Come up with your Digital strategy like a Pro
Plan your strategy
This really means thinking about why you’re doing something before you do it.
So, starting your digital marketing strategy is as simple as starting with why you want to do it, deciding what you want to do, how you’re going to do it, what you expect to happen, and when and how you’ll measure your success.
5 steps for setting your strategy
1. SET A MEASURABLE GOAL
“I want to make sure 100% of my current customers know I offer product video services. I will run email and social media promotions to share this message for 2 months. After 2 months from the start of the promotion, I want to have at least 1 video job from 15% of my current customers.”
2. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Get to know your audience. If you don’t understand enough about who you’re trying to reach, you’ll struggle to deliver a message that’s relevant enough that resonates with them.
Make your own buyer personas — fictionalized, general descriptions of your key customer groups.
- Think about who your customers are & group them into 3 or 4 buckets.
- Take each of those and create a character from each.
- Give him or her a name, a photo, a personality, and a few favourite hobbies.
3. KNOW YOUR BRAND
Your brand is how & why your customers choose you over your competitors. You can think of it as your company’s personality. So it’s something that’s worth defining clearly —what do you stand for?
What are your strongest character traits? And how does that translate into your presence—from the images you use on your website to the language you use in your emails?
4. WATCH YOUR COMPETITION
Your competitors aren’t just those who offer a like-for-like product or service. You can think of your competition in 3 ways:
Direct competitors – those brands that offer the same products or services as you.
Indirect competitors – brands that may offer different products but compete for the same space or budget as you.
Comparators – these might have a similar look and feel like your brand or be other brands that your target customers use frequently too.
Get inspired by your competitors’ wins, and use your differences to highlight what’s unique about what you’re offering.
5. GET READY TO MEASURE
Having brilliant ideas for how you’ll drive traffic, build brand awareness, and grow your customer base is just the beginning, it’s crucial you know how you’ll track progress
GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE!
If you posted a new blog post that included some video content on the page, look at how many:
- Views you get
- Views of the video
- Engagement with the video (likes, comments, shares)
- Clicks to your blog CTA
- Leads from the post
- Increase in leads from the post vs. posts without videos
Best Times to Post on Social Media During COVID-19
The Pandemic has affected a lot of things and social media is one of them. The lockdown put in place as a measure to curb the spread of the virus, as well as people working from home, has led to a massive increase in social media usage. This has led to a significant shift in when people are active.
According to a recent report by sprout on data gathered between March and April, the best time to post on Facebook based on overall engagements trends are on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 am to 11 am.
The report also noted that on Facebook, every day at 11 am saw a slight peak in engagement compared to the rest of the day. If you are looking to maximize the reach of Facebook, you might consider that mid-morning gap.
On Instagram, Monday, Tuesday and Friday at 11 am and also Tuesday at 2 pm. Previously, sprout had identified Wednesday 11 am and Friday from 10 am -11 am as the best time to post on Instagram.
On Twitter sprout previously had noted that Wednesday and Friday at 9 am were the best time to post. Currently, Friday 7 am – 9 am are the best time to post on twitter with 9 am showing the peak of activity.
On LinkedIn, the best time to post is Wednesday at 3 pm, Thursday 9-10 am and Friday from 11 am -12 pm.
This data is not prescriptive, you can only determine the true best time to post for your business by experimenting and seeing how your audience responds
Five ideas to help you sell more effectively in the digital world
- Add an online chatbot
A chatbot is a computer program designed to have a conservation with a human being on Facebook or your website. It can take information, set up appointments, cancel appointments, direct customers to specific parts of your website and landing pages and it can handle FAQ’s (policies, payment schedules, branches, contact numbers etc.)
You can also decide to have a chatbot that connects a customer service representative directly so that a customer and the customer service person can chat in real-time.
- E-commerce
Build an e-commerce functionality on your website so that your customers can order directly without having to visit your physical shop. Make sure that the products are easily accessed on the website. Also, don’t forget to add all modes of payments your customers might prefer to use.
