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Creating truly personal omni-channel customer experiences WITH EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INSIGHTS FROM BRIAN SOLIS, ALTIMETER GROUP SMARTFOCUS EBOOK

Creating truly personal omni-channel customer experiences by Brian Solis and Smartfocus

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  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 1

    Creating truly personal omni-channel customer experiencesWITH EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INSIGHTS FROM BRIAN SOLIS, ALTIMETER GROUP

    S M A R T F O C U S E B O O K

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 2

    INTRODUCTION

    Introduction

    Customers are more connected and more informed than ever. Digital marketers now need an entirely fresh perspective to succeed in a world where customers and prospects experience their brand in multiple ways online ads, websites, the mobile web and apps, blogs, email, social media, the call centre, web chat, instant messaging and more. In retail, the customer journey might also include a visit to a real world store.

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 3

    INTRODUCTION

    Too often, there is little consistency across these experiences. A lot of big brands, despite paying lip service to multi-channel marketing, still operate web, email, social and mobile channels independently. Customers might click on a link in an email and be taken to a landing page with a very different look and feel. Multi-channel marketing for many simply means promoting their eCommerce channels via email shots, social media posts or SMS messages.

    Yet most brands are still on the starting blocks when it comes to true omni-channel marketing. Omni-channel is not just another way of saying multi-channel its a whole new approach, encompassing technology, marketing and a sea change in company culture.

    Customers and potential customers share some common desires they want to be valued, they

    need engagement to be efficient and consistent, they want to be able to trust your business and to be in control. But there is an increasing realization that people are individuals and we all do things differently. Its no longer possible to have one sweeping, scalable marketing strategy. Empathy and understanding the nuances of customer motivation is vital.

    According to industry analyst and digital guru, Brian Solis1, It is about people. The more we can study who they are, what they like and they dont like, the better we can build personal journeys that matter.

    This eBook will explain how to build those journeys and develop an omni-channel marketing strategy that appeals to each and every customer and prospect in the way that works for them.

    1 Source: Brian Solis, Altimeter Group. Whats the Future of Marketing? http://www.smartfocus.com/resources/ whats-future-marketing

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 4

    WHAT IS OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

    What is omni-channel marketing & why is it important?

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 5

    Omni-channel marketing is aimed at the connected customer. It recognizes that consumers have more control and influence over brands than ever before and combines the user experience, brand experience and consumer experience consistently.

    Multi-channel marketing has rarely succeeded in creating a unified customer experience; marketers now must take the lead in uniting work on the experience cycle through omni-channel marketing and integrated channels.

    Its a multi-screen world. Consumers often start shopping on a PC and then try to complete the purchase on a mobile device. According to Google2, almost a quarter of people that start interacting with retailers using a PC continue the interaction on a smartphone or tablet. Consumers are multi-screening on a daily basis, but businesses are not.

    Omni-channel campaign copy and design must be not only integrated but meaningful across multiple screens, tapping into the context of engagement on a tablet versus a phone, versus a website. Plan to make the content work in a way that is natural and intuitive and native to the screen using touch and pinch features on touchscreen devices, for example. Responsive design is critical if customers are to have a consistent and effective experience on all platforms from their desktop PC to their smartphone.

    Omni-channel marketing is seamless, integrated and up-to-date. This means that your IT department also has a part to play, for example by aligning internal systems to present a single view of stock to the customer and updating prices in real time across all channels. However, what really sets omnichannel marketing apart is the human and empathetic approach. The idea that marketing is a conversation has moved on, and the ideal for engagement right now is shared experience of the brand.

    WHAT IS OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

    2 Source: Google. The New Multi-Screen World Study - http://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/research-studies/the-new-multi-screen-world-study.html

    MISSED OPPORTUNITIES?

    According to Google2, almost a quarter of people that start interacting with

    retailers using a PC continue the interaction on a smartphone or tablet.

    25%

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 6

    The traditional funnel no longer works on connected customers. Its far too dynamic and the evolution is spinning the ellipse faster than your business is adapting its vision, mission and models to react.

