Working Your Way Towards a Great Digital Image

Rahis Saifi

Businesses today are becoming more and more aware of the importance of digital marketing, and of building and sustaining a digital presence in the rapidly increasing online and social media environment.

While some believe that anyone can deal with digital marketing, there are a few skills that a digital marketer requires in order to be able to stay on top of things and constantly deliver ROI.

If you are one of the people that possess analytical abilities, have an insurmountable curiosity in regards to new media and online trends and understand properly a content plan and an online marketing strategy, then you are on your first stepping stones to digital marketing.

Think Things Integrated

The marketing plan consists of more than Social Media and Digital. It connects with the outdoor banners, with the TV content and with the activations inside the stores (here depending on the type of product that you are trying to advertise, sell or simply raise awareness for). The role of the digital is to attract new potential customers, to inform and to engage. How the engagement consistency then translates into the offline environment depends entirely on how cohesive your communication plan is throughout the campaign.

Think beyond Google and Facebook Ads

The digital imprint that is left for a brand on the internet consists on so much more than the adverts that you invest in. The role of the ads is to draw customers to your page and increase online visibility for a determined period of time but the true challenge is how you keep them there, how you keep them engaged and informed of your brand’s activity long term.

Here’s where SEO kicks in along with the start to a long road of consistent actions (if you’re looking to build brand equity somewhere along the way).  Make sure you have a continuous presence in the online environment be it through press, blog articles, mediated events or YouTube videos. People need to see that you are there.

Reply As Soon As Possible

Facebook implemented another tool for its pages: responsiveness. Basically, what it does is measure the speed of your responses to customer posts, questions, private messages or comments.

This means that you always have to be there for your customers if you want your customers to be there for you. The tool helps the page admin to give pre-written replies in certain cases, thus boosting the overall page response rate. Also, when your overall responsiveness is really good, it boosts the overall image by having that green “fast response rate”  bullet displayed for any incoming users to see.

Be Prepared for Anything

When thinking Social Media we all think fast. Things can escalate or change in a heartbeat and that is why the social channels are the most vulnerable, unpredictable and need to be closely and carefully monitored.

A post that offends certain users can cause a boom of online articles and clash of opinions that can destroy your brand or brand image in only a couple of hours. In such cases, it is best if you delete the post and apologize to your customers.

Another issue consists in the users that have an aggressive or vulgar attitude. Try bringing the conversation within the private messaging side, in order to prevent any further conflicts on the post or main page. No matter the case or the issue, the main idea is to stay calm, understand the issue that the person in question might have and try to be as responsive as possible while maintaining a neutral point of view.

What You Say and How You Say It Matters

Remember: it is nice for the customers to know that they are communicating with people and not just with a brand voice, but in these cases, the brand voice is all that needs to be heard. Any wrong reactions or impulsive responses might harm the brand’s image. Keep in mind the whole time that if you represent a brand, (stating on Facebook that you work at a certain company means, in the public’s eyes, that you represent it) consumers will associate you and your behavior towards a matter or towards them, with that specific brand.

This is why every employee that has contact with the consumers needs to fully understand the brand or company’s values and beliefs and behave accordingly. Your personal Social Media stream on all channels mirrors not only your personal brand but the company’s as well.

In Conclusion

Keep up with everything that is new and make sure you keep up correctly. Collect an in-depth knowledge and understanding about the environment in which you activate in order to avoid any unfortunate events.

As in all channels you choose to promote your product on, the digital side of marketing requires research as well. It requires you to know your customers and understand how to tackle their issues efficiently. The more you know, the more you are likely to succeed.

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