This COVID-19 pandemic period when people are staying at home and minimizing movement is the right time to add an e-commerce functionality on your website for people to order.
- Delivery
Now that you have added an e-commerce functionality on your website, how are your customers going to receive their products?
Make sure you add quick and in-expensive delivery means to your customers. If possible, you can even offer free delivery to make more people order.
- Offer webinars
If you have a new product or you want to show a presentation of how to use a product or service offered to hold a webinar instead of face to face. This can attract more people more than you could have achieved with face to face demo.
- Comprehensive FAQ
Which are the most frequently asked questions about your product or service?
Make a comprehensive FAQ to answer all those questions and provide your prospects with valuable information on all that they need to know. Make sure you also share this on your social media channels this helps you build your brand, strengthen relationships, create trust and grow demand for your services.
Marketing during this pandemic
COVID-19 has taken us all by surprise revealing the cracks in many small business marketing plans.
What should you do to connect with clients, prospects and customers during this pandemic period?
If your business heavily relies on foot traffic then this could be devastating during this period.
So what can you do to connect with your community and stay top of their mind?
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Update Social media profiles
This is the time to start investing in social media as a marketing tool. First things first have a strategy, this is the first most important step you need to take. Post updates about how your products and services can be accessed during this period and grow your audience. Also, connect with prospects and referral sources on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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Blog
When is the last time you posted a blog to your website? Or most importantly do you have a blog on your website? If not, you most certainly need to add a blog in your website!
Why is a blog necessary?
A well written, engaging blog post can drive customers to your website and can help establish your brand as an industry leader.
Offer content that your ideal customers will want to read about and move them to action.
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Email Marketing
If you already have a contact list of potential clients you can utilize email automation platforms like Mailchimp, Aweber or Hubspot to market to them.
People receive so many emails in a day, but what makes them want to open your email? Send them content that resonates with them. Always remember to add a call to action in your email.
These are trying times for every business, you just have to figure out how you can take your business online so that you can remain afloat. Don’t close your business just change how you used to do business in the new ‘normal’.
Need help in taking this critical step for your business? We are here for you!
How to handle negative reviews
Customer reviews affect real business outcomes and the decisions potential customers make before proceeding to make a buying decision.
Reviews help people get a better idea of the effectiveness and quality of a product, business and service. It also gives a better than average customer experience which is what most people look for.
Most customers will always look at reviews before they make a purchasing decision.
This is why all businesses must always respond to customer reviews-good or bad.
Positive reviews aren’t hard to respond to, it’s the negative ones that are usually the most difficult to handle.
Sometimes dealing with angry customers who can at times become stubborn and overwhelming can be a hard task.
So how do you respond to those negative feedbacks?
- Respond quickly
If someone leaves a negative review it means they are upset and they are expecting a swift response back.
That’s why you need to respond immediately, it helps limit the damage done and prevent the situation from escalating as more customers read the review.
- Be Polite and Professional
Always remember you are dealing with a frustrated and angry customer, therefore always respond in a polite, professional manner without blaming other people or creating excuses. If goods can be replaced inform the customer and make the customer feel that the issue is going to be sorted out. When you handle the situation well, you can even ask the customer to take the review down and they definitely will.
- Don’t hide
Sometimes removing or ignoring a negative review can be tempting but don’t do it.
People take their time to write the review, good or bad therefore removing the review can make matters worse. Removing the review might also be interpreted as an admission of guilt.
It’s also good practice to respond with an acknowledgement of feedback and state that the information currently is under review.
- Respond Publicly
Always make sure you respond to any kind of review within 48 hours. The quick response always shows that your team cares.
Give a brief response and explain that the issue will be addressed promptly and welcome the opportunity to take the conversation offline.
- Follow up privately
Once the issues have been addressed, follow up within a couple of days to ensure that any outstanding concerns have been resolved.