    Brian Solis, Whats the Future of Business?

    Read the Book

    WHAT IS OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 7

    Being human and staying tech savvy

    BEING HUMAN AND STAYING TECH SAVVY

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 8

    BEING HUMAN AND STAYING TECH SAVVY

    Watch Brian Solis discuss the importance of empathy and the human element.

    BRIAN SOLIS VIDEO INSIGHT

    Please open this eBook in Adobe Reader to ensure video playback. Alternatively, watch this video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBRapQ1bv9U&list=PL-4Oun-4cqLwhkNEaLpdmx9tYMkNgkJ8r

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 9

    Most marketers are good at coming up with creative ideas and adopting new technologies, but many miss the human element. Of course, marketing people themselves are also customers. But when they dream up marketing strategies in their professional lives, too often they put on marketing hats that rob them of empathy. Personalized content is key, but its vital that personalized offers and recommendations work for prospective customers.

    With the explosion in big data, marketers can access and leverage customer data from multiple channels and data sources, yet we are not really getting to know who the customer is and how they use their different screens. There is more insight and more data as to people and their preferences and behavior than ever before, however the infrastructure to extract that data and analyze it is getting old and needs to be updated so that it can be applied in a meaningful way.

    The problem is that data alone does not tell you everything. Take the example provided by Peter

    Gentsch of BIG3, of two men; both born in 1948, both married for the second time, both enjoy holidaying in the Alps and like dogs. Both are successful in business. One is Prince Charles, the other Ozzy Osborne two very different men.

    Many marketers look at demographics and data sets, but not people.

    When you start to look at the people, you can see what you have been missing. Its about adding a human layer so that you feel empathy and you know who you are talking to.

    The best businesses begin with empathy. Omni-channel marketing uses data intelligently to present tailored offers to individual consumers based on their purchase history, social network activity across multiple channels, website visits, and loyalty programs.

    3 Source: Brian Solis. Tapping Into the Mind of Generation C - http://networkingexchangeblog.att.com/enterprise-business/connected customers-are-invisible-to-marketers-who-value-demographics/

    Two men; both born in 1948, both married for the second time, both enjoy holidaying

    in the Alps and like dogs. Both are successful in business. One is Prince

    Charles, the other Ozzy Osborne two very different men.

    BEING HUMAN AND STAYING TECH SAVVY

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 10

    BEING HUMAN AND STAYING TECH SAVVY

    Watch Brian Solis discuss the role personalization has to play in providing great customer experiences.

    BRIAN SOLIS VIDEO INSIGHT

    Please open this eBook in Adobe Reader to ensure video playback. Alternatively, watch this video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyUS2hdXeyo&index=2&list=PL-4Oun-4cqLwhkNEaLpdmx9tYMkNgkJ8r

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 11

    Social media the moment of truth

    SOCIAL MEDIA - THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 12

    SOCIAL MEDIA - THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

    C-level executives may be pushing for an all-purpose, scalable marketing strategy across the website, email, social and mobile channels to maximize value for money. While the brand consistency this may bring is welcome, the word social is in social marketing for a reason. It is about engagement and people and the more we can study who they are, what they like and what they dont like, the more we can improve those communications and build a more personal journey that matters.

    Brands might create engaging content and come up with great videos and infographics, but miss the point of what social really means. You are not the host; you are a participant. Social marketing is getting caught up in its own silo while every day the connected consumer community gets larger.

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 13

    Customer dependence on social and mobile will only continue to rise as the influence of traditional media wanes. The opportunities for you to engage consumers grow exponentially. But without study, experimentation, and investment ,missed opportunities then become opportunity costs.

    Brian Solis, Whats the Future of Business?

    Read the Book

    SOCIAL MEDIA - THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 14

    SOCIAL MEDIA - THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

    Watch Brian Solis discuss the components of a great social media strategy.

