerat sin mail, sociala media eller mobila strategi i sin övergripande marknadsföringsplan. Detta att jämföra med lågpresterande team där endast 12-20 % har integrerat strategin för de olika kanalerna. Att inte integrera de olika kanalerna leder till en splittrad upplevelse för kunden och i slutänden minskad lojalitet och sämre konverteringsgrad.

Dessutom behöver kunden uppleva att de är viktiga, och att upplevelsen blir personlig. Allt för många försöker nå en bred massa med stora kampanjer, men får dessvärre oftast dålig respons i samband med att kampanjerna blir dyra. Genom att nyttja befintliga kunddata för att segmentera sina kampanjer blir dessa mer personliga och genererar bättre engagemang. Just kundengagemang var dessutom något som marknadsförarna i studien menade hade högsta prioritet under 2016.

Det är helt enkelt viktigt att ta ett samlat grepp kring all kommunikation utåt mot marknaden. Kunden behöver få ett enhetligt intryck av varumärket oavsett vilken kanal som används, och vid byte av kanal måste upplevelsen fortfarande hänga ihop. Det är ett stort arbete som kommer krävas men en majoritet av deltagarna i studien menar att de redan driver det arbetet och är duktiga på att skapa utmärkta kundupplevelser i alla kanaler. Frågan är om du kan säga detsamma om din verksamhet?

Källa: Kundnöjdhet rankas som viktigare än omsättningsökning i Salesforces senaste undersökning | Dagensanalys.se

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Why Your Corporate Culture Matters | Daniel Burrus | Pulse | LinkedIn

Your Culture is Your Brand

As I travel around the world working with executives from a wide range of businesses, I find it very interesting that some understand the value of, and take great pride in, their corporate cultures, while others don’t give them much thought. I have also noticed that those who value them the most tend to do far better over time.

Corporate culture has been the subject of many articles and books for years—and with good reason. Organizations of all sizes and activities are reexamining the advantages a strong culture provides and are coming to embrace the value of a culture that everyone within an organization understands and supports.

But, from the perspective of an Anticipatory Organization, culture can mean more than it might to other companies and groups with less of a future focus. And, in terms of surviving and thriving, that can make all the difference.

Corporate Culture—Yours and Yours Alone

Although specifics may vary, corporate culture generally refers to the pervasive values, beliefs and mindset that characterize a company and, further, help shape and drive its practices. To a certain degree, culture may be defined by, or overlap somewhat with, an organization’s mission or vision statement. Culture may also refer to things such as physical environment, dress code, employment practices and any number of other areas.

Despite the fact that corporate culture may be defined differently, its value and application are much more straightforward.That’s because your corporate culture is singular to your organization, and is yours alone. Products, services and processes can all be copied or mimicked from one organization to another; but the competitive advantage that is shaped by your culture , especially if it is characterized by a shared mindset,  cannot be replicated.

Boiled down, it’s really your organization’s DNA. And the ramifications are widespread, from your ability to recruit and retain talented employees, to how consumers see your products or services.

Culture—As Seen by An Anticipatory Mindset

Corporate culture matters to every organization. But, in a sense, an Anticipatory Organization sees culture in a particularly broad context.

To begin with, an Anticipatory Organization has higher levels of certainty, and the confidence to make bold moves, because it knows how to separate the Hard Trends that will happen from the Soft Trends that might happen among other elements of my Anticipatory Organization Model™.  Using these and other principles, these organizations foster  cultures through which predictable problems, disruptions and new opportunities can be identified and addressed before they occur. In effect, it is part of their cultures to not only be agile, reacting faster than slower competitors to unpredictable events, but  to also know how to apply anticipatory principles to accelerate innovation and turn change into an advantage.

In addition, an Anticipatory Organization encourages people at all levels to employ anticipatory thinking—and, from there, build a culture of innovation in which everyone participates in innovation, rather than just a select few. Further,  it has a suitable rewards system in place to further acknowledge and encourage ongoing attention to innovation at all levels.

An Anticipatory Organization’s culture can also be defined by what I refer to as a shared Futureview. Futureview is your ability to place yourself in the future and then look back at your present position. Futureview is the picture you hold, for better or worse, of what you expect and believe about your future.

But Futureview’s impact isn’t limited to what you see coming in the months and years ahead. How you view the future shapes how you act in the present and how you act in the present shapes your future. Your Futureview determines the future you.