How you respond to negative reviews is critical, be proactive rather than reactive.
WhatsApp Dark Mode – How to enable WhatsApp dark mode
WhatsApp finally launches the much awaited WhatsApp Dark Mode. As per the name, dark mode changes the WhatsApp background colour to a dark colour, making it much easier on the eyes – mostly when using your phone in the evening.
The WhatsApp home screen and the settings menu are now in a dark colour, but on the conversation interface, only the chat bubbles are dark while the background is white or it reflects any other colour users have set as background.
In a blog announcing the update, WhatsApp said, “It’s designed to reduce eye strain in low light environments. And we hope it helps prevent those awkward moments where your phone lights up the room.”
The company added that the dark Mode was developed with a focus on two key areas – readability and information hierarchy.
WhatsApp explained: “When choosing colours, we wanted to minimize eye fatigue and use colours that are closer to the system defaults on iPhone and Android respectively.
“We wanted to help users easily focus their attention on each screen. We did this by using colour and other design elements to make sure the most important information stands out.”
But before we go ahead on how the feature is activated, it must be noted that dark mode is currently available only to users on Android 10 and iOS 13.
How to enable WhatsApp dark mode on Android and iOS?
To enable WhatsApp dark mode, Open the WhatsApp, tap on the three-dot menu icon at the top right corner of the screen and select Settings from the menu.
Once you are on the Settings page, tap on Chats then tap on Theme. Doing so will open a window where you choose the theme.
Tap on Dark in the window that appears. This will enable the dark mode interface across the app.
You can select the System default option to automatically switch between dark and light mode based on system settings.
10 reasons why you need an E-commerce website
E-commerce is any commercial transaction that involves the transfer of information across the internet.
The good news is that worldwide online sales are expected to grow to $4 trillion by 2020. Many businesses are shifting to E-commerce, the question is what is motivating them and what are the supposed benefits that are attracting many businesses to create e-commerce websites?
Currently, we have so many e-commerce websites in Kenya with many companies and individuals going the e-commerce way.
Check out some of the advantages of having an e-commerce website
1. Low Financial cost
One of the major benefits of an e-commerce website is that it has a low startup cost. You don’t have to a physical store, employees, you will save on rent among other expenses. You can have a chatbot to help you with your customer service, that way you cannot have so much work on your hands.
2. A Larger Market
With E-commerce you are not limited to a specific area or country, you can sell your products to as many people as you can. This will help you grow faster and boost your business.
The proliferation of mobile devices gives people the power to purchase on the go — right in the palm of their hand. There’s never been a time when the impulse to buy has been easier to indulge.
3. Shoppers Start Online
87% of shoppers start product searches on the digital platforms, they can either search on Google, Facebook, Instagram among other channels. Thus the only way to ensure that potential customers find your product is to have an online presence.
4. Always Open
With e-commerce you are not limited to time, your business is on 24/7. People can shop at any time and in case they need assistance a Chabot can help in answering their queries.
An e-commerce store allows you to attract those who may have odd work schedules or who don’t have time to shop in-person or generally any person.
All you need is to customize your ordering systems for your customers to receive a confirmation message when they place an order to give them peace of mind.
5. More Opportunities To “Sell”
With a physical shop, you can only provide a limited amount of information on a product. But with an e-commerce website you have a wide range of options to help you sell your products such as showing demo videos of products, you can also include reviews and customer testimonials to help you increase conversion.
Reviews and testimonials are a great source of building a strong customer base with trust. They simply increase the confidence in doing business with you and builds trust with your current and potential customers.
6. Ecommerce allows for a customized user experience
Customer’s data about their previous purchases, wish list and online activity can be a gold mine to your business such that you can deliver a personalized experience.
Wishlist
You can use products according to a shopper’s interest or their wishlist which will trigger them into action because it is things that they are interested in.
You can also show related products to what they are looking for, which might even make them buy other products.