    BRIAN SOLIS VIDEO INSIGHT

    Please open this eBook in Adobe Reader to ensure video playback. Alternatively, watch this video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY-BODNyqQc&index=8&list=PL-4Oun-4cqLwhkNEaLpdmx9tYMkNgkJ8r

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 15

    SOCIAL MEDIA - THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

    There is a pressing need to take the shift from monologue to dialogue seriously on social media. The goal is to communicate at peer-to-peer level on channels that are authentic, engaging and contain active communities. Whats important to the people you are targeting? How do they communicate and why? Too many companies do a good job of talking at, not with people.

    Different generations demand a different approach.

    Some marketers struggle to cater to the Snapchat-focused Generation Z 15-20 year-olds that are always online but less likely to use mainstream channels.

    Yet Gen Z may not be as elusive as we fear marketers just need to step outside the traditional marketing process. Many brands look at new channels and bring a top-down marketing approach to them, without necessarily thinking about the culture of the channel, how people engage in it, what they value and how they share.

    Google talks about the zero moment of truth4 when customers who are about to make a decision about a purchase will Google it. They may also ask questions about it via their preferred social network. Gen Z uses YouTube like older people use Google, asking questions about brands and products. What are the answers saying about your business?

    When someone publishes a review and it gets published and indexed, this is what people who are asking questions at the zero moment of truth see. This is real market influence. Brands should consider auditing what those shared experiences are today and then invest in creating good experiences that are going to be shared to their benefit.

    4 Source: Google. Zero Moment of Truth - http://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/collections/zero-moment-truth.html

    COMPETITION RESEARCH

    68% of consumers have used YouTube to browse and research

    retail companies4.

    68%

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 16

    SOCIAL MEDIA - THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

    Watch Brian Solis discuss how to engage Gen Z and Gen Y consumers.

    BRIAN SOLIS VIDEO INSIGHT

    Please open this eBook in Adobe Reader to ensure video playback. Alternatively, watch this video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJEaPNo-hao&list=PL-4Oun-4cqLwhkNEaLpdmx9tYMkNgkJ8r&index=7

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 17

    Email marketing is more important than ever

    EMAIL MARKETING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 18

    EMAIL MARKETING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

    Most people face an overload of social media, push notifications, email and instant messaging. A Lifehacker survey5 found 43% of people now have four to six inboxes. Marketers developing an omni-channel strategy need to consider them all, but in the rush to modernize it may come as a surprise to learn that email remains the number one channel that consumers choose to communicate with businesses.

    5 Source: Walter Glenn. How Many Inboxes Do You Deal With?- http://lifehacker.com/how-many-inboxes-do-you-deal-with-477186651

    In fact, 77% of consumers prefer to receive permission-based marketing communications via email including the elusive 15-20 age group according to a Waldow Social survey6. Email remains a vital bridge between a company, its message, its value proposition and the needs and preferences of its customers. Email marketers must use email effectively as a bridge to other channels, from the website to social and mobile, as the enabler of a much more integrated experience.

    6 Source: DJ Waldow. Email marketing is Far From Dead - http://waldowsocial.com/email-marketing-is-far-from-dead

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 19

    EMAIL MARKETING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

    If customers say that they prefer email, even younger customers, what are you going to do differently? The answer isnt to send more emails. The answer is to know who you are talking to, whats important to them and how you could capture their attention and do something with it.

    Brian Solis, Whats the Future of Marketing?

    Watch the Webinar

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 20

    EMAIL MARKETING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

    Watch Brian Solis discuss the importance of email marketing.

    BRIAN SOLIS VIDEO INSIGHT

    Please open this eBook in Adobe Reader to ensure video playback. Alternatively, watch this video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ28quKp5lY&list=PL-4Oun-4cqLwhkNEaLpdmx9tYMkNgkJ8r&index=5

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 21

    You have their attention - what are you going to do with it?

    YOU HAVE THEIR ATTENTION - WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT?

