1. Apple Pay
2. Android Pay
3. PayPal
4. Bitcoin

Apple Pay

Apply pay, making credit cards redundant since October 2014. Basically, Apple pay allows you to store your credits cards in your “Passbook”. Once the cards are stored, to pay for your shopping all you need to do is put your phone over contactless readers and your purchase will be completed. Now obviously the first thing that comes to mind is “but what if someone steals my phone?”, Apple came up with a quick solution to that. If your phone is stolen all you need to do is sign in to iCloud and enable “lost mode” which will suspend Apple pay. Another pro to Apple pay is that your card details are never actually stored with apple, but are stored within the phone itself, so every purchase you make will never be recorded with apple, so yes go ahead and order the Michael Buble Limited Edition box set, no one will ever know.

Android Pay

Who could have predicted Android coming out with a payment method after Apple did? Anyway, with android pay there is no application involved, all you need to is tap the phone over a contactless reader. Upon purchase, loyalty points and offers are automatically applied. Regarding your card safety, android has got your back, because android uses a virtual account number so that your credit card and debit card details will never be sent out. Whenever you make a purchase, android pay will give you the merchant’s name and number, for theft reasons. Lose your phone, don’t sweat it! Android device manager allows you to instantly lock your device, change your password and wipe clean all your personal info, you know, James Bond style. In the near future, android pay will be available for use at McDonald’s, Subway, Macy’s, Best Buy and many more retail outlets.

Paypal

Okay, so we see PayPal almost everywhere, but what exactly is it? Paypal provides users to pay online without revealing any of your financial data. The brilliant thing about paypal is that it uses the latest encryption and anti-fraud technology. Probably, the one place we all know paypal from is ebay. It simplified the process and made those midnight online shopping cravings a hundred times easier.

Bitcoin

The conception of bitcoin is kind of a mystery, but what we know is that it has become a massive online P2P transaction method. However, the thing about bitcoin is that it can never be regulated, and we all know what that means.
In 2014 the CEO of BitInstant, Charlie Shrem (bitcoin exchange) was officially arrested for selling over 1 million dollars in bitcoins to Silk Road users, who would use the bitcoins to buy drugs. Anywho, bitcoin is a new payment system of digital money. It is owned and run by the users around the world.

Conclusion

All in all, we may easily come to the conclusion that in just a few years time we could all say goodbye to our paper money, and say hello to cryptocurrency.

The post P is for Pay appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

Remember the days when you’d have to use an encyclopaedia to finish off your history report? Or when you’d buy a DIY book for inspiration for your next craft project? What about the days when you’d send a letter or a postcard?
Coming back from a holiday meant inviting everyone over to flip through vacation photos, and taking a photo of yourself involved using the timer on the camera then quickly running across the room, getting into position while hoping your hair didn’t mess up and your smile looks good and you’re not squinting and- BOOM! picture taken.

You might have a (slight) problem

Do you still remember all of your friends’ phone numbers by heart- do you even call them anymore?
Do you feel an incessant need to snap a photo of everything and share it with the world?
Do your Facebook ‘friends’ really care about your cat’s face when it’s sleeping, or how many reps you did at the gym, or about the romantic meal you just had with your better half, or the amazingly yummy ham and cheese toast resting on a bed of lettuce you had at 3am because you couldn’t sleep because your neighbour’s cocker spaniel wouldn’t stop barking after a cat ran across the road and climbed up a tree and…..
Yeah. No.

O is for online. And oh are we online!

Let’s start here – we love the digital world. We find it fascinating, the things that can be managed through the internet are amazing. For example, this week Mark Zuckerberg announced that 1 Billion people were on Facebook at the same time- that’s 1 out of every 7 people in the world! The ALS foundation raised about $100 million through the ALS ice bucket challenge last Summer while creating huge global awareness. Families who might be separated by distance can speak to each other in real time through Skype, WhatsApp, Messenger, Viber… or anything else.
However there is a big but (and we cannot lie).
The ‘but’ is that we, as a digital marketing agency know what it’s like to be logged in almost all day long. Whether it’s reading up on the latest news, monitoring different social media accounts, or analysing the latest trends, we’re more or less connected all day long. The e-mails and notifications don’t really stop, but we don’t mind because it’s what we do. Then when work’s over our computers might be off, but we’re not. We’re connecting with friends and family, discussing the evening’s plans, taking photos of our mouth watering meals, or curating our Pinterest boards – we’re always there…. 24/7, tapping away.

So when does it get too much?