Take a moment to think how that element of your culture can affect your organization. For instance, some of your employees may have a very positive Futureview—they see a bright tomorrow for themselves and likely connect that optimism with their roles in your organization. As a result, they’re more committed to every element of what they do to help your organization grow and succeed.

By contrast, consider employees with negative Futureviews. For them, the outlook is decidedly less optimistic, and many would say the goodolddays are behind them. They don’t see positive futures for themselves, nor do they likely have upbeat views of your organization. As a result, their present performances suffer. They feel they have little to look forward to, so why put in the extra effort?

In the end, corporate culture is extremely important, but it can tilt in either direction. Which direction do you want your organization’s culture to follow?

Källa: Why Your Corporate Culture Matters | Daniel Burrus | Pulse | LinkedIn

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How Storytelling is Helping Brands Sell More Products

Detailed stories connect with consumers

It’s no secret that storytelling is a key tool for brands and marketers that want to connect with consumers—and boost sales. ”There’s plenty of popular demand for good stories, if binge-watching, binge-listening, and binge-reading statistics are an indicator,” explained Ilya Vedrashko, svp and director of research at Hill Holliday’s consumer research arm, Origin. ”Stories move not only people, but they also move product.”

But just how much? To find out, Origin created a series of experiments in which consumers were shown items paired with either standard descriptions or more detailed stories—from user reviews to creator bios, and even fiction. The results were clear. ”Every time the product that had a story pulled in more money than the same product without one,” said Vedrashko. ”That’s a lift on no additional investment.”

Källa: Adweek

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10 hetaste digitala trenderna 2017

Webbyrån Petra publicerar årligen en lista på de 10 viktigaste digitala affärstrenderna. Listan har fokus på de digitala trender som driver försäljning och positionerar företag på en allt mer konkurrensutsatt marknad.

2017 toppas listan av de allt större möjligheter som finns inom datadriven marknadsföring tätt följt av ett antal trender som styrs av ett starkt förändrat användarbeteende. Dagens konsumenter är egocentrerade och söker upplevelser på en nivå som aldrig förr. Varje dag tas nästan 100 miljoner selfies och vi blir allt mer extrema i jakten på uppmärksamhet – varje år dör fler människor i jakten på den perfekta bilden än av hajattacker. ”The blue dot consumer” har blivit ett begrepp – vi är alltid i centrum av kartan och förväntar oss att säljaren kommer till oss och underhåller oss, inte tvärtom.

Inom B2B är förändringen minst lika stor. Idag fattas upp till 70 procent av inköpsbesluten före en personlig kontakt med det säljande företaget, vilket i grunden förändrar det sätt affärer görs mellan företag. Istället för att skicka offertförfrågningar till 10 potentiella leverantörer utvärderar köparen företag och produkter på egen hand – och inleder en dialog med två eller tre. Detta innebär att digitala och sociala kanaler väger tungt när kunderna väljer vem man vill diskutera vidare med. Det måste finnas kvalificerad och fördjupande information och kanalerna måste avspegla samma kompetens och kvalitet som ett personligt möte.

– Kundupplevelse är ett nyckelord. Den bistra sanningen är att företag som inte har en mobilanpassad och personaliserad webbsida idag ses som hopplöst gammalmodiga och ointresserade av att göra affärer på kundens villkor, konstaterar Ulf Vanselius, VD på Webbyrån Petra. Men teknik är inte allt – ett starkt varumärke och en tydlig strategi för content marketing är andra förutsättningar för att vinna kunder idag.

– Webbyrån Petra har hjälpt dussintalet kunder i sin digitaliseringsprocess – från att ha rätt digital strategi, över webbsidor som utnyttjar all tillgänglig teknik för att driva försäljning till appar där kunderna alltid har tillgång till den viktigaste informationen. Det ger tydliga affärsresultat, avslutar Ulf Vanselius.

2017 kommer följande trender att starkt påverka dina affärsmöjligheter:

1. Datadriven marknadsföring och analys allt viktigare i kampen om kunderna
Alltmer avancerade tekniska verktyg och plattformar ger dig möjlighet att online både mäta och samla in stora mängder data om besökare och kunders beteende. I takt med att du samlar på dig data ökar även kraven på analysdelen för att kunna få fram de viktigaste insikterna ur materialet. Rätt utförd kommer analysen visa hur kunderna tänker och vad de tycker om ditt erbjudande och varumärke, hur de faktiskt agerar, vad de uppskattar och vad de inte bryr sig om. Data och analys är inte längre en del av beslutsunderlaget, det är beslutsunderlaget.

