Now we can start to understand how we can consider each step of the user journey. What we also need to start thinking about is how we can use the different digital channels appropriately in order to achieve our goals.
In Part Two we will look at the practicalities of each of the digital channels, and in Part Three we will build a step-by-step process for developing our digital branding and looking at how we can measure it. However, before we get there let’s take a quick look at the practi- calities of each stage of the user journey and how different channels can be used effectively.
Google offer a wide range of fantastic free tools, some of which we explore more in Part Two. The tool that is most relevant to us right now, however, is ‘the customer journey to online purchase’ (see Figure 3.3). The tool is based on a model that splits the buying process into four key stages: awareness, consideration, intent and decision. It then looks at how different channels are more or less effective in different stages of this buying process. Interestingly, there are also significant differences between different geographic regions.
From the example in Figure 3.3 we can see that in B2B social media is most likely to be at the beginning or the middle of the user journey, whereas e-mail and paid search are most likely to be the final interactions before a purchase is made (we’ll talk more about ‘direct’
traffic in the next section).
This idea of social media as an awareness builder can be highly effective, and although it applies differently to different markets, it can start getting us to think about things in a particular way. Set out
Considering the User Journey 33
in the case study below is how my own business uses various digi- tal channels, and what value proposition is delivered via our digital branding.
Figure 3.3 Google’s ‘the customer journey to online purchase’ in action for the B2B category in the UK
(Google and the Google logo are registered trademarks of Google Inc, used with permission)
Goals and conversions
At this stage, it is worth defining some terminology that will be important throughout this book: a goal is something we want our target audience to do, generally on our website. This could be buying something, but it could also be the filling in of a form, downloading something or just visiting a particular page; a conversion is the completion of a goal.
By tying these activities back to our social media and other digital channel activity, we can start to understand how they are contributing towards our online objectives.
Figure 3.4 The sales funnel of TargetInternet.com
Social media builds audience and drives search via social signals
Data collection allows for targeted communications
Conversion page collects
leads
Website content drives trust and search rankings
Company
TargetInternet.com (disclosure – this is one of my businesses).
Industry Online learning.
Location
Virtual with global customer base.
Marketing objectives
To drive highly qualified enquiries for an online digital marketing training solution, aimed at organizations with large teams to train. Lean business approach, so any approach must not require additional staff.
CaSE StUDY
Considering the User Journey 35
Their challenge
It was identified early on that the majority of TargetInternet.com’s potential customers had no idea what digital marketing e-learning was, or if they needed it. It was also clear that the potential customer base was so broad in terms of different industries that an industry-by-industry approach would have been highly time-consuming and resource intensive.
TargetInternet.com operates as a ‘lean business’, meaning that full-time staff are kept to a bare minimum.
Their solution
Give away free educational content on digital marketing and then filter the traffic that this generates into useful business leads.
TargetInternet.com position themselves as providers of practical, up-to-date and easy to understand digital marketing training. This is achieved by using a content-based strategy to engage and build trust with an audience who may not be aware that the service even exists.
The website acts as a content ‘hub’ where a wide range of free digital marketing educational content is held. A single section of the website focuses on the commercial service offered, with the majority of the website offering free content. The free content includes blogs, videos, in-depth reports and a regular podcast. On each free content page there is a call to action to drive the visitor through to the conversion page (see Figure 3.4).
Content delivers the key value proposition of credible and easy to understand content, and a series of different digital marketing channels are used to manage the sales funnel.
Social media drives awareness and sends traffic to the website via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest. Social media activity also helps to drive search rankings by creating social signals that indicate the website’s credibility.
The library of free content helps to achieve search rankings and drives search-engine traffic. It also builds trust with the target audience by demonstrating expertise.
E-mail data collection throughout the website allows for ongoing communications and the building of a clearer understanding of the target audience, as well as the individual potential customer.
Cross-sell messages then direct any interested section of the audience to a conversion page that explains the service provided and encourages the completion of an enquiry form.
Their results
Monthly visitors : 20,000.
Conversion rate to leads : 0.1 per cent.
Monthly leads : 20.
Conversion rate of leads to sales : 60 per cent.
What’s good about it?
Each digital channel has a clear role in the sales funnel, and the complete focus on content-based marketing means that the value proposition and digital branding are very closely aligned.
Although the conversion rate of visitors to leads seems low, this is an
expected consequence of driving a broad digital-marketing-interested audience.
Content is then used to deliver the value proposition, and sales are driven organically from an engaged audience.
The very high conversion rate from lead to sale indicates the self-qualifying nature of the conversion page. This process minimizes the need for an extensive sales team and keeps cost to a minimum.
Being able to track each stage of the sales cycle like this means that each step gives the opportunity for improvement through optimization of each channel and stage of the process.
What they said
TargetInternet.com is a lean business, meaning we focus on scaleability and quality. Focusing on our digital branding means we can deliver maximum impact without needing to scale up costs, particularly around sales staff.
The focus on high-quality content means that our core team spends its time focusing on what they are good at: producing educational digital marketing content. This ties in directly with what we sell, and means that our value proposition and the digital branding we use to deliver it are completely aligned with who we are as an organization. (Susana Mascarenhas, Commercial Director)
Considering the User Journey 37
Industry
Beverages brand.
Agency Tribal DDB.
Location Global.
Marketing objectives
Maximize impact of Champions League sponsorship.
Drive brand awareness and engagement.
Improve sales.
Their challenge
The key insight at the heart of the campaign is that 76 per cent of people watching the Champions League (a European football tournament) were watching it alone at home, and most of them were multiscreening with tablets and smartphones while watching the games.
Their solution
The Share the Sofa campaign created hundreds of pieces of video content that were broadcast via Twitter live as the football matches were played. These video clips were made by football celebrities who shared their opinions and insights on the match in a lighthearted and highly visual way from their own sofa.
Their results
The campaign generated over 1.2 billion content views and gave Heineken a 79 per cent share of all conversations in relation to the Champions League sponsorship online. It also led to a 7 per cent increase in purchase intent in the target audience.
What’s good about it?
It’s a great campaign because it takes a clear audience insight on multiscreening and uses to this to create a core creative concept. The campaign was picked up by numerous media outlets and discussed globally, adding to its reach and impact.
CaSE StUDY Heineken Share the Sofa
Further insights
The campaign used some innovative techniques to achieve live video streaming because it was created before Periscope (a Twitter app to create live video streams) was created. Because of Periscope, and other social live video streaming, such as Facebook Live, these kinds of campaigns are much easier to create now from a technical point of view.
View the case study video:
http://www.targetinternet.com/heineken-share-the-sofa-case-study/