Everyone has their own limits, some can be ‘logged in’ longer than others, but the reality is that everyone needs a break. That’s where our activities come in – we eat together as often as we can, we’ve moved into an open plan space, and we have our weekly brainstorming sessions and occasional nights out. Why? Because we understand the value in disconnecting and enjoying each other’s company the good old fashioned way. We enjoy walking to the supermarket in the scorching heat – just because it gets us away from our desk and lets us stretch our legs. We enjoy making tea for the whole office just so that we can visit everyone’s desk and say hi. We leave sticky notes instead of sending e-mails, and we occasionally give a stressed out colleague a high five as we pass them in the corridor, or surprise them with hot chocolate on their desk as their deadline fast approaches.
These are simple things – but they make a huge difference.

A small request

So we have a small request… or even a task. Call your friends and have a chat, get up off your chair and say hi to your colleague the good old fashioned way, organise a day out with your staff.
The digital world is a beautiful one, but it’s not the only one. So, as advocates of the beauty of going online, we’re asking you to take the time to switch off and connect the good old fashioned way.
What do you think?

The post O is for online appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

Why?

When writing content you might have one of those days where you stare at your monitor, desperately seeking inspiration. You re-write the same paragraph about 5 times, never happy with what you’re producing.
Just as you’re about to say FTSIQ you realise that perhaps it’s time for a new approach. So you decide to create a list based blog post.
Creating a list allows you to break down the writing process. Instead of trying to write paragraphs you’re condensing everything into bite sized information. This not only makes it easier for you to write, it also makes it easier to read.
You can of course elaborate on what you put into your list. It can be a simple no frills list where you mention the salient points and leave it at that, or it can be a list where you go into detail about the separate topics. Either way it provides a clear cut structure and helps you stick to the point. You won’t go off at a tangent and won’t run the risk of losing the gist of what you’re writing about.

How?

Of course there are lists and then there are lists. the internet is full of click bait articles with headings like The ten secrets you need to know about pasta that will change your life only to present you with a list full of useless information which you knew anyway.
A good list takes time. Here are a few things to keep in mind

1. Know your facts
   Don’t get caught out. Make sure you know what you’re talking about. Verify any stats and where possible link to your sources.
2. Length
   You can make your list as long as you want – but as a general rule try not to have a list with a random number of items – eg 23
   Go for 3, 5, 7, 10, 20, 50, 101… you get the point. These numbers look good and have an element of harmony which is more eye catching. What’s more is that writing with a pre-defined amount of points in mind helps to guide your writing.
3. Provide useful information
   People want good content. Just because you’re writing a list it doesn’t mean you can skimp on content. If you don’t have enough to talk about for a 10 point list then just go for something shorter.

These are just the basics, there are of course other things to keep in mind based on the article you’re writing.

The results

Lists are perfect for building engagement. People naturally skim through text, so if you’re writing paragraph based articles readers will probably rush through what you wrote. With lists they’ll still skim, however with each different point you re-capture their attention.
Lists are shareable – people find them useful because they automatically insinuate efficiency. It’s almost like we look for answers to life’s biggest mysteries in lists. They increase engagement and also keep people coming back for more.

To sum up

If you’re looking for a new way to boost content engagement, or are lacking inspiration about what you should be writing, then it’s high time to dabble in the world of lists. In the meantime, why not check out one of ours?

The post L is for Lists appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

No, we’re not talking about the Aerosmith hit, no matter how good it may have been. We’re talking about being jaded in the aspect of digital marketing. Let’s refresh your memory. Jaded means “bored or lacking enthusiasm, typically after having had too much of something.” Sounds like a familiar feeling?
Being jaded in the digital world has become common. It’s something that any serious digital marketer would take into consideration and plan for. It comes into effect in many ways, here are two of the most important ones to keep in mind.

Ad Blindness

As a society we’ve become almost immune to advertising. We see ads everywhere from the moment we wake up and drive to work, to the moment we get into bed. We’re bombarded with special offers, marketing campaigns, and non stop adverts. Eventually we get so used to these that they become background noise. We automatically tune out and stop paying attention (unless it’s an advert for a product we’re interested in). When it comes to online advertising our eyes have become accustomed to the positioning of ads, such as banners, in particular locations on a website. We filter out these adverts, focussing on the valuable information instead. Of course the ads do work to a certain level, specifically on a subconscious one. However it’s important to constantly update your ad sets and not let them run for too long.