7. Retargeting and remarketing
Retargeting uses cookies from previous visits to display ads. Even if someone comes to your website and they do not buy, retargeting is a marketing tactic that can help get your brand in front of potential customers.
For instance, you visit Jumia and look for a fridge, you don’t buy it and leave the website when you visit another website, you will see a Jumia ad with different types of fridge and other electronics, this is called retargeting. It can act as a reminder to your potential customers and trigger purchases.
Remarketing uses a person’s information on past purchases and site interactions to send emails about sales and promotions for related products.
8. Easier to Encourage Impulse Buy
Another e-commerce benefit is that you can capitalize on is impulse buying. If you have attractive products with eye-catching photos and vibrant colour or human emotion, you can encourage impulse buying. People can easily end up buying products that they didn’t need simply because it was eye-catching.
9. Gain Access to Customer Data Easily
One of the best e-commerce advantages is that you can easily gain access to data for analysis on your customer.
With e-commerce, you can get a customer’s name, phone number or email address meaning you have three different ways of communicating and building a relationship with them.
10. Grow Your Business Organically with Content
You can grow your organic traffic and sales with e-commerce blogging to drive more traffic to your website without having to spend more money. You can make videos and writing content( blogging) to get organic traffic then you can monetize those customers with retargeting ads.
E-commerce websites in Kenya are really growing with putting starting to trust online products, therefore do not shy away from it, it could really help your business grow and what more, you don’t need to pay rent and other expenses that you would have if you had a physical shop. E-commerce in Kenya is set to grow exponentially this year.
Facebook Marketing in 2020
Mastering Facebook marketing in 2020 is a must if you hope to see the success of your brand. Facebook monthly users are 2.4 billion people. This is a reason enough to make you start Facebook marketing Asap. Two-thirds of Facebook users say they visit a local business Facebook Page at least once a week.
Your potential customers are already looking for a business like yours, but how will they find you in the throng of other businesses?
Social media marketing in Kenya is a great way to start your outreach for more clients in 2020
Here are is the very first step of starting Facebook marketing in 2020.
Step-by-step guide on how to set up Facebook Page
It doesn’t cost you much time to set up a Facebook page. I want you to set it up like a pro to make sure you get enough returns and for you to be seen by potential customers.
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Create your Facebook Page
Head to Facebook.com/pages/create, or you on the top right part of your Facebook you will see Create then click on Page. You will need to be logged in to your personal account although your personal information will not appear on your business page.
Choose your page type, Facebook will give you two options. Business/brand or Community/public figure
After you choose the type of page you want, enter your business details.
2. Add Brand Images
Upload your profile and cover photos. You can use your company logo as your profile picture. Optimize your sizes for Facebook so that they can look their best. You can use tools like Canva which has templates for Facebook cover photos and posts among others.
3. Complete your Page info
Go to About then on the right click on the edit page info and fill in the sections.
Description: 255 characters to describe who you are and what you do.
Contact information: phone number, email and website url.
Extra options: If it’s relevant to your business, add your operating hours, price range and privacy policy.
4. Create your Facebook username (@ your vanity URL)
Your username helps people find you on Facebook. Click Create Page @Username to make one. You can find it below your Facebook page name on the left.
Facebook marketing ideas for your vanity URL:
- Choose a search-friendly Page name. In most cases, this will be your brand name or a name that people can search in relations to your brand.
- If possible, use a consistent username across social networks
5. Add a call-to-action button
Under your cover photo you will see the Add a Button. This button gives people a quick and easy way to reach out to you or service. You can use a shop now and direct people to your website or call us and people will call you directly.
6. Review your Facebook Page settings
Go to your Facebook page settings and review them. The settings will give you custom controls on who you want to see your Facebook page. In particular look at the privacy and security settings and make sure you understand them.
Also on the page settings, you can assign roles to your employees. Caution: Be sure of who you assign as an admin they can easily remove you from the page because they have the same right as you.
That’s it! Your Facebook Page is set up and ready to go.
