Nowadays, it seems like most every consumer, and certainly every business, has a blog, vlog, or bot. We live in the age of trending social media, and it seems as if we conduct practically our entire lives through our mobile devices.
That is changing what we do, how we think, and how we process information. That also means that today’s business environment is one of growing competition and shrinking attention spans.
So what can you do to help your business cut through all the noise? How do you keep your company relevant in a trending digital environment? Read on for the top tips!
Make It Matter
No matter what digital platforms your business is using, to get noticed, and stay that way, you must be relevant.
That means you need to know who your target customer is. You need to know what they want. You need to be able to meet their expectations, and you have to keep them engaged.
This is where extensive and ongoing customer research will be your company’s best friend. In fact, you can use social media not only to talk to your customers but also to learn about them.
Through social media, you can monitor what your target customers talk about not only with your company but also with each other.
This can help you spot emerging trends and address unmet needs. And all of that can be rolled into more focused and targeted messaging strategies to keep your company on your customers’ digital radar.
Not only this, but social media analytics can help your company track some of what your customers do online. You can monitor what ads they respond to — when and where they click, as well as when they don’t.
The more your company identifies and responds to your customers’ evolving needs, the more your customers will recognize your business as one that truly serves them. And that will keep them coming back!
Get Out of Your Rut
Whether your customers are online to shop, research, or be entertained, they have seemingly endless choices. So if you’re going to keep them engaged in your content, then you have to keep it interesting.
That means changing things up. Pepper your sites not just with great written content, but also with images, video, and audio.
To captivate your target audience, you’ve got to keep them guessing and interested. And that will ensure they not only come back more often but that they also stay longer when they do.
While you’re making your digital content innovative and interesting, though, don’t forget to make it meaningful. Imagine yourself trying to make your voice heard above countless other shouting voices — because you are.
So if you’re going to keep your audience’s attention, you need to not only have the best microphone, you also need to have the best messaging.
Your content must be informative, meaningful, and actionable (which ideally means converting a site visitor into a paying customer!).
Do Your Homework
Staying relevant in a trending digital environment means being able to spot the signs of a trend before it even fully takes hold.
Consider eSports: just a few short years ago, it was barely a thing — that is, aside from the millions of obsessive adolescent gamers spending all their free time playing. But now those gamers have grown up, and mega-corporations like Amazon have taken notice.
A perfect storm combining a massive, hard-core customer demographics and extensive advertiser and corporate interest is leading analysts to predict that eSports will soon outpace even the World Cup and the Super Bowl in terms of both audience and revenues.
A Feast for the Eyes
When it comes to creating trending content, the eyes really do have it. Never underestimate the power of striking visuals to get your audience noticing, talking, clicking — and buying.
But don’t consign yourself just to stock photos and prefab images. Get creative! There are a host of photo editing technologies out there to help you create eye-catching visuals customized to your business and your target customer.
Photoshop, for example, is both easy to use and affordable. In fact, Photoshop is the go-to image editing tool for graphic designers, photographers, and other visual artists. But you don’t have to be a pro to use Photoshop.
Photoshop CC, for example, is a subscription-based service providing amateurs and experts alike with a suite of state-of-the-art technologies enabling you to edit and modify existing images or create your own.
When you’re using a photo editing tool like Photoshop, just remember that the only real limit is your imagination. The visual appeal of your platforms will be your company’s calling card.
These will be the images that come to mind when your target customer thinks of your company, products, or services. If you’re going to stay on point, then you need to make your visuals distinctive as well as engaging.
Ideally, your audience should be able to identify your company just by looking at the images on your platform — no logo or brand identifier needed!
Give Them Something to Remember You By
Staying relevant and keeping your customers buzzing also means taking things offline. And when it comes to that, you can’t go wrong with SWAG.
Offering branded merchandise helps keep your company front-of-mind with your target customer. Not only that, but it’s endless free advertising!
Wherever your audience carries your tote bag, key chain, drink cozy, travel mug, etc., you’ll be introducing your company to potential customers.
Plus, you’ll be reminding your established customers of just how awesome your company is — as if there were ever any doubt!
Just make sure when you’re assembling your company’s swag that the merchandise fits your brand. Unless you’re in the liquor industry, a branded flask is probably not the best way to go.
Ditto a cigarette lighter, unless you’re CEO of Marlboro. With your swag, aim for useful, convenient, portable (ideally), and innocuous.
Staying Relevant in a Trending Digital Environment: The Takeaway
In an increasingly crowded digital environment, it can seem nearly impossible to get your business noticed online. But with a bit of strategy and a lot of commitment, it can be done!
- Know your audience: The first and most important thing is to figure out who your target audience is and what matters to them. Tailor your content to what your customers want, expect, and care about.
- Stay on point: It’s also important to learn how to spot the signs of an emerging trend. By getting in on the ground floor of the soon-to-be hottest new thing, you can build your company’s brand as a thought leader and industry influencer.
- “Listen” to your customers: Consider what your target audience is talking about, not only to your company but to each other. Watch the ways they engage with social media. This can help you not only identify what interests them but also what they need and want that they’re not getting.
- Make your platforms unforgettable: Today, even tech amateurs have a range of choices to make their sites informative, interactive, and engaging. Be sure to incorporate various kinds of media, not just written text, but also audio, video, and images.
- Take advantage of video, audio, and photo editing tools: Many of these technologies are both affordable and user-friendly. You can use them to create new content or customize existing materials to match your company’s distinctive brand. This way, when your customer sees or hears something made for your company’s sites, they’ll know immediately who it is.
- Trick your customers out: Offer branded swag that’s useful, portable, attractive, and appealing. This way, not only will your customers be reminded of your company every time they use it, but you’ll also get lots of free advertising whenever and wherever they use it!
Do you have any pointers to add on staying relevant in a trending digital environment?
Let us know in the comments below. 🙂
