What does future-proof digital marketing training look like?
When it comes to technology, “The ability of something to continue to be of value into the distant future and not become obsolete” seems pretty obvious. We can all recognize items that have become obsolete as technology changes and improves. But, what does future-proof mean in the context of digital marketing training for work and employment?
From my perspective and looking at reviews from experts in education and psychology, to be future-proof is to “Continue to be useful or successful in future when the situation changes.”
This definition sounds a bit woolly but can be distilled into three primary components:
Being able to identify opportunities by anticipating the future
Using this knowledge to minimize the effects of shocks and stresses of future events by having a clear strategy
Then, using this strategy to…
What are the essential parts of a digital transformation plan?
A digital transformation plan is a strategic, long-term plan focusing on integrated digital media channels, implementation of new technologies, and smart, digital ways of working.
The purpose of a digital transformation plan is to define how to compete more effectively with digital marketing. The scope of a digital marketing plan is typically annual, but a digital transformation plan will typically be longer since this involves creating long-term digital roadmaps.
Since creating awareness and achieving conversion still commonly involve offline channels such as a call-centre or in-store, digital marketing plans need to define integration between channels using techniques like customer journey mapping.
Your omnichannel digital transformation plan
Digital or online marketing is any form of marketing that involves using online channels for goals of acquisition and retention. It also includes digital technology and the use of data to target audiences more precisely with personalized messages.
Understand…
The scientific method of measuring marketing effectiveness
As seasoned marketers, I’m sure you’ll be familiar with the quote (often attributed to John Wanamaker):
“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half”
The ability to effectively measure marketing effectiveness is the Holy Grail for CMOs and marketing leaders. With so many established, new and emerging channels at our disposal, it’s more important than ever to identify and prioritize those that drive the most value for our businesses.
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Many marketers believe that evaluating the impact of marketing is straightforward - simply compare the outcomes from one campaign to another and look at which channels generated value.
However, simple or even more complex…
How to become a better marketer: 6 marketing tactics you need to work on to stay relevant
With the rapid development in technology, many changes occur in the marketing scene within short periods. Therefore, as you're trying to execute the tactics you know, you're also in a constant quest to learn new things.
Otherwise, it becomes difficult to stay relevant and achieve your goals. Even in marketing channels you know, changes are happening with time.
For instance, 17 years ago, you only need to understand how to send blast emails to be a good email marketer. However, today, you need a deep understanding of automated email sequences just to get by.
That said, you'll always stay relevant as a marketer if you keep up with important trends and apply them to your marketing campaigns.
In light of this, here are 6 essential tactics to work on:
1. Creating and designing visual content
Over the years, …
Embarking on my marketing journey at university, I learnt about the 4 Ps of marketing. However, since I left the classroom, I've found a disproportionate focus on promotion over the other Ps.
The 4 Ps are fundamental to any marketing strategy and explain the core concept of what marketers do. Any marketer worth their salt should know:
Product
Price
Place
Promotion
However, as important as promotion - or marketing communications - may be, in their book ‘How Not to Plan’, Les Binet and Sarah Carter explain that econometrics consistently show that the effects of the other three Ps are as important for sales and profit. Without the right product, at the right price and distributed in the right places, it makes our jobs as marketers very difficult to promote.
Binet and Carter’s book reaffirmed the importance of these three Ps in my mind and gave me…
A step-by-step guide to producing a plan that will attract, engage and delight customers
Building a strong brand, attracting new prospects and retaining customers requires a strong integrated marketing strategy. This will use a combination of both outbound (push) and inbound (pull) marketing. For some businesses, such as start-ups, small local companies and even larger B2B companies with limited ad spend, outbound marketing can be expensive and risky. However, inbound marketing can be more accessible and focuses on building demand by giving people compelling reasons to come to you.
The term 'inbound marketing' originated in 2006, coined by Hubspot to explain how marketers can attract interested prospects using content marketing, social media and SEO. According to Hubspot:
"Inbound marketing is about creating valuable experiences that have a positive impact on people and your business."
Hubspot’s framework distills inbound marketing into three components.
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CRO is an underrepresented specialty in today’s marketing industry and because of a general lack of understanding about the field of work, it often loses out
I attend and speak at some of the best digital marketing conferences all over the world and I can count on one hand, the number of sessions I’ve seen that offered quality content about Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO). This marketing specialization always seems to fly under the radar in marketing circles.
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Yes, there are a number of great websites and resources dedicated to CRO. There are also some excellent CRO-specific conferences out there and I’ve attended most of them - but the real problem is this: The only people talking about conversion rate optimization are CRO experts at CRO conferences and CRO bloggers on CRO-specific websites.…
To know how to adapt, you must first identify the so-called ‘disruptors’ that are set to change the world of digital marketing as you know it
Perhaps you’re familiar with the often-misquoted Darwin aphorism, "It is not the strongest species that survives but those that are adaptable to change." While this concept largely impacts the field of biology, it may also be applied to technology and the different fields that use modern tech in making improvements.
One industry that is set to go through massive changes is digital marketing. Those who dabble in this field should be aware of the changes influenced by modern technology to stay relevant. But to know how to adapt, you must first identify the so-called ‘disruptors’ that are set to change the world of digital marketing as you know it.
Big data
Cloud technology has blown the doors of businesses wide open when it comes to gathering massive amounts…
While some word of mouth marketing is completely organic, you can also make a targeted effort to boost word of mouth and get more people talking about and promoting your brand
Word of mouth marketing has always been hailed by marketing experts as one of the most effective marketing strategies, way before the existence of social media and digital marketing in general. There’s a simple reason for that: people trust other people more than they could ever trust a brand.
Think of it this way: are you more likely to try a product if a trusted friend recommended it to you, or if you can see dozens of positive reviews from regular people? Or are you more likely if you saw a few well-placed posts from a brand?
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Chart of the day: According to research by Salesforce, over half of ad spend is allocated to Facebook (including Instagram) or search marketing (Including Google search)
In the previous year, 30% of ad budget was allocated to Facebook and Instagram and 28% was allocated to Google and Bing paid search ads. Facebook budget is expected to increase slightly by 1% to 31% and search budget allocation is expected to stay the same at 28%. Compared to other channels such as youTube, Display, and Linkedin, Pinterest and Snapchat etc. Facebook and Google are dominating the ad space with most ad budget allocated to them.
Next year, 66% of digital ad spend will go to Google, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.
Over the last year, 65% of businesses have increased their video advertising budget, with more money going on video on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.
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