Imagine an organization avoiding digital marketing tools and surviving the past decade essentially off-the-digital-grid. It’s difficult to conceive, at best.
Now project the same scenario forward into just the next five years. The absurdity could defeat the most seasoned poker face. Because it’s impossible that a business thrives, grows, survives, or even gets started without leveraging the power of digital marketing tools.
In business, to be is to be perceived: Digital marketing tools defined
As with the proverbial tree in the forest, if an organization is established and no one knows about it, does that organization really exist? Consider any famous fictional organization that may not really exist, yet millions of people know about it. (Hello, Dunder Mifflin) Couldn’t it be argued that this famous-yet-imaginary organization exists more than a real one that remains unknown?
So, how are customers in a digital world going to know a business exists without marketing? And how are you going to reach customers in a digital world without the superpowers of digital marketing?
As a broad, overarching category, “digital marketing tools” encompasses the most relevant and effective marketing tools, such as:
- Websites
- SEO
- Social media
- Video
- Audio (especially podcasting)
- Content creation
- Website testing
- Customer service and interaction platforms
- Affiliate marketing tools
Among the many descriptors of successful digital marketing, a word cloud for overall differentiators likely include words such as: trust, privacy, customer-centered, relationship, great CX, useful, valuable, personalized, and individualized.
In CX, to be human is to be empathetic
The bottom line is the age-old marketing ideal: meet the right customer where they are, at the right time, in the right place, and with the right message.
And the new secret sauce is the exercise of emotional intelligence. Don’t be annoying. Don’t be slimy, sleazy, or creepy. Don’t be desperate. Instead, develop and nurture positive qualities. Be relevant. Be authentic. Be respectful. Be transparent. Be empathetic. Be human.
Ironically, the advent of digital marketing tools powered by machine learning and AI has enabled marketers to create, design, and implement marketing campaigns that are noticeably and refreshingly more human than some of the old cold-call persona- and stereotype-driven methods have been.
In the Intelligent Enterprise, to be dynamic is to be integrated
As I’ve mentioned before, human and machine team members make each other better as teammates with their complementary strengths and weaknesses, especially when in service of delivering exceptional customer experiences.
This dynamic and symbiotic relationship cannot help but improve employee experience and customer experience, and, ultimately increase revenue and drive growth – the recipe for competitive advantage and the opportunity to then disrupt and innovate.
The range of digital marketing superpowers is vast.
The deep insights into customer sentiments, intentions, behaviors, and needs that machine learning and AI can provide to marketers and sales teams through real-time data and analytics become a kind of x-ray vision or telepathy powered by a multitude of abilities to:
- Track, gather, and interpret customer data, structured and unstructured
- Test and optimize website and app user experience (UX), from simple aesthetic and functionality considerations to in-depth usability research
- Segment groups of users, customers, and audiences of all kinds and sizes
- Create original content – from blog to podcast to video to visual – customized to keep your brand message consistent and engaging
- Drive organic traffic through search engine optimization
- Garner engagement on social media and user-generated interactive content with giveaways, referral programs, competitions, hashtags, quizzes and contests
- Manage social media interaction to engage with customers, including addressing complaints
- Extend your brand reach to audiences that would normally be unreachable
- Plan, develop, and implement strategic marketing campaigns to leverage peak open times and achieve increased click rates and conversions
- Nurture customer relationships down the funnel, from initial contact to conversion to continued relationship development
- Save time and money with marketing automation solutions
- Drive growth through disruption and innovation while enjoying giant ROI as well as increased productivity and revenue
Ultimately, finding the best digital marketing tools for you allows you to see into every dark corner of your organization – to learn what’s working and what isn’t. More than point out problems, blind spots, and weaknesses, essential digital marketing tools also serve up data-driven insights to inform your empathy-driven initiatives to better understand and serve your customers.
Suddenly, you’re seeing around corners, positioned to deliver the exceptional customer experiences that define the economy, give the competitive edge, and differentiate the leaders in every market.