2. Mobilen leder i EGO-system
Att mobilen är en extremt viktig plattform för affärer och marknadsföring vet du redan. Många har säkert också koll på att antalet Google-sökningar från mobilen nu är fler än antalet sökningar från datorn, liksom att kunder använder sociala medier via framförallt mobilen (en stor och ökande skillnad). Handeln ser också ökande mobiltrafik dock fortfarande med liten konverteringsgrad. Här kommer du under 2017 se initiativ för ytterligare optimering av den mobila upplevelsen med avsikt att just driva konvertering. Det gäller att ha check på kundresans kontaktpunkter för respektive segment och hur olika faktorer som skärm, plats, kontext och intention bäst tas tillvara.

3. Kundupplevelsen allt mer avgörande
Utmaningen är inte längre att ha den bästa produkten, bästa kvalitén eller det lägsta priset. Utmaningen är att ge din kund eller besökare den bästa upplevelsen. Lyckas du kan det innebära att du får en engagerad ”ambassadör” och en kund som med allra största sannolikhet återkommer till dig. För att lyckas behöver du veta vad som är relevant för din kund, vad som värdesätts, uppskattas och är intressant just nu. Här räknas alla interaktionspunkter, online såväl som offline. Dessa måste vara konsekventa, inspirerande och undanröja eventuell friktion. Kundupplevelsen är på ett sätt slutmålet för hela den digitala resan.

4. Kundkommunikation, marknadsföring och design är de nya ledningsfrågorna
Att den digitala transformationen och omställningen pågår runtomkring är ingen nyhet eller trend. Men när klassiska konsultbolag som McKinsey, EY, PwC och Accenture förvärvar bolag specialiserade på design och digital kompetens är det ett tecken på en större ompositionering. Det handlar om att skaffa nya digitala verktyg och kanaler för att kunna stärka sitt kundfokus och -kommunikation, både strategiskt och i den dagliga verksamheten. Som företag är det hög tid att se över organisationen och prioritera kompetenser inom marknadsföring och digitala aktiviteter hos ledningsgrupp och styrelse.

5. Augmented Reality och Virtual Reality inspirerar
Med största sannolikhet kommer 2017 vara året som visar att AR och VR inte bara handlar om gaming och underhållning, utan även om hur industri och retail kan dra stor affärsnytta av tekniken. Succén för Pokemon GO blev en väckarklocka och inspirationskälla för många. Det kommer dock att ta några år innan VR och AR utnyttjas på bredare front och det är nu som proaktiva företag har en chans sticka ut och knyta till sig kunder via en unik och minnesvärd interaktivitet. Exempel på företag som ligger långt fram är IKEA (AR-katalog för att visa möbler i det egna hemmet), Hyundai (AR-manual för bilen) och Virgin Holiday (upplev resmålet med VR innan bokning).

6. Content marketing fortsätter att utvecklas
Content marketing växer i vikt i takt med att kundresan förändras. Idag vill den potentiella köparen inte ha kontakt med säljaren förrän längre fram i köpprocessen och söker på vägen dit information på egen hand. Grundläggande byggstenar för framgång har i flera år handlat om att skapa, distribuera och analysera innehåll och att under resans gång optimera balansen mellan kvantitet, frekvens och kvalitet. I takt med att alltfler blir duktiga, eller till och med väldigt duktiga på den processen, höjs kraven för att varaktigt kunna påverka kunden. För bäst effekt behöver du addera en byggsten – upplevelsen.

7. Chatbots underlättar kundresan
Digitala assistenter är en funktion som under 2016 fått fäste hos marknadsförare. Tekniken är under utveckling men möjligheterna och kapaciteten växer hela tiden. Hittills har chatbots mest utfört enklare repetitiva uppgifter som därmed automatiserats. Den nya generationen bots kommer däremot bli digitala marknadsförare och säljare, tänk e-handelssidor där chatbots hjälper kunden framåt i kundresan förbi steg som annars lätt kan skapa friktion. Siri från Apple har fått många kusiner – och fler kommer.