Same tactics, different day

Everything in the digital world works as though it’s on overdrive, and this includes campaign lifetimes. Trends come and go quicker than anything on a Paris runway. Staying at the top of the game is quite the challenge. Consumers become accustomed to the same marketing tactics. They start to see past the charade and learn how the game works. Things in the digital world tend to become overdone. They reach such a high point of virality that eventually they become annoying (like planking, and even the ice bucket challenge) whereas the same competitions become dragging (think ‘like my photo to help me win’).
Thankfully we’re seeing a shift from the short term, high engagement campaigns – the kind of campaigns which don’t last very long but create a peak in engagement. Once these campaigns fizzle out, the brand’s reach goes back to normal until the next big competition comes around. These days the focus is more on having consistency – being relevant throughout in order to have true, genuine engagement and a loyal fan base.
By analysing the top marketing trends and constantly thinking of innovative ways of engaging your audience you’ll automatically improve your chances of remaining relevant. Don’t fall into a marketing rut where you simply copy what your competitors do – dare to be different, and always make it new.

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Another abstract word which can be applied to many different contexts, what does intelligence have to do with Digital Marketing?
Apart from the fact that you need to have a good head on your shoulders in order to have successful marketing campaigns, intelligence in relation to the digital world goes much deeper.

Human intelligence

It’s not always about textbook knowledge, it’s not simply about theory, facts, and figures – sometimes it’s even more complicated than all those combined- it’s about intuition. If you want to be successful you’ve got to have a specific kind of intelligence – the kind which allows you to understand the various layers that go behind something and to just ‘get it’.

This is especially true when it comes to audiences. You might have all the data in front of you. The demographics, the age range, the times they’re online, and the pages they spend the most time on. But if you can’t understand the human beings behind the numbers then your strategies will only go so far.
The problem is that you can’t teach intuition. However you can train yourself to be slightly better at hitting those immeasurable targets.

• Put yourself in their shoes – would the campaign be relevant to them? It’s useless trying to sell high end designer stilettos to the over 50s who have no desire to break an ankle.
• Appeal to them on an emotional level – will they want to be a part of the campaign and engage with it, creating long term benefits for both parties? Or will they simply get what they need and go, possibly never to return?
• Look into all the pros and cons – how will an outsider view the campaign, is it user friendly? What’s the UX like?

Technological intelligence

According to Back to the Future’s predictions by now we should all be driving flying cars and wearing funny clothes. While I’m still waiting on the flying car to be manufactured, it is impressive to see that technology has advanced in leaps and bounds in ways which we could have never imagined.
Who would have thought I’d be able to speak to my phone and get almost human replies (thanks for the laughs Siri)? Wearable tech and the smartest apps you could think of have simplified life and made the mundane interesting. Artificial intelligence, real time data, and the ability to sync across devices and instantly connect all your tech has revolutionised our world.
And while some fear that A SkyNet/Terminator situation is imminent, we can’t help but count our lucky stars for the convenience created by our intelligent tech.

Intelligent Marketing

This is probably our favourite aspect of intelligence in the digital world.
Let’s go back a couple of years – before digital marketing was even conceived. Marketers had a tough time trying to get quantifiable data regarding their campaigns. They did brilliantly of course – they had their suitcases full of artillery, their pitches, their theories of hierarchical needs, and anything else a traditional marketer could ever want.
What they didn’t have were instant results, data about even the most seemingly irrelevant thing, the option to target specific people, and the possibility to customise their adverts.
This is why we love digital.
Google is God when it comes to simplifying the marketing process. From highly specific SEO criteria which ensures that the best search results are displayed, to the constant improvement to make digital marketing more human. Digital marketing is putting people at the forefront. Whereas before marketers would talk at an entire broad audience, now they can select, tweak, and even target specific groups. What’s more is that with things like retargeting and context marketing you can easily come up with a strategy which really gives people customised adverts which will actually be relevant and useful to them.
So at the end of the day we can say it’s true that sometimes it’s not how much you know, but how you use it. We’re always ready to see what new forms of intelligence the digital world will throw at us. Let’s just hope it won’t be terminators.

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But why?

First of all – can you think of anyone who doesn’t like a little bit of humour sprinkled into their mundane day-to-day life? We’re guessing you can’t.
Second of all there are a couple of reasons as to why showing your fun side is the way to go. Let’s explore a few of them.