    Effective omni-channel marketing uses human strategies to get peoples attention. Once you have their attention, what you do with it is more important than ever before. If you have connected with people on a human, personal level, its vital to maintain that connection.

    The customer data available to todays marketers is a gift that should not be taken

    for granted. Despite increasing concerns over privacy, most consumers are still willing to share information about themselves providing they get something valuable in return. Its therefore extremely important to use your customer data to create meaningful experiences that matter to your customers.

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 22

    Please open this eBook in Adobe Reader to ensure video playback. Alternatively, watch this video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=490-Jx1jWAY&list=PL-4Oun-4cqLwhkNEaLpdmx9tYMkNgkJ8r&index=4

    YOU HAVE THEIR ATTENTION - WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT?

    Watch Brian Solis discuss privacy and the willingness of consumers to share personal data.

    BRIAN SOLIS VIDEO INSIGHT

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 23

    YOU HAVE THEIR ATTENTION - WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT?

    The future of engagement lies in creating shareable experiences. Are people sharing more positive or negative experiences about your brand and are any of those a surprise? Use the connections you have made to work through these issues in a human way. Most of the time, people will only share an experience they did not enjoy. It is time to act and reward people for sharing positive experiences because thats how individuals are influenced.

    Invest in marketing which will result in great experiences and encourage people to share experiences in channels that reach other people.

    The question to ask is why? Why would people want to belong and interact with your brand? It is key to provide that meaning and value. If youre thinking hard about the individuals you are appealing to, empathy will be the result and that will drive effective communication. Share and articulate why you do what you do people are drawn to

    ConclusionIts an exciting time to be a marketing professional. There is no rulebook for the new omni-channel world you can write that book. The future of omni-channel marketing is about engagement and changing the face of marketing to appeal to the connected customer who is empowered, influential and increasingly elusive. Deliver value to empowered customers and you will foster lasting connections.

    Invest in building communities where the value is much more than belonging to something, it is about doing something together that makes belonging matter.

    Brian Solis, Whats the Future of Marketing?

    Watch the Webinar

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 24

    GETTING STARTED WITH OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING

    ONE

    Insist on co-ordination across marketing channels. The email team must talk to the web team, the web team must talk to the social team, and everyone must talk to customer services. Customers do not see departments, they see a brand.

    TWO

    Press pause on your social strategy and prepare to become more social. Effective social media is not just about earning likes and tweets and comments. It is about building a community.

    THREE

    Dont allow privacy concerns to delay development of a secure infrastructure for the personal data that will underpin an omni-channel marketing strategy. If consumers perceive a value in exchanging their data for something in return,they are often willing to provide whatever data you need. But that data comes at a cost and the cost is to accept responsibility for that data and make it matter.

    Getting started with omni-channel marketing

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 25

    BRIAN SOLIS INSIGHTS

    This eBook contains key insights from Brian Solis, principal analyst at Altimeter Group, and an acclaimed author and blogger who is globally recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders in new media.

    ReadBriansbook,Whats theFuture of Business

    ViewBriansSmartFocuswebinar,Whats the Future of Marketing

    Watchanexclusive video interview with Brian

  • HOW TO DEVELOP AN OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING STRATEGY SMARTFOCUS | PAGE 26

    SmartFocus

    Lynton House 7-12 Tavistock Square London WC1H 9LT - United Kingdom

    Tel: +44 (0)20 7554 4500 Fax: +44 (0)20 7554 4501

    www.smartfocus.com

    SmartFocus helps marketers make smarter decisions to acquire, grow and retain customers better than ever before. We partner with you to turn your fans into fanatics and grow the return on your marketing investment.

    Our retail-focused cloud delivered solution drives revenue, loyalty and satisfaction. Every day, our software empowers smarter marketing decisions. Each year we execute more than five million marketing campaigns, manage more than five billion customer records, and deliver more than 55 billion personalized messages. Were the only independent provider that gives you the ability to improve your business results across every channel to every customer every time.

    www.smartfocus.com

    THIS EBOOK IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY SMARTFOCUS

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