8. Social selling når potentiella kunder
Det är allt svårare att nå fram och skapa en relation med potentiella kunder i takt med att mediebruset ökar. Social selling har därför blivit ett viktigt verktyg för den proaktiva och lösningsorienterade säljaren. Verktyget ger säljaren möjlighet att, via interaktion och delning av relevant och värdefullt innehåll, använda t ex LinkedIn för att identifiera och skapa en relation med potentiella kunder. Härigenom bygger säljaren upp en relation med potentiella kunder redan innan köpprocessen är igång.

9. Native advertising engagerar på kundens villkor 
Native är en annons som ger känslan av att vara en artikel bland andra i sin utformning. Traditionell display- och bannerannonsering tappar idag i effektivitet på grund av t ex adblockers och ”banner blindness”. Det som framför allt gör native-annonser framgångsrika är att formatet skapar ett betydligt större engagemang än traditionella banners. Enligt IHS och Sharethrough har undersökningar visat på 20-60% högre engagemang, med en efterföljande köpintention som är 18% högre. Inom fem år uppskattas native-annonser stå för 74% av all digital annonsering.

10. Konverteringsoptimering
Det är trevligt att ha många besökare på webbsidan, men vad besökarna gör på sidan är nyckeln till framgång. Det är idag ofta betydligt mer lönsamt att lägga resurser på att få fler besökare av den befintliga trafiken att konvertera än det är att investera i ökad trafik. Som företag behöver man därför ha en tydlig bild över (minst) två saker: 1) Klara mål för varje enskild webbsida; 2) Som stödjer de mål tilltänkta kunder har vid besöket. Ju bättre man känner sin kund, desto bättre kan man matcha de egna och kundernas målsättningar. Det är en metodisk process där mätning-analys-förståelse-förbättring konstant upprepas.

Källa: 10 hetaste digitala trenderna 2017

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10 Rules for Leveraging Social Media to Grow Your Business

Use these guidelines to harness the power of social media.

1. Know your market.

The first rule for growing your business through the power of social media is to know your market. The clearer you are about your target demographic, the better you’ll be able to appeal to your customers. The less you know about your target demographic, the less likely you’ll be able to succeed through social media.

2. Develop a strategy.

Building a popular social media profile takes work. But it also takes planning. To achieve any goal, you need to create a rock-solid plan. Develop your strategy on how you plan to get from Point A to Point B. Will you use ads? Influencers? Power users? What type of content will you post? How often will you post it? And so on.

3. Focus on quality over quantity of posts.

The goal isn’t about bombarding users with posts. It’s not about quantity; it’s about the quality of the posts. Ensuring that the posts are targeted towards your market and that each of them conveys an important message or unique display of something relevant to that demographic will help you to gain the most traction while also adding on more followers.

4. Create real value.

Social media is all about creating value. What type of value do your posts bring? Are they inspirational or educational in some manner? Do they help to motivate others out there to attain a certain lifestyle, something akin to what Anish Bhatt, the founder of @watchanish, does?

5. Follow high-profile accounts.

All of the Instagram Influencers that I’ve spoken to started out by following other high-profile accounts. This created their first bits of visibility for them. It also helped them to gauge what was working for those who were already at the top of their game.

6. Comment, share and like often.

Anyone who is serious about leveraging social media to grow their business needs to understand that they have to give before they get. Genuinely like, comment and share others’ posts every single day, developing relationships with people over time. It won’t happen overnight. If you don’t give people the time of day, you can’t expect them to do the same for you.

7. Leverage the power of other influencers.

Influencers and power users can open a gateway to mass attention. If you have the right type of profile that’s in sync with the influencer’s follower base, you might just gain the right type of followers yourself. Many businesses and newcomers use this approach to help expand their reach early on. If you have the budget, you might want to consider this, but ensure you have appealing content on your profile as well.

8. Network, network, network.

Puia Shamsossadati, the founder of @thisisamans.world, which has amassed more than 2 million followers, spent much of his time networking with others. He launched a company called Golden Concept purely through Instagram without spending a dollar on traditional marketing. The company, which creates high-end iPhone covers, reached mass appeal when Shamsossadati collaborated with some of the most popular Instagramers by sending them courtesy phones, knowing that they would show up in their feed, allowing him to promote his business for virtually no cost.