It makes you memorable

Most of the time, when people think of big companies they think of the standard white office cubicles with fitted carpeting and a struggling office plant. They think about people working their daily 9 to 5 in white shirts and black trousers or skirts. They think of fluorescent lighting and dull lunches.
Okay, this probably isn’t completely true – but let’s be honest when you think ‘professional’ you’re not exactly excited. Well, no need to worry because over the years companies have learnt that you can be professional  and still be fun – Google is a perfect example.
By introducing some humour into your marketing campaigns you become more memorable – if you manage to make people laugh, or even simply smile, then you’ve managed to create a positive impression. Psychologically this means that followers will associate your brand with a positive message which will make you more memorable.
Apart from that humour can also help you stand out from the rest of the crowd.
Think about Christmas adverts. Most marketers will go to the end of the World to figure out how best to tug on your heartstrings and have you reaching for the tissues. Their strategy is to connect with their audiences through emotion (which is quite a successful way of doing things). However humour might give you the edge you need.

Why?

Because while everyone else is showing tear-jerkers which make you all warm and fuzzy inside but eventually get a bit predictable, you could be making people laugh. Let’s face it – the reality is that Christmas time family gatherings will hardly ever look like the ones we see in adverts. So why not laugh about the real situation?
Ikea did this brilliantly with their 2014 #XmasNoMatterWhat advert. They showed the reality of Christmas – the messed up cables, the burnt dinner, the failed gingerbread house. This would create a sense of relateability with their audience because after all none of us are perfect and we’ve all had those table-flip moments.
The genius behind the ad though is that while it’s funny because people can relate to it, there’s still a subtle insertion of those Christmassy warm and fuzzy feelings… because after all it’s Christmas. Check it out for yourself.

It creates engagement

People will engage with things that make them happy. Positivity breeds more positivity and creates a whole cycle of happy. What’s more is that humour is entertaining- it’s shareable and connects people because everyone loves a good laugh.
This can be seen very clearly when interacting with followers on social media. You could go down the usual professional route where the people replying to messages are somewhat robotic, or you could add a touch of friendliness and credibility by allowing the people behind your company to be themselves and show their human side.
Followers don’t want to feel like a number – they want to feel as though they’re talking to a real person, because after all they are. So by allowing your employee’s personalities to shine through you’ll be establishing a connection with the person on the other end.
So if someone writes something funny in your comments, a witty comeback (which doesn’t insult them) could win you points.
Old Spice and Cadbury have high engagement due to their quick wit.


Of course there are a few things you need to keep in mind – such as never crossing the thin line between being funny and being offensive, and that just because you make something funny it doesn’t mean it will work.
There’s a lot of thought that goes into marketing strategies and you must always think of every aspect and every little thing that could go wrong. Always come up with a plan B and always ensure that what you’re doing fits in with your company’s brand.
There is one golden rule you really have to follow though – you can’t have fun campaigns if the office life in your company is similar to that of a wilted lettuce leaf. If you want to have fun campaigns then you’ve got to be fun- otherwise you’re simply setting yourself up for failure.
Here at Switch we’re huge fans of fun. Feel free to drop us a line if you’d like to inject some humour into your campaigns and need some ideas!

The post H is for Humour appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

A noun, a verb, a culture… a way of life?
“Google is God” is what one marketing expert once said, and he may have been right.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane and explore some of the milestones which made Google what it is today.

Memory lane starts here

• www.google.com was registered as a domain on September the 15th 1997 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The term google is a play on words with the word googol which is the mathematical term for the number 1 followed by 100 zeros. Larry and Sergey wanted to create a seemingly infinite amount of information on the web – and it worked!
• The first Google doodle was the image of the burning man incorporated into the logo. This was because Larry and Sergey were off to the Burning Man Festival and wanted to let people know where they were. This was in August 1998, the same time when Andy Bechtolsheim, co founder of Sun wrote a $100,000 cheque to Google Inc. – a company which didn’t exist yet.
• Google filed for incorporation on September 4th 1998 and deposited Andy Bechtolsheim’s cheque. They worked out of a garage and hired their first employee – Craig Silverstein.
• In May 2000 Google won its First Webby Awards – Technical Achievement and People’s Choice.
• In October 2000 Google AdWords was launched with 350 customers. It promised to allow keyword targeting, performance feedback, and online activation with a credit card.
• July 2001 Google Images is launched providing access to 250 million images.
• In December 2001 Google released it’s first zeitgeist – showing what terms people had searched for throughout the year.
• Google AdWords got a major overhaul in February 2002, it now included cost per click pricing.
• Google AdSense is launched in March 2003 – allowing business owners to access Google’s network of advertisers.
• Google Print was launched in December 2003. It’s now known as Google Books and is a collection of more than 20 million scanned books.
• In April 2004 Gmail was launched, offering 1 GB of storage. It now has over 425 million users.
• Google Analytics is released in November 2005 – allowing marketers to effectively analyse their campaigns.
• In 2006 Google released a variety of apps such as Google Calendar, Google Trends, Google Translate, and Google Wallet. Google also acquires YouTube.
• Android is announced in November 2007
• September 2008 – Google Chrome is announced – by 2013 Chrome boasts more than 750 million users.
• In September 2010 Google Instant is launched – showing search results as you type.
• TrueView is launched in December 2010– ads on YouTube now allow you to skip the ad after 5 seconds if you feel it’s not relevant. This helped marketers analyse their adverts and made them work harder and getting people’s attention.
• Two-step verification is launched in February 2011– providing added security to Google accounts.
• April 2012– Google Drive is launched, simplifying the lives of many by allowing users to share, store, and edit information in a cloud based system.
• Google Now makes an appearance in June 2012 – giving you information before you’ve even asked for it!
• October 2014 – Inbox for Gmail is launched allowing you to focus on the emails that really matter.