Facebook Marketing in Kenya and social media marketing in Kenya is picking up real first, and guest what your competitors are already taking advantage of it. Don’t be left behind, you need to go digital if at all you want to get more sales because Facebook marketing in Kenya is here to stay.
How to Convert Website Visitors to Paying Customers
First things first, why are your website visitors not converting into buyers?
The key primary goal of your website is to generate sales for your business and if it doesn’t, then you need to figure out why..
Below are the top 5 main reasons why your website is not converting visitors into paying customers:
- They can’t find what they need. Nearly 80% of website visitors leave your website because they cannot find what they are looking for.
- They can’t contact you. If your website readers can’t find an easy way of contacting you, then they will go elsewhere. Add a live chat on your website to make sure you respond to your website visitors queries in real-time.
- They can’t get answers. If your content on the website does not answer their questions and there’s no faster way of asking you the question, then they will definitely leave your website.
- They don’t trust you. Trust is key for people to convert. If people do not have enough confidence in your products then they won’t buy it. Add customer reviews and testimonials on your website.
- They can’t test it. People always have the fear of spending money on something that they have never tried before. Therefore, offer free trials for people to know exactly what they are buying.
How to Convert Website Visitors to Paying Customers
Make your website fast
A recent survey revealed that 46% of visitors expected a web page to load in two seconds or less. A mere three seconds delay can result in a 15% reduction in conversions.
This is the first thing you should check on your website. Slow loading speed will definitely and immediately make people leave your website. No one wants to wait for a website to load for more than a few seconds.
Find tools that can help you improve your websites speed and install them on your website. Most of the web design companies in Kenya can help you.
Working on your websites speed helps you with google rankings, increases your page views, improves user experience and increases your conversions.
Use First Time Offers to Convert New Customers.
Competition is fierce in today’s online world with consumers having too much choice, therefore give offers that will make the website visitor leap from the considering stage to actually making an action or buy. This offer might be a free sample, a one-off purchase of your product with a heavy discount or a month’s free subscription. This becomes easier to sell to the person a second time, a third time and even a fourth time. if you find that your offers are not converting, consult with digital marketing companies in Kenya who can help you come up with better offers
Have a Strong Call to Action
What do you want your website visitor to do when they come to your website? Make it clear for them, if you want them to download a document then ask them to and show the button, if you want them to Buy then ask them and show the button. Remember to make it as simple as possible. The call to actions are like “call now,” “learn more,”, “Download Now” and many more.
Show Numbers
You have probably seen the “Join more than 1o million who use X service “
Why do they use that? To show social proof and also give people confidence that they can work with you. I mean if more than 10 million people have used your service or product then it is worth trying.
Use Testimonials
Most people cannot buy a product before they read testimonials. They build trust and increase conversion rate. I mean before you buy anything online you must always see what other previous buyers have said about the product.
How do you get testimonials or reviews, ask your customers to give their reviews or testimonials? How do you ask for reviews exactly? Ask them what benefits they received from the product, how they found doing business with you and what convinced them to buy the product. Most of the web design companies in Kenya can help you add this at the initial stage of building your website.
Use landing page
A Landing page is very crucial in lead generation. A landing page is any web page that a visitor can arrive at, it has a form and exists to only capture visitor’s information through the form.
Create an appealing form with a catchy headline that will lead people to sign up and giving you their details. To get your customers to take action you will need to add value to them by giving them solutions to their pain points.
You need to understand that it is difficult for your customers to give you their details without you giving something of value in return. Therefore let your headline capture their attention. Your lead magnet should be Valuable, useful and easy for your customers to read.
Add a Live Chat to Your Site
A live chat allows the visitor to ask questions and get answers in real-time. This makes it easy for you to guide and answer your customer’s questions making it easier for them to convert. With the competitive market in web design in Kenya, you might find some varying charges for the live chatbot while others even offer it for free in their web design packages.