9. Don’t always be promoting.

It’s not about always promoting. If you want to leverage social media to grow your business, you have to spend a lot of time delivering value. Whether that’s inspirational value, motivational value or entertainment value, don’t always try to sell people something at every bend and turn, otherwise you might put them off.

10. Make it easy for people to buy.

Focus on mobile if you want to dominate social media. Create a link in your profile, ensuring that your site has a healthy responsive design, and make it simple to purchase. Ensure that the purchase process is refined for mobile devices so that people can simply and easily buy whatever it is that you’re peddling. The easier you make it for them to buy, the more likely you’ll be to clinch the sale.

Källa: 10 Rules for Leveraging Social Media to Grow Your Business

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Ledarskapsfällan

In the world of business, there are more clones than you might imagine. It is the rare organization that steps out of the herd to become remarkable. This illusion of safety creates apathy and mediocrity in most organizations while the leaders struggle to find excellence amidst the decay of the ordinary. As a student of organizational leadership, I analyze the similarities and special characteristics that differentiate one company from another. What makes one organization shine while others seem so content with remaining average? The most likely answer is fear. But the answer is, of course, much more complex. Fear of failure transcends the spectrum of our awareness. There is comfort and even safety in the mediocrity of our existence. Therefore, what it takes to leave the comfort of the pack becomes very rare.

If others are doing it a certain way, then that is the proven methodology.  Anything else seems too risky and we would much rather let another organization go first.  There might be an inordinate amount of benefit to taking the risk, but our comfort zone limits both our thinking and our actions.

These “Fatal 10” are some common trends that prevent organizations from shattering the limitations of the organizational comfort zone.  Most companies are affected by many but not necessarily all of the trends.  And, if you feel like this is describing your company, it is purely coincidental.  Following are these trends in no particular order:

1.     No focused internal marketing effort:  A common unifying message to clarify mission, vision, and values must be communicated to employees daily through at least five mediums.  The most common are email, text messages, internal video, posters, and message boards.  Be creative with this, as it takes a focused campaign to internally “sell” your team on the direction of your organization.  A message must be communicated over and over so that when a decision point occurs, the team will act in a way that supports the message of the organization.  Remember, decision making is easy when values are clear.

 

2.    Failure to “turn-over” key leadership positions:  Too often, leadership becomes complacent and comfortable with the status quo.  The safety of the present is intoxicating and limits the need to constantly fight for a position on the team.  Exceptional organizations understand that performance must remain the focus for existence on the team.  The need to feel threatened is a highly motivating factor.  No one has a right to a position and must earn that position through performance.  Anything else starts to creep toward entitlement.  An entitled organization becomes extremely weak over time, as the incentive to excel is slowly replaced with a tolerance for existence.

 

3.    Undervalue for learning and development:  Myopic organizations view training as a necessary evil rather than an opportunity to create a competitive advantage.  In these organizations, training is seen as an expense rather than an investment.  Ironically, when times are at their worst and training is needed the most, the budget is slashed or eliminated all together.  When people are asked to do more, they are not given the tools to be successful.  In today’s employment landscape, with an entering workforce that will not likely stay more than two years, training for competence is essential to get the most from each member before they decide to leave your organization.  Today’s dominant, younger workforce will be attracted to the “learning organization” simply because of the flow of information.  The alternative is a “dummying down” effect created by organizations that do not develop people.  A common excuse is that the employee may leave once they are developed.  The alternative is not developing them and keeping them.  The result is a dumber organization.

 

4.    Innovation is not a deliberate effort:  Innovation is often a conceptual idea that is relegated to the research and development function of an organization.  Simply put, most organizations stumble into innovation.  Making each employee change how they do what they do is a powerful incentive.  In others words, don’t rate them for how they do the job, rate them for how they change it.

 

5.    Candor is discouraged:  Do not ask me if you do not want an answer.  Many organizations are not good at accepting internal feedback and even worse at dealing with it.  Often, the employee voicing an opportunity to improve is label as a complainer.  Silence while we “tow the company line” is preferred to constructive criticism.  This creates an environment that promotes the passive-aggressive nature that can exist in all of us.  Unfortunately, the best solutions often exist with the employees doing the work.  When ideas for improvement are offered, they get filtered before they reach a level with the authority to make the changes.  As a result, many organizations pay consultants to tell them what they already know.  It takes skill to both deliver constructive feedback as well as deal with the suggestion.  If leaders are not taught “how” to handle opportunities for improvement, the flow of information will simply stop.

