Crafting The Right Digital Strategy For Your Business

With billions of people around the world conducting more of their daily activities online and through social media, having a digital marketing strategy that is responsive on mobile devices is a must-have for all businesses. The evidence is overwhelming: some 87 per cent of internet users now have smartphones, while 93 per cent of shoppers’ buy decisions are influenced by social media.

 

At a recent DBS BusinessClass event held at Google's new regional headquarters in Singapore - an impressive facility that houses a wellness centre, a fully-equipped gym and multiple eateries - business owners were given keen insights and tips from experts to help them get started on their digital marketing journey.

 

Evangeline Leong, from social media technology company Kobe, spoke about the importance of using other people to help sell your brand online. The first step in this process is to identify your core customers, and then getting them to talk up your products or services to like-minded people on social media. Furniture brand IKEA, for instance, would probably target young couples who were creative and into DIY culture.

"You can create your own video and post it on Facebook to reach your core customers, but that's like talking in your own house. You reach the same group of people," she said. "But if you get someone else to talk about your brand, then they will talk about it around their house to their friends".

Ideally, these digital spokespeople should be someone with reach (high number of fans), relevance (same characteristics as core customers) and resonance (a high level of engagement with others on social media).

Digital marketing agency PurpleClick Media then shared their views on the importance of choosing a digital channel that best serves your brand - whether it is a social media platform like Facebook or a video channel such as YouTube. The decision of which to choose depends ultimately on your business goals.

"There are so many choices out there. You must focus and go back to basics to determine what your problems are, and thus objectives," said Philip Tnee,

Head of Acquisition at PurpleClick Media.

These could include anything from increasing sales, raising brand awareness or growing market share. Agencies like PurpleClick can then help you craft an appropriate digital strategy designed to meet your goals.

Mark Teo, Google's Strategic Partnership Manager, Channel Partnership, then rounded off the speakers' session with a discussion on capturing opportunities in the digital space.

As many consumers now do research on the Internet before making a purchase, the speed of buying decisions of consumers has accelerated tremendously. As such, companies looking to reach their target audience online must be aware of what Mr Teo describes as four "moments" in the digital life of a consumer where their preferences are shaped and decisions are made. These are:

* I-want-to-know moments – 66% of smartphone users turn to their phones to look up something they saw in a TV commercial

* I-want-to-go moments – 82% of smartphone users use a search engine when looking for a local business

* I-want-to-do moments – 91% of smartphone users turn to their phones for ideas while doing a task

* I-want-to-buy moments – 82% of smartphone users consult their phones while in a store deciding what to buy

To capitalise on these moments, brands need to "Be There" when these moments occur, "Be Useful" by being relevant to the consumer at that point in time and "Be Quick" by having a mobile experience that is fast and without friction.

The event ended with an enlightening question and answer session before a lucky few in the audience were treated to an exclusive tour of the impressive Google offices.