Gender Positive Marketing; Being Sensitive to Women is Profitable

The social media giant has not had it easy since 2016. From the Cambridge Analytica scandal, to calls for more social media regulation to DeepFakes, it seems digital media regulation or the absence of it has put Facebook under a great deal of scrutiny. The worst part is that Facebook woes don’t seem to be dissipating anytime soon. More and more governments want to be involved with the giant and are urging it to take action against spread of misinformation, violent content and most recently exaggerated health claim or falsehood on its platform. Due to the increased pressure, Facebook has stepped up its content regulation and increased check on social media pages that foster misinformation or dangerous content. Last month, Facebook announced that it has made changes to its algorithms to curb the spread of health related misinformation. Facebook’s announcement specifically pointed out ranking updates that will focus on the platform’s News Feed algorithm. The company aims to reduce sensationalism and exaggeration for health related content. Facebook will be targeting posts that rely on health claims that seem irrational or without scientific basis, for selling products/services. Since controlling this type of content is directly related to community health and standards, the announcement was hailed as a positive one. Marketers that are managing social media pages for health related businesses need to be very careful with their content. The language of the content and what kind of message it sends to the average consumer needs to be reviewed. Fecebook was clear in its announcement, the claim might be genuine, but if its health related, chances are it will be flagged. Take for example weight loss teas, pills or any kind of medication that claims to aid weight loss will now fall in this category. Moreover, this crackdown is a part of the broader campaign against clickbait and sloppy content on Facebook. In March Facebook took serious steps against groups/pages that were spreading misinformation related to vaccines. The vaccine propaganda has caused a great deal of panic, since this impact community health. Many parents even in the US have opted to not vaccinate their children. This type spread of lies has becomes a major thorn in the platform’s side. While Facebook has increased regulation of content and is trying to monitor as much as they can to ensure safety, privacy and quality standards on their platform, many argue that social media has become a beast that can no longer be tamed. Whether Zukerberg succeeds in taming it or whether government intervention is the final solution remains to be seen.

In the race of acquisition and value companies lost the core that made American businesses truly stand out a few decades ago. Amazon has been crowned the world’s most valuable brand but what are they really doing in terms of consumer response and experience? It is not exactly a wonder that so many small businesses tend to flourish because of good customer experience. The real paradox is that we now have the technology and resources to access data, information and cater to consumers on an individual level; something that companies of the old could never fathom but wanted more than anything. It’s like the data acquisition and knowledge of the consumer and stunted business imagination when it comes to consumer experiences. A recent joint analysis conducted by Lexus, Regions Bank, USAA and Forrester has just found that despite having some of the best performance standards, nobody in the aforementioned list is actually pushing boundaries when it comes to consumer experience. It seems the potential on this front has plateaued. A 2019 Customer Experience Index for the US rated companies out of 100. A 75% score was regarded as good while an 85% and over scoring was designated as “excellent”. The averages were astonishing; not ONE company made it to the top tier! The average scores for luxury autos was 74.5 while banks were regarded as slightly above average. Airlines (predictably so) performed worse after a notoriously bad run in previous years to a new slump of 61.9%. Health Insurance companies were only slightly better off at 65.3. Federal government was the lowest scorer at 59.7. It was not a shocking outcome but this is still a very bad score, even by government standards. Most industries have shown progress since 2018, the airlines are probably the only ones that suffered a slump of such a margin in less than 12 months. However, ranking low is not even the problem, the brands at the top are suffering stagnation in this department. No one is pushing for change or more innovation. According the research director and VP of Forrester; Harley Manning the report indicated that ultimately the product or end service results impacted wholly on the consumer experience there was an urgent need to integrate digital and physical channels for better costumer experiences. Customer experiences go a long way in entrenching consumer loyalties and forging real connections with potential demographics. To really make gains, new strategies and plans must be implemented, the market in ripe for the taking for anyone that would at least try to make a difference to consumer experiences.

It is laughable to assume that in 2019 there is a chance for a business to reach its full potential without a coherent “digital marketing strategy”. Every business today realizes the importance of a digital footprint and the value of reaching out to consumers through applications and social media. However, knowing something is important is just the first step. Many small to medium businesses are either too strained, short on finances or simply not prioritizing their digital marketing campaign to have an integrated, long-term approach that leads to real success. Here are some of the more common problems faced by companies that suffer from a lack of digital clout. A Long Drawn-Out Plan is NOT Essential Where to start is where most businesses get stuck. Initiating a plan can be the most daunting part of the whole process. However, despite common belief, you can opt for a lean plan. There is no need for a massive research campaign or a ten year plan formulation before you begin. Here’s what you can do instead, A summarized strategy on a couple of pages will work fine for a 60-90 day digital market plan and it has the ability of getting traction for a business online. You need to have smart goals, achievable milestones and these can be split across 3 to six month phases. This gives you time to modulate a long term strategy, while monitoring your immediate success/failures. Massive reports can be entangling, especially if you are a startup or an SM, which is why instead of formulating a clear strategy many businesses. You Miss Out without Knowing There are plenty of businesses that do not have a strategy in place and are doing just fine on the digital marketing front. In their eyes, their ROI’s are good and digital media marketing savvy enough to get them traction online. However, the absence of a plan is evident in different missed opportunities that were never planned out. There is sporadic success in an unplanned campaign and a lot of untapped potential even if the campaign is doing well. Just imagine, what it could do with a good strategy in place. Good digital marketing plans are a mirror of governance and structure in a business. If you want to know just how much you might be missing out on, try setting out a short-term plan and work on it. The end result will definitely change your mind about results. Losing Key Market Share to Competition In 2019, the competition for key market shares is insane. You cannot compete without research and clear strategies! There is no way, you wing it and succeed when faced with a competitor’s coherent plan that targets your market share; you wouldn’t even see it coming. A good digital marketing strategies has essential data at its core; there is no room for guesswork, inklings and email blasts. The dynamics of research and niche market segmentation are a key aspect of a successful marketing strategy. If you don’t have a plan, you don’t have research and without the former you cannot expect the latter and there is no real success without either. If you are not dedicating time and resources to digital marketing, don’t think your competition isn’t either and ultimately that might be the only thing that separates a good business from a great one.

