7 Ways to Get Lucky with Digital Marketing
Some companies just seem to get lucky. Meanwhile, you’re working hard, picking up every heads up penny you see, wishing on birthday candles, and for some reason, it just ain’t happening. It takes more than dumb luck to make magic happen online. And even big brands screw up sometimes or run into problems, like Pepsi’s recent fiasco or United Airline’s latest public relations nightmare. But we’ll get into all of that and more in a minute. Most importantly, we’re going to talk about some things that you can do to set yourself up for some digital marketing luck. After all, we all know that luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
1. Think like your audience
Ok, speaking of preparation, let’s talk about your audience. You know, your fans, your customers, your people. What are they looking for? What answers do they seek and how are you the solution? Preparation means fully understanding who you’re trying to reach, what they want, and then providing that for them. Sometimes this is easier said than done. Even business moguls have hiccups. Take Pepsi’s recent commercial flop, for example.
If you’ve been living under a rock, you may have missed the Pepsi commercial that tried to epitomize recent protests such as the Women’s March and Black Lives Matter movement. The suspense builds when Kendall Jenner trades her modeling career to support the cause, fist bumping her way to the front of the pack to face down a line of police officers. The message culminates in the pivotal moment that Ms. Jenner hands a police officer a Pepsi to keep the peace.
Most viewers felt that the commercial made light of serious issues, and it was a huge backfire. This is a prime example of not knowing what resonates with your audience. Pepsi thought they had a great concept that would be a huge hit with protesters and protest sympathizers but ultimately ended up alienating those exact people. As a brand, you not only have to think like your audience, you also have to consider how your messaging will be received. Sometimes it helps to have an outsider, like a digital marketing agency, provide a more objective perspective.
2. Brainstorm
Now that you have considered who your audience is and what they want, the next step is to brainstorm ideas on pieces of content that you want to share with them. Every brand should be putting out quality content on a regular basis. Content can be a blog, video channel, podcast, white paper, the list goes on… It’s all about what your customers and potential customers want from you. Buzz Feed puts out lists. Seth Godin has a marketing blog. What’s the best platform for your company to produce quality content for your fans? What do the people want?
Once you have a general idea of what they want, bring your team together and brainstorm a list of potential topics to cover. Utilizing team members from different departments help to get a comprehensive view of the company. Salespeople and customer services reps talk to your customers every day, whereas your marketing team members might not. Be sure to poll those who are operating on the front lines, because they are more likely to be in touch with the questions that your customers are asking.
3. Build a content calendar
Once you have the channel and ideas dialed in, you have to plan it out. Planning ahead for trending topics or holidays helps make your content more timely and therefore interesting. Tell your brand’s story, and map it out ahead of time to set yourself up for success. You don’t have to stick with it exactly, but having a plan in place sets the tone for success.
Not sure where to start? Hubspot offers several editorial calendar templates on their website that you can download for free.
4. Be in the right place at the right time
While it’s great to have a plan mapped out, hence the editorial calendar, sometimes we have to pivot and take advantage of the moment. Being in the right place at the right time doesn’t just happen by coincidence.
Remember the #DeleteUber trend that happened? This stemmed from NYC taxi drivers halting pickup at New York’s JFK airport in response to the anti-immigration ban, with NYC taxi drivers taking a break to join the protest. Uber then announced that they were eliminating surge pricing at JFK, and many protesters took that as a move to undermine their efforts. Shortly thereafter, #DeleteUber started trending on social media. That’s when Lyft came in.
Lyft had just pledged to donate $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in response to the ban. Lyft was one of the first companies to publicly take a political stance, and particularly in light of Uber’s perhaps unintentional missteps, Lyft’s downloads skyrocketed. The #DeleteUber trend timeframe was the first time in history that Lyft downloads surpassed those of Uber. Lyft was in the right place at the right time with the right messaging that resonated with fans.
5. Create mutually beneficial relationships
There are likely other non-competitive companies that cater to your audience. For example, back in the 1990s, Starbucks recognized that several of their potential customers also frequented Barnes and Noble stores. They formed a strategic alliance with Barnes and Noble and opened several coffee shops in their bookstores. Through this partnership, Starbucks extended their outreach and grew sales, and Barnes and Noble added value to their existing customers by providing high-quality coffee and snacks.
Many companies form strategic alliances online as well. What is a goal that your company seeks to accomplish? Perhaps you just created an amazing new recipe book for fitness smoothies, and you have a friend who runs an exercise program with a large online following. You might decide to cross-promote your products and services to each other’s audiences, offering benefit to your followers by exposing them to a product that they are likely interested in and growing your audience at the same time. Who would be a good strategic partner for you?
6. Make your customers happy
Of course, it all boils down to your customers being happy. In today’s world where people can rate a company or fire off an angry Tweet with the click of a few buttons, customer service has to be a part of your company’s public relations strategy. Good customer service = less public relations nightmare.
United Airlines just got major backlash for calling security to drag a man off of one of their planes, which was overbooked. The passenger was apparently a doctor and refused to get off of the plane when flight attendants told him the plane was overbooked and there wasn’t enough room. Passengers captured the man being dragged off of the flight, who later returned with a bloody face, and the video quickly went viral on social media. Twitter and Facebook users lashed back in disgust, and regardless of how the passenger had acted, United is the one taking the heat.
Airlines are notorious for treating passengers poorly. Southwest Airlines has had great success because they strive to treat their passengers well. Take the Southwest route and avoid situations like United’s PR nightmare. When you go above and beyond and make customers happy, they will likely share that on social media too. Your customers can be your biggest advocates, and you treating them like the kings and queens they are can help your company make digital marketing magic.
7. Manage expectations
Finally, manage customer expectations. Amazon Prime, Google search, and fast food restaurants have all trained us to expect instant gratification. However, sometimes it just doesn’t work like that. Maybe applicants have to register and get approved before moving forward with your process. Or perhaps it takes a week for your product to arrive at your client’s doorstep. Whatever your product, service or industry, eliminate resentment by setting proper expectations. Under promise and over deliver is always a great mantra to live by.
How does your organization create your own digital marketing luck? Oftentimes it all starts with your digital foundation – a badass company website. If you’re interested in taking your website up a notch in website badassery, contact us for a free quote. Our team of web design experts would love to help you get lucky with digital marketing.
