There are some important trends to know and things to keep in mind when designing your next marketing campaign. At this month’s DCKAP eSession, Dan Griffin, Head of Partnerships at dotdigital, came on to tell us more about the best marketing channels to prioritize in this year and beyond. He also tells us about accessibility in marketing and why thinking of design and ease of use are important factors for success. During his presentation, Dan explains how you can improve the turnout from your marketing channels, whether through email, sms, or by engaging customer support and assisting sales. It’s vital in digital commerce to be engaging with everyone on an inclusive level, to provide an exceptional customer experience. In marketing, design and the process around it should be respectful of accessibility and disability standards. “Things like being respectful of color palettes,” Dan explains. “Screen and form factor sizes, and these other accessibility traits that really make a lot of sense and will draw you in to delivering the right message to the right person at the right time. And it’s critical to think of all these different segments.” He continues on to drive the point that even in a simple message, design matters, and results matter. If the metrics you’re getting are telling you to make a change, then you need to be able to pivot and meet the challenge. As Dan explains, “Brands that lack adaptability are going to be left behind when facing changes in the markets and environments and leveraging the right technology whether it be commerce platforms, commerce websites, or marketing automation platforms which, frankly, as you go to market, all become tied together. You have to have those in place.” When it comes to B2B, there are different buying processes, it often includes teams versus the common retail engagement we all know. As a marketing automation provider, dotdigital still feels that “email is king”, but it isn’t the only channel that they look to capitalize on. Using email is still the most commonly and widely accepted way of marketing, but Dan warns us not to fall into a trap of stagnation or losing the interest of the audience.
Supporting full automation, dotdigital provides a workflow for sms. There are many opportunities to engage with your audience through text messaging. “At dotdigital alone, on black Friday in 2020, we sent 5,721,000 SMS messages.” This speaks to the sheer amount of customers that sign up to receive these messages and their willingness to receive marketing in this way. It is a booming channel that businesses need to start targeting for growth. But, the need to market extends to other channels as well, as Dan explains. “I really encourage you to think of display ads as a channel you can leverage.” He continues to summarize the need to keep accessibility in mind when designing. From ads, to notifications, to live chat, Dan goes through each one explaining the relevance of inclusive design before moving on to their greater relevance in marketing and how using them to interact with your customers can convert sales.
“Take a step back. Think about how you can re-use email.” – Dan GriffinAccording to Dan, the five most relevant channels to prioritize are email, sms, display ads, push notifications, and live chat. SMS alone continues to grow astronomically as a communication in the buying experience, whether it be to send a purchase confirmation or to notify of a sale. “In 2020, 23 billion text messages were sent daily. There is absolutely a digital shift to sms that is starting to happen that accompanies email in a communication channel.”
Supporting full automation, dotdigital provides a workflow for sms. There are many opportunities to engage with your audience through text messaging. “At dotdigital alone, on black Friday in 2020, we sent 5,721,000 SMS messages.” This speaks to the sheer amount of customers that sign up to receive these messages and their willingness to receive marketing in this way. It is a booming channel that businesses need to start targeting for growth. But, the need to market extends to other channels as well, as Dan explains. “I really encourage you to think of display ads as a channel you can leverage.” He continues to summarize the need to keep accessibility in mind when designing. From ads, to notifications, to live chat, Dan goes through each one explaining the relevance of inclusive design before moving on to their greater relevance in marketing and how using them to interact with your customers can convert sales.
“Live chat, in the real world, gets you to a person. And that’s important.” – Dan GriffinRecently, Virgin Atlantic shared this stat on live chat as Dan mentions in his presentation: Customers who chat convert at nearly 3.5 times the rate of those who do not. This means the opportunity to convert interest into sales becomes exponential. “Live chat gives that personal touch to the communication you’re having with your client base,” Dan elaborates. By stepping back and reevaluating your channel marketing efforts, you can get the message to the right person at the right time, and that’s one of the most important things to make the customer experience as exceptional as possible. You can watch the full presentation here: If you’d like to read highlights or watch any of the speakers from last year’s DCKAP eSummit event, you can visit our post event recap blog, and you can watch the full event playlist here. Next up will be the DCKAP eSummit 2021. Join us then to hear from some amazing speakers and guests, learn even more and find the best ways to start or grow your success in B2B eCommerce!