Most business owners like to cut through the technical Jargon thrown at them from professional service providers, but, that can be cumbersome to say the least. Since CorporateTech considers transparency a foundation block for its company, we like to get straight to the point, which is usually; Clear, Simple and Understandable. However, the man or men sitting behind the development table tend to talk technically and that can be confusing for a business owner. However, we like to translate for clients and in this blog we aim to explore the most common confusion faced by most clients; What should they opt for? Laravel or Magento? WHY MAGENTO Anyone who is in the development business knows what a buzz “Magento eCommerce development” services has created. Not only has Magento made customized alterations accessible to all, it is extremely flexible and user friendly. Thanks to Magento your developer can create some awe-inspiring eCommerce websites! However, there is a drawback; the process can be complex. If a developer changes and changes need to be made sometimes a new guy can get completely lost especially if you need changes fast! Most developers are cozy with open source platforms and that is why Laravel’s structure has more appeal. Laravel relies on portal making applications that can give quick results, easy automation and are not too restrictive in the hands of a creative developer. Here are a few essential comparisons for you to consider before making a decision; Laravel the New frontier? While compared to Magento Laravel is a baby, developers have been quick to assess and accept the latter. Why is it more popular? The first and foremost reason for that is the ability to create secure portals faster. Since Laravel utilizes the MVC structure it is far superior in functionality and ease of use; especially when it comes to site maintenance. It saves effort and time for the developer thanks in part to the ORM (object-relational mapping) which means there is no need for writing SQL code. Moreover, ORM is a godsend when dealing with difficult database queries that originate due to the PHP syntax. Laravel offers quite a few lightweight themes that are easily accessible and ready for use immediately. In the hands of an expert Magento is a magincian’s tool, capable of creating amazing websites. However, not everyone can maneuver Magento with finesse and requires an experienced hand. Moreover, there are drawbacks, e.g. there are no special themes and customizing Magento themes to suit a client can be taxing on a developer. At the end it’s about the “WHO” rather than the “WHAT”. Magento has its greatest pull in the form of compatibility and is supported across multiple platforms and versions, making it very attractive to the average client. However, Magento can turn in to a labyrinth in the hands of a less experienced developer. So, before you make a selection, make sure you know the servicemen are capable of handling your choice.

Before we get into the details, let’s first try to understand what is a brand voice? If the concept is broken down to its essential element we are looking at perception and sales. If a brand voice or image connects with a consumer base the “optics” of the brand are successful. How an audience reacts to your brand content is essentially decided by communications; internet, print media, influencers, you name it. Everything is important, because each platform acts as a unique mouthpiece to represent you. However, we will be discussing digital media and since it is increasingly the most important venue (even for presidents), too many consumers are looking for truth and ingenuity from social media. Brands are actively participating in the trends and making a mark online with a more personalized approach in their campaigns. Internet has a unique capacity to act as a direct link from a brand to a consumer. A single demographic can be targeted much more successfully online than anywhere else. Let’s take for example, Supreme; a great way of understanding how brands build their voices and connect with their consumers can be understood from their marketing strategies. Supreme has built a brand on two key elements, “exclusivity” and “luxury” and if they drop a Facebook post or a tweet announcing the drop of a new line, it is bound to get more traction than any other, regular clothing store. The key difference is not the digital marketing budget (though that is an important factor!) but rather than the brand voice and personality. Supreme has a very limited collection and once they are sold out, resale value skyrockets and even fakes sell for higher prices. How did they manage to generate this level of clout with their consumer? If you take look at their branding content, their copy, websites and even their social media branding, everything goes into building the hype around their exclusivity. Take another example, Nike is the exact opposite; their brand image and voice is all about inclusivity, accessibility and diversity. Nike has made taken strong stances recently, the Colin Kapaernick campaign caused sales to boost AND an uproar online. Both situations gave Nike traction, despite the negative online backlash, Nike Sales went up and Nike made gains with that campaign. It was tough stance and one that supported a cause. However, not everyone has the machinery that Nike does and these calculated risks can just as easily backfire for many SME’s. If you look at modern branding, it’s all about a clear identity. The content, the visuals, design and the VOICE is an enforcer of the brand in the mind of the consumer. This content doesn’t just generate sales, consumer loyalties are forged through these strategies. If you are starting out, remember, each piece of content whether it is a newsletter, blog and/or social media page, it counts in making a brand identity and generating a “brand voice” that resonates with consumers. Today is not just about products and quality, what do you stand for, what are your ideals, consumers want their brands woke and relatable.