 

6.    Undervalue the human element:  Some organizations have become extremely cynical when it comes to the human contribution.  The perceptive value of people has become so low that they are like interchangeable parts.   Accountability has been replaced by blame in a self-fulfilling prophecy that good people are simply not out there.  The willingness to settle for underperformers begets more underperformers and slowly the collective talent is very low for the organization.  Employees become tired of working next to someone who makes just as much or more than they do but do not do anything.

 

7.    Focus is on management not leadership:  When the line becomes blurred between the two concepts, organizations will struggle to find a sense of direction.  Management is a title bestowed upon the individual by the organization.  While leadership is a title bestowed upon the individual by the follower.  In other words someone must want to follow another in order for leadership to exist.  Most companies manage the activity of others, while remarkable organizations inspire others to act in a way they might never have before.  Managers operate in a black and white world where there is no gray area.  Leaders understand that life and opportunity usually exists within the gray area.  Leaders understand that risk equals return.  Mediocrity is following a policy blindly.  Excellence is when we understanding exactly how to apply that policy to a particular situation.

 

8.    Failure is a bad thing:  Honest mistakes must truly be accepted if people are expected to perform at a higher level.  When failure is viewed as a negative event, mediocrity becomes the result.  People afraid to fail will not execute at the highest level.  Honest mistakes are characterized as people attempting to do the “right” thing and something bad happening.  Discouraging this failure only leads to apathy and inaction.  Both are extremely limiting for an organization.  Repeated failures or failure as a result of poor judgment are not synonymous with honest mistakes.  We must learn from our mistakes and be attempting to do the right thing when we fail.  This creates a learning opportunity and makes the organization stronger.

 

9.    Work is not a fun place:  The ability to become strengthened by our environment is powerful for each of us.  I am convinced that some organizations have had the “fun” surgically removed.  We spend most of our waking lives in the jobs we utilize to earn a living or feed our economic engine.  When the work environment is negative, collective morale becomes low and productivity drops.  People are simply more productive when they are happy.  Yet, some companies seem to do everything in their power to reduce morale.  They cannot see that people will work harder, give more time, and do better work when they are happy on the job.  Sadly, morale is irrelevant in the minds of the struggling managers among us.

 

10. Individual effort is not appreciated.  We must recognize the effort that leads to results.  In other words, successful organizations tend to focus on leading indicators rather than trailing indicators.  Rewarding effort leads to more results.  Rewarding results may be rewarding those that simply got lucky.  Inadvertently, we can actually punish and reward the wrong people when we focus on trailing indicators.  People need to be appreciated for their efforts in order to keep exerting the very same effort.  Without sincere appreciation, most people will exert only the minimum effort required to get the job done.

 

In large organizations these fatal trends are more likely to be departmental rather than organizational.  Thus, they may be hidden from collective view.  Developing the ability to evaluate each of these with some quantitative measure allows organizations to improve over time.  Culture change takes time and deliberate effort.  Change by implication is required for improvement to take place.  We cannot improve without changing.  You cannot keep doing the same things and expect different results.  Your organization’s ability to adapt to change is the key to excellence.

Källa: John Grubbs, ”The Fatal 10”

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10 Digital Trends every Digital Marketer should know about in 2016 | Conversion Advantage

”Consumers are not simply exposed to new products or services as they enter a store or browse the internet any more. Multiple devices, platforms and social media channels surround them daily, or if I must be 100% correct, hourly; even every minute. We are exposed to a digital world filled with exciting new products, services and digital innovations.”

#1. Search and e-commerce will go beyond Google to Facebook and Twitter

Take a step back and think about that headline for a second. Imagine “googling” on Facebook and being able to buy products through a messaging app on Facebook? How great is that. What is even more amazing is you can use it to your advantage for your customers/clients. At the moment Facebook is working on a test for their own search engine, which will result in stronger search capabilities within social media. Brands will also get an automatic (visibility) boost with these search capabilities. But what is really tingling our excitement is the Businesses on Messenger launch.