And what about 2015?

Well, with Google you never know. One thing is certain – Google has had a huge impact on most people’s lives in one way or the other, and this won’t stop any time soon.
We like to think Google has improved life for the better by connecting more people and allowing for better dissemination of information. What’s your take on this?

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Someone who is tracking a particular person, group, organisation, etc. on a social media website or application: she remains an immensely divisive figure, but she has a million followers on Facebook – The Oxford Dictionaries

Followers – they can make or break your brand.
How do you get them? What do you do with them? Are they really  that important?
These are all questions which will flit through any social media savvy person’s mind, but in truth these questions have been around for ages – even before social media.
Brands have always worked diligently at increasing their fan base – why? Because more people means more customers and that means more money.
There are many aspects to followers and there’s a lot that can be said about them, so here’s a breakdown.

What followers can do for you

Followers can do a variety of things. They can actually become paying customers, they can be ambassadors for your brand – preaching their love for it with everyone they meet, they can create engagement, and they can also generate content. If you show them love – they’ll show you double the amount.
Followers are like a group of hard working ants, they’ll work together to help build your brand and their loyalty will reap great rewards.

What you can do for your followers

It’s simple – show them you care. You’ve got to build a relationship with your followers – neglect them and they’ll give up on you. But if you treat them with respect and interact with them on a human level you’ll be showing that they’re important – which they are, because these days your brand is nothing if it doesn’t have followers.
Simply organising giveaways, sharing their content, or even sending out a thank you note every once in a while will make sure you’ve got a permanent place in their heart. At the end of the day we all want to be appreciated, these people are human beings and your brand should be human.

So how do you get them?

This is probably the million dollar question everyone keeps asking. Marketers work their fingers to the bones trying to come up with creative ways of attracting more followers, some going to crazy lengths and spending far too much money on this. The reality is that it’s not that hard – you just need to have a good head on your shoulders and the will to work.
There is off course the easy way out, and this is to go down the desperate route and simply follow hundreds of people in the hopes that they’ll follow you back. This might work on a short term scale – but in the long run you’ll end up with a skewed follow to follower ratio and probably won’t have valuable followers who genuinely care.
If you put a little bit of effort into it though you could end up with a healthy list of followers. Just follow these tips:

• Social media flirting – Spend some time each day going through the particular social media platform. Look for people with similar interests and like their posts. Comment on things you find very interesting, and where possible interact with people who don’t have a huge following. Going for the smaller users first will help you – they love receiving attention from brands as this makes them feel important, so go ahead and see what they’re up to. They might just provide you with inspiration!
• Create valuable content – If you want people to share your content then you’ve got to make sure it’s interesting. Get creative, share motivational or useful tips, and invest in high quality copy and visuals. With a bit of effort you’ll quickly get people sharing your content – increasing your brand’s visibility.
• Remain relevant – Get with the times, involve yourself in current trends, just make sure that the trend is in some way applicable to your brand.
• Cater for your audience – Don’t share the exact same content on all your social media platforms. Write specific copy for specific platforms so that you appeal to your readers. An instagram style post wouldn’t be effective on LinkedIn and vice versa.
• Be consistent – You’ve got to have a plan. Posting sporadically will mean that you’re not constantly at the top of your followers’ minds. So keep things regular in order to see great improvements.
• Analyse – this is perhaps one of the most important things in digital marketing. Crunch the numbers and see which posts do really well and why. Look into your audience’s demographics and learn from your mistakes.

