The Internet is not going to go away; that is a fact and one that some of your customers may struggle with, but how many times have you listened to a member of the younger generation and feel as though they are speaking another language?
It can be like this for consumers who prefer to find out about your product and service through more traditional routes. Word of mouth is still the most powerful recommendation that your company can have, and can be an important source of new leads. When we look at ways in which we can reach out to an audience that is not necessarily Internet savvy, we are looking at this from two sides of the coin.
First, we need to look at our consumers who are not immediately comfortable with sourcing information through digital means, and think about how we can engage with them in ways that they understand, bearing in mind cost effective strategies in terms of time and money.
Secondly, how can we then reach this customer base using our current digital marketing in a way that won’t cause them to back off and head back down the road to our competitors?
Let’s Get the Message out There
We want to start informing our customers about new products and services, and the technological advancements that are coming their way. Traditional marketing methods of direct mail, direct response advertising and telemarketing just won’t be able to showcase the products in the way that visual marketing such as podcasts or livestream videos will do.
However, you have to entice your customers to log on and watch, and this can be difficult if they are not Internet savvy. Most consumers will have a mobile phone and/or email so you need to start by collecting their email address each time you process an order and then ask if they would like to receive your latest e-news. Inform them that all the prices, discounts, top tips on use of the equipment and industry news stories will come through this online marketing tool.
Use Incentives and Keep It Simple
Within the e-news make it simple (i.e. one click) to get onto your webpage for special introductory offers or easy pre-booking forms to check out availability of equipment to buy or rent. Work with local trade and industry sector bodies to advertise local trade shows, discount for entry tickets, or lists of dates of events so that your consumer is directed quickly and effectively to the areas they’re interested in.
If you take part in a conference or trade event, make sure that you have all the relevant information as to what you will be showcasing to encourage customers to visit your trade stall. When they do get there ensure you sign them up to your e-newsletter, give out branded freebies (everyone likes a pen or drinks holder) you can source from Promotional Merchandise Agencies which include your logo and web address on it, along with any Social Media information.
If you can have a live chat section on your site so that people don’t have to search around for answers to their questions, then you are really on to a winner.
People who are not used to using digital platforms to research will get the best of both worlds. Your staff can then ‘talk’ them through the best product and service for their business, and if you show them how to watch live stream demonstrations or YouTube clips, even better! However, be careful not to make your site too complicated, as this will turn off your potential consumer rather than encourage them to continue with you.
Personalise Your Site
We know that there are those who want to pick up the phone or walk into the store and speak to a human being, but by making your website informative and personal to your company, you will engage a customer. If you don’t already have this, then get a ‘Meet the boss’ or ‘Meet the team’ page, with photos, short bios and pictures of the company, not just generic photos. Even though you may be based kilometres away from your consumer, you want them to feel connected with you and the organisation.
Make sure that you have all the relevant social media buttons on your site but think about the ways in which your customers like to receive their information. Instead of posting out brochures or specifications, you need to ensure that you have high quality PDF documents that you can email out to them.
Invest in professional photographs of each of the systems and products you sell. Ensure that when they click on the gallery of images, they can zoom in and not lose the detail or quality of what they are looking at, and don’t forget to provide maps and directions to any showrooms or venues where they can see the goods in situ.
Get recent and relevant online testimonials from satisfied customers and group these in sectors. You are then encouraging your consumer to actively search through and find a recommendation that is relevant to them.
Once you have caught their online attention then make sure that, along with product information, you produce a number of ‘tech’ pages and Frequently Asked Questions linked to your product. If you can develop an ‘Ask our specialist’ part of the site and encourage an online forum via your business Facebook page, then you’ve quite possibly struck gold.
It’s All Part of Planning for the Next Generation
Using some of the ideas above will enable you to get to a position where your consumer is really engaging with you as a company. They will not necessarily be the first person to tweet or Snapchat about your products, but you will be their one-stop-shop when it comes to sales, hire and service.
Remember that as the next generation of your consumer base comes along, they being the iGen who use their smartphones and mobile devices as a matter of course, you and your mobile friendly website and digital marketing plan will be ready to serve them.
Sal Salvatore is the Director of Minipack, Australia’s leading specialist in packaging machines and the original inventor of the Hooded shrink wrapping machine. As one of the country’s longest trading companies, Minipack understands the importance of innovation and trying new things in order to keep up with the market, and it is their willingness to be creative and reach out to new customer bases that have made the business the success story that it is today.
