Find out what Danni Hunt, RedEye’s Head of Multi-Channel Campaigns, has to say on developing effective marketing campaigns for increased customer satisfaction in an “always-on” digital era.

 
On Wednesday 15th June 2022, RedEye joined The Retail Bulletin for a discussion on post-pandemic marketing and launching successful strategies in the always-on digital era.
 
Led by Darren Williams, Global Head of Flagship Site Selection at Impress and MD at Williams Harding Consulting, our very own Danni Hunt joined the panel alongside Alex Mead, Chief Customer Service Experience Officer at GCC Digital Start-Up, Filip Janczak, Marketing Manager at Bluebella, and Shetal Bhatt, Senior Director at SIXT.
 
Together, the panellists gave insights and tips on how brands can utilise automation, data and intelligence to build an always-on digital strategy for enhanced customer engagement.

Post-pandemic consumers have higher expectations and demands

 
Starting with an overview of the current market, panellists acknowledged the higher expectations and demands of post-pandemic consumers.
 
In the post-pandemic world, Vivaldi’s “Always-On Consumer” model has never been more realistic. From multiple device connections to constant internet access, we live in a hyper-digital society.
 
The digital world never sleeps and the need to maintain continuous online visibility and persuasion has never been more necessary.
 
Yet that’s not all. Amidst a serious cost of living crisis, logistical and supply issues and the great resignation, loyalty is more easily compromised with consumers shopping around for low-cost alternatives and indulging at a rapidly decreasing rate.
 
In a time where luxuries are growing further and further out of reach for the average consumer, companies lack resources, brands are faced with overwhelming competition and where consumers spend an increasing amount of time switched on to marketing efforts, maintaining customer engagement is growing increasingly difficult – but it’s not impossible.

Fail-safe ways to connect with your audience

 
Audience connection was a key topic of the webinar and Danni kicked things off by emphasising that good communication and service are an intrinsic part of any always-on marketing strategy.
 
According to Danni, service messages are fundamental, allowing brands to engage with their customers and alleviate pain points throughout the customer lifecycle.
 
From shipping updates to delay notifications, Danni argues that automated communication techniques allow brands to keep consumers in the loop.
 

Automated systems

 
Thanks to automation platforms, marketing and customer service departments that lack resources are in a great position to stay connected with their audiences.
 
From service messages to marketing, these multi-channel platforms offer a quick and convenient way to send personalised communications in varied formats.
 

Live streaming

 
Live streaming was identified as another great way to connect with your audience, allowing brands to focus on storytelling and relationship-building as opposed to hard selling.
 
With video being seen as more authentic than the highly stylised, editorial static imagery, live content is a fantastic way to gain engaged followers – not just subscribers.

Walking in the shoes of a consumer

 
Alex Mead advocates for thinking as though you, the marketing professional, are the consumer. At each stage of the lifecycle, everything starts with a question.
 
Like Danni, Alex advocates for automated communications systems, suggesting that every brand-consumer interaction begins with a question.
 
Making it not just possible but easy for consumers to communicate with your brand allows retailers to enhance their customer experience.
 
With the help of CRM systems, brands can adapt to different channels and platforms to simplify communications and make interactions much easier for customers at all points of the sales funnel.
 

Creating solutions to unmet needs

 
Filip Janczak goes as far as to say that solutions to problems are created when brands utilise all communication channels available to them.
 
The post-COVID world is an increasingly digital one and digital methods of contact are the key to staying engaged with your audience.
 
By utilising data, customer service and an array of platforms, brands effectively meet consumers where they are to accelerate engagement and rebuild brand loyalty.

Staying at the forefront of consumer’s minds

 
As the cost of living crisis grows, it can be all too easy to feel daunted and apprehensive by the future of retail. Staying ahead of the curve and being prepared for changes in the market can make all the difference, as noted by Shetal Bhatt.
 
The Senior Director of a low-frequency brand, Shetal notes how important it is to stay at the forefront of consumers’ minds.
 
By maintaining superior customer service and premium products, retailers can still monopolize the industry and retain customer loyalty.
 
Plus, understanding triggers in data and search history make all the difference when appealing to habitual user needs, allowing brands to stay at the top of previous customers’ minds and prevent consumers from opting for a low-cost alternative.

Amplifying engagement with segmentation and data

 
Optimising consumer segments and developing dynamic content is a great way to elevate engagement and build customer relationships. Utilising the data at hand allows brands to remove pain points and deliver effective campaigns with a high conversion rate.
 
Both Danni and Alex agree that data should be used to build effective foundations for automated campaigns including abandoned baskets, lapsed customers, upselling, cross-selling, product recommendations, sale alerts and more to maximize touchpoints at all stages of the customer experience.
 
The two suggest that tailored segmentation makes all the difference in combatting the lack of resources and in streamlining the customer experience.
 
Filip and Shetal note the importance of timing and other cues to ensure messaging is on-brand, relevant and appealing to the audience. Messaging and content should always be calculated beforehand to land at a time that is beneficial to the consumer.
 
As consumers grow tired of hard-selling tactics, the panel concur that an effective marketing campaign has the consumer at its heart.
 

Watch the full webinar video on YouTube

 
We hope the webinar gives you plenty of ideas and inspiration to redirect your marketing strategy to help your brand thrive in the post-pandemic era.
 

 

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