Companies will be able to interact with customers through Facebook’s messenger app. In return consumers will be able to buy online through the app, receive order notifications via instant messaging, tell their friends about their purchases and share what they bought, all without having to go to the e-commerce site they want to buy from.

This is such a great opportunity that should not be put on the back burner.

#2. Snapchat: Advertisements with an expiration date

Snapchat took the social media world by storm. It was embraced by the digitally savvy users and thousands, more like millions of photos, videos and drawings are sent monthly. It was a ‘given’ that brands and businesses would start embracing the app as well. If you have never heard of Snapchat, it is a video/photo messaging app that allows users to take pictures, record videos, add text to images and send them to one of their contacts.

Very few brands have used Snapchat as a marketing medium, but in 2016 you won’t be able to ignore it. The hook is the time limit to content and the expiration date. You can create integrated marketing campaigns that offer exclusive content to the younger generation, which is quite difficult to do. Create teasers for upcoming products/services either with photos or videos that only exist for a few seconds. This creates an exclusivity to your campaigns, which users love.

The key takeaway here is that real-time marketing is becoming more and more popular, and companies need to create platforms which allows users to be a part of the experience, not just experiencing it.

Have a look at the World Wildlife Fund’s #Lastselfie Snapchat Campaign which Raised Awareness about Endangered Species.

#3. Link to extremely engaged audiences with live video streaming (Meerkat & Periscope)

Videos are popular amongst most people and as mobile connectivity and technology improves, it must be an integrate part of a marketing strategy. Being exposed to thousands of the same ads every day does not leave any room for mediocre marketing tactics. You need to grab consumers’ attention and then keep them engaged for more than a second. But how do you do that?

It’s easy, have a look at live video streaming. Brands have been experimenting with ways to incorporate this into their digital marketing efforts. This tactic will allow consumers to be a part of a brand experience.

Meerkat & periscope are two apps that give you the opportunity to live stream videos from your mobile and share it with your Twitter community. It’s as easy as pressing ‘stream’ and instantly you are sharing an experience with your target audience. Users can comment on your videos, and interact with it. Try and come up with creative ideas to use live streaming. You can use it for New Product Releases, Live Q & A, a Celebrity Takeover, promoting company culture or a behind the scene look.

#4. Advertise to users through Instagram

Instagram took a need and turned it into a super successful business. The society we live in today thrives on visual stimulation and Instagram just feeds that need to share your life and your experiences with the world. It was only a matter of time when the big heads at corporate would use it to their advantage.

Instagram has recently been offering paid advertising opportunities through selected developer partners such as Ampush, Brand Networks, 4C, Kenshoo, Nanigans, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, SocialCode and Unified. For now it is not yet available to everyone, but in 2016 Instagram ads will be available to all advertisers. I suggest your start preparing now. Get those creative juices flowing and start thinking of ways how you can promote whatever you are selling through Instagram. You can either create a carousal ad that allows you to produce multi-page ads or create 30 second video ads.

#5. Identity-Based Pay-Per-Click Marketing, changing the future of advertising

AdWords has given all digital marketers an early Christmas present this year with their reveal of Identity-Based Pay-Per-Click Marketing. You can now target people with specific ads, wait for it, based on their phone number or email. That means that you can direct ads or content, that exactly answers a need or want, to a targeted individual person.

Think of yourself as a magician, a PPC magician. Magically you are presenting consumers with content they are thinking about and answering their needs or wants before they could answer it themselves.

Another really interesting thing I read was the fact that PPC has never really been considered as a method of making content go viral, but it can help the process. PPC ads can get incredibly interesting content in front of a much targeted audience, which can in effect turn into viral content. Look at targeting people with big social profiles, on top of identity. This can really help to get your brand noticed and can greatly increase the chances of your message being picked up by your target market and taken viral.

#6. Capitalise on the merge between healthy living and wearable technology

The rise of digital tools and technology use among consumers is having a major impact on healthy living. Consumers are showing more independence on digital platforms than ever before. People are searching for health related information and making decisions related to their own health. We as digital marketers should take advantage of that.

Integrate this need for being healthy with wearable technology or apps. Give consumers the answers they are looking for. A lot of businesses have started already. Apple have partnered with Nike and have created an app called HealthKit. Users can now set goals and track their progress through a single dashboard. There is even an app called FitBark which allows you to track and monitor your dog’s sleeping patterns and eating routines.

