Customers and prospects are relying more and more on digital channels in the buying cycle to gather information, form relationships, and make decisions. Perceptions of a brand are now determined by the strength (or lack) of digital presence. If you are looking to buy a product and its online presence is weak, it immediately throws the product’s credibility.

Marketing budgets are devoting larger and larger percentages of the overall pie to "digital channels.

With the increased share of budget however comes an increased level of responsibility. Marketers have higher expectations of what they want their digital dollar to deliver.

Digital needs to be part of a strategic approach now, not just an add on. Accountability, measurability and effectiveness are now critical components of the digital marketing plan.

A recent survey conducted by marketing Sherpa noted a significant shift away from traditional channels and into digital channels.

Key findings: •  69% cited increased spending on social

media •  60% cited increased spending on SEO &

webinars •  39% of marketers cited a decrease in

spending for print advertising •  30% of marketers cited a decrease in

spending for tradeshows

The shift towards digital channels is not unique to B2C marketing. According to research conducted by Advertising Age across B2B marketers, more than 75 percent said they felt their brands were at least somewhat at risk from not being as engaged with customers as they should be.

Online marketing is likely to become even more valuable to firms over the course of the next few years with most marketers devoting significantly larger budgets to online with some quoting as much as a 25% share.

While paid search and traditional digital channels remain the focus of the spend, in an effort to boost engagement, the majority of brands plan on devoting more of their budgets to social media.

In order to determine how and where to spend this money, organisations are devoting more and more effort to developing a holistic digital strategy.

When a customer first defines a need for a product they will go through stages from the identification of a need, then something will happen that will make that need more urgent and a purchase will seem more necessary, then they will start to look at and add products to their consideration set.

At this stage they may or may not know about your product. Brand awareness tactics through digital presences at trade shows, thought leadership recognition and online articles will help to ensure that you are on the customer’s radar.

Content and tone need to be attention grabbing, in the right place at the right time and as experiential as possible.

Allowing customers to test and experience a product in an interactive way such as through the use of TCO and ROI tools will help to cement your product in the customer’s consideration set and provide a sense of control and transparency for the customer.

Once the decision has been made to purchase something, the next decision is which brand. B2B customers are far more likely to research products due to their need to justify expenditure internally. They are less likely to buy on impulse or as an emotional decision.

Content should be analytical and transparent. Your product should be very easy to find through various search tools and should contain all the information that a potential buyer might want in comparing this product to the competition and understanding why your product is the best for the job.

Educational tools such as ebooks and webinars play a crucial role at this stage in the process.

Online sales support tools (configurators etc) will greatly assist customers in making the final decision. Once that decision to purchase has been made, online channels can also vastly simplify and speed up the actual transaction.

Even if the actual transaction is too complex to happen online, digital sales assistance, FAQ’s, guided help systems and multiple digital channels of customer service help to ensure that the customer experience goes well.

Post purchase support to ensure appropriate product configuration, can make the difference between a happy customer and a vocal, dissatisfied one.

Once the product is purchased, installed and configured the buyer starts to go through a process of evaluating their experience. While dissatisfied customers are far more likely to talk about their experience, digital tools are great at enabling satisfied customers to also share.

User forums and online communities that help customers get together and talk unite people around a common topic and are a good way to build a direct line of communication with customers.

Communities also form a fantastic resource in product development and say a lot to the potential customer about the company and the products it sells.

Lastly, it is considerably easier to resell to an existing customer who is actively engaged with your brand than it is to find a totally new customer.

SO WHAT IS a digital strategy?

Digital strategy - the strategy a company takes to become a digital company, where digital connotes deeper interactions with their customers, more customized and personalized offerings and interactions, data driven decision making, and an organizational models and processes which are more nimble and reactive to changes in the company's environment.

Online strategy - the development of plans to deploy online assets to maximize business results.

Layers of the strategy

Its very easy to let this "get overwhelming

Levels of

Type of digital strategy

Objective Might involve Required level of involvement

within organisation

Most important point of focus

Online Media strategy

Develop a plan for buying media in online channels could be to support a campaign or as part of an ongoing digital media presence

Paid Search Online media placement (banners etc.)

Marketing department Test and learn Micro level optimisation

Digital Campaign support

Integrated support an advertising campaign or event through digital channels (which may include a social media element)

Creative integration Channel strategy Monitoring and measurement solutions Multi agency procurement/management

Marketing department Integration and measurement

Social media strategy

An ongoing social media platform through which to communicate with existing and potential customers

Advocacy and loyalty programs Content strategies Monitoring programs/tools

Marketing department, Product development, Customer service

Resourcing and content

Full digital strategy Change the way a company interacts internally and/or with customers

Cultural change Technological change HR considerations

Board level Commitment and Investment

digital strategy

EVOLUTION"is about putting one small step in front of the other but walking continually forward

If  you  need  assistance  developing  your  online  presence  using  tools  like  social  networking,  e-­‐books,  and  webinars,  or  want  to  see  some  examples  of  these  strategies  in  ac<on  contact  us  at  interact@cyberbia.com.au  or  visit  www.cyberbia.com.au