Use remarketing
Remarketing helps you connect with your visitors or leads from your website that may not have made an immediate purchase or inquiry.
With remarketing, you can create targeted ads to get in front of these people so that they can take action. It also acts as a way of reminding them and eventually they will convert.
Use high-converting elements
These elements are things that can help you convert your website visitors into customers. This can be through the use of Logos of companies that have trusted you, testimonials, social shares, case studies and guarantee seals.
Conclusion
I hope this information will give you a lift on converting your website visitors to customers. There are more ways of improving the information that I have given you, but it is enough as a starting point.
Web design companies in Kenya, as well as the general web design in Kenya, has revolutionalised and most of them can help you install some tools that can help you in your marketing.
Also, some digital marketing companies in Kenya can help you and advise you on the best tools that you can use for you to succeed in digital marketing.
54% of Employers Have Eliminated a Candidate Based on Social Media
Employers are now looking at your social media accounts
Can your social media get you a job or get you disqualified?
Who are you, really?
That’s a question most employers want to know beyond your cover letter and CV. They want to know if you are respectful, responsible, trustworthy and if you will follow through on promises.
During interviews, people are on their best behaviours making it hard for employers to tell if a candidate is right for the position. Which leads them to google to get your information.
In particular, they browse through your social media accounts Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media profiles you have publicly available.
70 per cent of employers use social media to screen candidates before hiring according to a survey done by CareerBuilder.
54 per cent of employers surveyed said they chose not to hire a candidate because of the content found on their social media profile(s).
Some of the reasons given as to why the hiring, managers or employers chose not to hire a candidate because of their social media were:
- Posted provocative or inappropriate photos, videos or information (39%)
- Bad-mouthed previous company or fellow employee (30%)
- Posted information about drinking or using drugs (38%)
- Made discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion (32%)
- Shared confidential information from previous employers: (23%)
- Lied about qualifications (27%)
- Had poor communication skills: (27%)
- Been linked to criminal behaviour: (26%)
- Had an unprofessional screen name: (22%)
- Lied about an absence: (17%)
Good news is what you post on social media can actually get you employed.
44 per cent of hiring managers and employers have discovered content on a candidate’s social media profile that caused them to hire that person.
The main reasons for this:
- Candidate’s background information supported their professional qualifications (38%)
- Candidate showed a professional image (36%)
- Candidate demonstrated great communication skills (37%)
- Candidate showed creativity (35%)
Don’t go deleting your social media yet!
57 per cent of employers said they were far less likely to hire someone in if that person was an online “ghost” or rather is not online
So don’t delete your Social media account, Clean it!
What Should you Do?
1. Google yourself
Type your name in google and search, you need to know what is out there and where?
2. Consider making certain social media profiles private
Sometimes it’s valid to have an outlet where you can share some information which sometimes is social media. In the case of this, choose a social media platform that you can make your account private like Instagram. So that only the people you follow will see your posts.
If you choose this, don’t accept friend requests from your old bosses.
You can also update your Facebook privacy settings so that not everything is fully public.
3. Review your profiles as if you were an employer
Go through your social media through the eyes of someone looking to hire you. Make your bios up to date as well as having a description that reflects who you are now. How is your profile picture? Is it professional?
Go through your posts paying key attention to your latest posts, don’t ignore your old posts as well.
Got any questionable memes? Take them down. How about inappropriate pictures of yourself, or ones in which you’re tagged? This can be one of the most important (and challenging) parts of the process. Un-tag yourself liberally if necessary.
4. Post some meaningful content
Remember 44 per cent employers have found content on a candidate’s social media that caused them to hire that person–so your social media accounts aren’t just a liability have background information that supports your professional qualifications.
With the intense job hunting in Kenya, hiring firms in Kenya are now turning to social media to check candidates profiles to ensure they hire the right candidates among the many candidates who show up for the interview.
Therefore don’t think that employers don’t check a candidate’s social media in Kenya, because they do.