The above are actually pretty simple – they just require dedication, but with a minimum of an hour a day you could boost your brand’s presence on social media and acquire loyal, loving followers who will be more than happy to shout our about how amazing you are.
Remember, it’s quality over quantity – you’re better off having 90 followers who really love your brand than 900 who never engage with you! If you’re stuck in a rut we’re happy to help, why not drop us a line?

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Anyone with an internet connection knows what email is. It’s a means of communication that has become a staple in our lives, and people will ask for an e-mail address way before asking for an address or even a mobile number.
Email is the perhaps the perfect means of communication – it can be formal or informal, it can be to one or many, and it can sometimes provide you with enough of a safety blanket for you to do things you might normally feel awkward doing – like saying hello to a complete stranger just because you thought their site was cool.
Of course we’re not saying email should replace face to face communication – but it’s definitely the perfect mediator.
There are a variety of ways to use email. Whether to simply communicate between your team, update people on the latest events through a newsletter, or use email campaigns to promote your latest products or offers. There’s a lot that can be done with a bit of creativity, but there are certain things which you should keep in mind, especially when emailing large groups of people.

1. Be Friendly

Just because you’re emailing someone it doesn’t mean you can’t be friendly. We’re not telling you to act like you’re their best friend but do your best to make yourself sound like a real person (you are a real person right?) People receive many e-mails each day and they get tired of reading the same kind of thing. So allow yourself to stand out.

2. Be Subtle

The last thing you want to do is remind the person you’re emailing that he or she is one out of a couple hundred people on a mailing list. Use personalisations where necessary and as much as possible make it sound like you’re speaking to them and no one else. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.

3. Be Responsive

There are two sides to this story. First of all if you’re sending out newsletters make sure they’re mobile friendly – most people check their emails from their phone, so it’s no use having a beautifully designed newsletter if it can’t be read properly on mobile.
Secondly, if someone emails you – respond. It’s that simple! Oh, and while we’re at it, never use a ‘no reply’ email address, you’ll be completely destroying the communication cycle.

4. Be engaging

Since we just mentioned communication, remember to interact with the people you’re emailing. Sometimes you’ve got to forget about all the fancy html coding and just drop them a line asking what they think of the service.

5. Let them Opt Out

The truth is that they might have really wanted to subscribe at some point in their life, but now no longer enjoy seeing your name in their inbox. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but it happens. So at least make the process simple and provide them the option of opting out.
These are just five basic insights, think of them as the five bases you’ve got to cover. If you’re curious to learn more about email marketing then check out these 10 tips or pop in for a chat.

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Okay, so technically this isn’t one word. Forgive us for this one, but we felt it was far too important not to mention.
Those of you who are number crunching analysts might be wondering why we’ve decided to pull a Dr. Phil, but don’t worry – we’ll make it worth your while.
Developing relationships is important for obvious reasons, but in the world of Digital Marketing these reasons are sometimes forgotten. We get so caught up in calls to action, growth hacking, and KPIs that we forget what the root to all successful digital marketing is.
Marketing has always been linked to humans, stories, and relationships. Just because it has moved onto the digital aspect it doesn’t mean that this is any different. We don’t call them Social Media platforms for nothing.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, Blogs…. you name it – they all involve a complex network of relationships. If the relationships were to end then so would the social media platforms.
So in what world would it make sense to create a marketing strategy which checks all the boxes but forgets about that one fundamental core – the development of relationships?

How do you do it?

You can’t exactly instantly become best friends with your consumers (without coming across as creepy) – but you can slowly build and develop a relationship with them.

Show them you’re human

If you want them to love you you’re going to give them something to love. Show that your brand is made of real people, not zombies.

Engage in conversation

Don’t be afraid to talk to your consumers. Ask them questions and reply in a genuine manner.
Simply using your first name could make all the difference.

Share content which they can relate to

Sometimes all it takes is a simple post which makes them smile. It could be as easy as a post related to Monday morning madness, or something about the weekend.

Be a Social Listener

Keep an eye on what people are saying about your brand. Do they love it or hate it and why? Reward those who love you and speak to those who have any problems.

Why do you do it?

You do it because you can. You do it because you’re human, and part of being human is the development of relationships. Gone are the days when companies shout at their audience in an attempt to get their attention. 2015 is the year of Human to Human marketing, so make it your aim to start developing relationships with your audiences in order to earn their loyalty.
If you’re still struggling to understand why developing relationships is so important then take a look at this:

So tell us… will you be bringing the love back?

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