And out of all this effort and creativity there is even more. Data will be generated from these technologies. Data you can use as a secret weapon to retarget consumers or to create even more cool ideas.

#7. Target a person based on their interest on Pinterest with an animated pin

Watch out, Pinterest has stepped up majorly in the marketing sector. We are just getting used to how awesome buyable pins are, but there is more to come. It has been revealed that Pinterest will introduce their new promoted pin called an Animated Cinematic pin. Brands will be able to target a specific person based on their interest with this animated pin.

The cool part about these Cinematic pins are the fact that they are set in motion when a user scrolls, but as the user stops scrolling, the motion stops as well. Now you are in control whether you want to watch the video or not. Users are a part of the experience. Brands like the Gap, Nestle, LÓreal, Unilever etc have already tested this out, and it has been proven to be a success.

#8. Let consumers be the marketers of your brand

If your buddy tells you how awesome this new product is he bought, then you will 95% of the time believe him. You might want to try it yourself, because your friend tried it. Marketers should use that exact phenomenon to their advantage. Enters, User Generated Content.

Brands should use and share their customers’ experiences as content. Let your target audience market your brand for you and use platforms such as Youtube, Pinterest, Instagram, Meerkat and Periscope as your marketing channels.

Let’s look at Microsoft’s #MakeItHappen campaign. In December 2014, Microsoft helped 31 people from all over the world complete 31 new year’s resolutions. Users had to enter and then each winner was given a Microsoft Lumia to help them complete their new year’s resolution with the help of its various apps. It was filmed and consumers were shown how their peers are using the phone and how it was helping them. It was a huge success.

#9. Create an omni-channel experience

Now you might wonder what on earth an omni-channel is. If you google it you get various answers. I like the answer from SearhcCIO. They give the following explanation: “Omnichannel (also spelled omni-channel) is a multichannel approach to sales that seeks to provide the customer with a seamless shopping experience whether the customer is shopping online from a desktop or mobile device, by telephone or in a store.”

Basically, you want to target consumers with the right message at the right time in the right place. Just like digital remarketing online, based on a consumer’s browsing history and related behaviours, you must start digitally remarketing to ‘in store’ customers as well.

Let me give you an example to fully understand the opportunity of an omni-channel.

Disney created an omni-channel experience and gained great insights into the lives of their customers:

  • Their experience starts on their mobile responsive website.
  • Users book a trip and then use the My Disney Experience tool to help them plan the whole trip from booking hotels, obtaining passes etc.
  • Once they arrive at the park, the app helps users locate attractions and waiting times.
  • But the experience gets better with their Magic Band which acts as a hotel room key, photo storage device for any pictures, and a food ordering tool.

Disney has new insights into what their customers are doing throughout the whole trip which will help them find out what is working and what they can change about their experience. Now that is any marketers dream to have that much insight into their target audience.

#10. Last but not least, the goodness of Content Remarketing

Many marketers would agree that content marketing works. We have all been writing blogs, e books, white papers and other content. The trick is how do you recapture viewers that went on your site, read your content, but did not fill in a form to become a lead? This is where content remarketing steps in. It’s not much different from retargeting. It is the process of tagging visitors on your site and retargeting them with content after they leave. This gives you the opportunity to talk to people who are already interested in what you have to offer. Show them something awesome and new while they are watching a YouTube video, reading the news or checking their emails.

Your piece of content could be the reminder that sends them back to your site and initiates a buy.

Källa: 10 Digital Trends every Digital Marketer should know about in 2016 | Conversion Advantage

Publicerat

How Storytelling Helped Richard Branson Become a Billionaire

Virgin’s founder on on taking risks, finding stories, and reading Where the Wild Things Are… to a young couple in bed.

When most people hear the name Sir Richard Branson, they think of the high-flying, big-smiling mogul who’s left his irreverent imprint on the worlds of music, air travel, and a host of other completely unrelated industries—while defying everything you learn in business school in the process.

But few know, or at least recall, that the billionaire Virgin Group founder got his start as a professional storyteller. Yes, in the swinging ’60s, an ambitious teenage Branson dropped out of high school to pursue his magazine venture, Student, an effort to give youth culture a voice and an outlet to protest the Vietnam War at a time when Snapchat and Periscope weren’t readily available. Read more

Källa: How Storytelling Helped Richard Branson Become a Billionaire