A couple of years ago a new wave of content appreciation started. Since the sheer volume of fluff on the internet, by virtue of its very existence made “good and meaningful” content a great deal of value. Online marketers had a new slogan, “Content is King!” And why not? Who wouldn’t want to get behind valuable freebies that leads to higher conversion rates? Today content marketing is a core strategy surrounding many digital marketing campaigns. Turning leads into customers and them into repeat customers, has never been a more precise and articulated tactic than it is today. How does content do that? And how does this make or break a business. Your sales pitch is your content. If it gives the viewer value and some degree of trust in your services/product, you are looking at a two-tiered approach to sales AND reputation management. The modern consumer sees online purchasing as a business transaction; if they trust and know you, they want to hear more. Otherwise, there’s plenty of inboxes that are flooded with marketing newsletters that destined for the spam folder. Good content can cut through the noise and reach out to the consumer. Content marketing takes on a relaxed, friendly and preferably humorous tone to motivate a consumer towards a CTA (Call to Action). Weak or generic sales pitches simply don’t work anymore. Some of the more common content vehicles like blogs and podcasts take an influencer’s trust and convert that into leads and eventually customers. Why do so many bloggers, social media influencers and YouTubers have such a loyal following that is willing to listen to their every recommendation. The makeup industry is a great example of that; just take a look at Jeffery Star and how he rose to become a powerful influencer with his own product line. Content; especially of the video variety, is crucial. Without the power of persuasion there is no way of leading in the online game. Nearly 86% of all businesses today employ content marketing in some form or the other due to its effectiveness. However, this just makes “good content” an even bigger commodity, cutting through the noise to get consumer attention is getting harder by the day. The competition for every base is staggering; every single niche has enough competition to really fight for every morsel of consumer attention. A quite literal shark tank with small businesses and individual entrepreneurs fighting the hardest for the digital spotlight. Now copy writing and content marketing are not the same thing but they both require a creative mind and an effective writer to really connect with your base. Having a planned, oriented and interesting copy holds the potential to really give a startup enough push to squirm through the big names to the top search result ratings of Google. Ever since Google made it difficult for poor content to rate well, the old “black hat techniques” are no longer serving people that well. You have to have a good writer and you need a creative marketing strategist who plans your content.

What does the revenue slow-down mean for Marketers? Ever since the social media revolution the digital market has seen growth; the online market has held steady. However, according to the famous internet analyst Mary Meeker a slowdown is happening. How did she come about this projection? The math is simple; while ad spending online has increased by 1% ecommerce revenues have fallen by 9% since 2018 and well into the first quarter of 2019 according to Meeker’s analysis. Even from there, the recovery has been incremental at best; an increase of 0.3% since last quarter of 2018. Is this a worrisome trend for online marketers? Is it time to change tactics? Certainly not! A flux in the market is no reason to give any less importance to these channels. In fact, the revenue drop is also consistent with the fierce competition online for revenue between e-commerce platforms. This is a fact that despite the slowdown, Mary also points to. In her report she indicates key factors that demonstrate a bullish nature; ad share will be propelled further. She also indicates in increasing usage of artificial intelligence, superior targeting capacity and better creative and learning mechanisms. Google still leads the game; the giant has no immediate threats as the king of ad platform revenue. Facebook has increased its revenue by leaps and bounds, making it a close second this cycle, followed by Amazon and Twitter. Even Snap and Pinterest have gained shares and an improved growth rate of 2.6% in the last three years while the leaders like Google and Facebook only made gains of 1.4% and 1.9% respectively. Another important factor from the report is a change in trend towards an increase in programmatic ad buying; the market has gained 42% since 2012! This is not a good thing, according to our favorite analyst, this trajectory is causing a negative impact across the board. Ad inventory pricing is taking a hit all over the place and nobody benefits from that. What marketers should never forget is the sizable e-commerce market; online sales account for 15% of all retail purchasing in the US at the moment. The revenue might be taking a hit compared to previous years of higher growth but that still doesn’t Although e-commerce sales now account for 15% of all retail purchases, Meeker reported that the growth rate is slowing down when stacked against previous years. But, despite the flatter numbers the industry still beats others, e.g. the brick and mortar industry only grew 2% this quarter. E-commerce is faring better than most industries. Digital marketing is directly related to e-commerce growth. The need for visibility is just as high, if not higher. Online businesses still rely on the online side of advertising for greater success. It is important to remember that this bump in the road is not the highlight of the journey; the digital eco-system is altering due to a rise in global internet usage and a diversifying global consumer base. It is the age of the online marketer.