Digital Growth Magazine - Issue 5: February 2021 by nexadigital

DIGITAL GROWTH February 2021 | ISSUE 5

Inside the issue: • The Rise of MarTech and Its Effect on Digital Marketing • How Can I Identify a Good Lead Versus a Poor Quality Lead Using Data? • Everything You Need to Know About the Expo 2020 (2021) Dubai • Mental Health, Diversity, and Digital Sovereignty • What Is the Best CRM for Enterprise Businesses?

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

Letter from the editor

In this month's magazine we take a look at how you can use marketing technology to grow your business.

12 Ways to Drive Signups for your Webinars Infographic

MarTech The Rise of MarTech and its Effect on Digital Marketing

Social Media App of the Moment: Clubhouse

04 06

There’s a new social media app causing a stir.

What is Prospect Lead Scoring?

We all know that lead generation is the lifeblood of any business.

If Pandemics are Here to Stay, What is the Best Long Term Strategy for Businesses?

2021 Trends: Mental Health, Diversity, and Digital Sovereignty

Last year set the world on a new course. Here’s what Spitfire Inbound thinks you should know so you can navigate it with ease.

All You Need to Know About the Expo 2020 (2021) Dubai The Expo 2020 (2021) Dubai is set to be the world’s largest expo since 1851.

Sales Strategies During an Ongoing Pandemic

Search Engine Optimisation is the practice of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to a website or web page from the search engines.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented the world with ongoing challenges.

How can I identify a good lead versus a poor quality lead using data? Did you know that sales representatives only spend a third of their time selling?

The Future of Video Content is Shoppable Entertainment The future of e-commerce is changing as the lines between shopping and entertainment are blurred.

Launch: 28 eCommerce 10 Tips to Get

Started the Right Way

What is the best CRM for Enterprise Businesses?

CRMs are fast becoming business necessities, and this demand has seen hundreds of CRM solutions pop up on the market.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

Letter from the editor Hi All, As we settle into 2021 and navigate our way through the unpredictable and ever-changing new world we find ourselves in, one this is for certain: planning for the future needs to start now. In 2020 businesses had to quickly adjust to remote working and new digital initiatives in order to stay afloat. And with these changes, customer expectations have been altered forever. We have now entered “the age of the customer” and we need to create strategies centered around delighting them through strong marketing tactics, sales initiatives and service excellence. In this month’s magazine we take a look at how you can use marketing technology to grow your business and how you can gain greater insight into the expectations of leads through advanced data collection - and prioritise your leads accordingly. We are also proud to have Alison Leishman from Spitfire Inbound South Africa contribute to this month’s issue. Leishman shares her thoughts on mental health, diversity, and digital sovereignty in 2021 and unpacks how we can use empathy to drive business growth 2021. We hope that this issue helps you gain greater insight into how you can align your marketing, sales and service strategies in 2021 to drive continued business growth and workplace positivity. Amit Vyas CEO, NEXA www.digitalnexa.com

About the editor Amit Vyas is the Co-Founder and CEO of Nexa, a digital marketing agency that was launched in Dubai in 2005. With close to a decade of experience within Digital Marketing, Amit has seen first hand, the dynamic environment with which businesses now have to operate in order to achieve growth and to succeed. Amit has worked with hundreds of businesses in the Middle East from startups to large multinational clients during his time at Nexa and previously, in the UK. He can be found at international conferences and has spoken at marketing events in the USA (SXSW and Content Marketing Conference), Australia (ANZMAC), India (Content Marketing Summit at the world Marketing Congress) as well as countless others in Europe and the UAE.

Be a part of Digital Growth Do you have an article that you’d like to share or want to collaborate with our writers? Send an email to Amit@digitalnexa.com with your ideas.

About Nexa As one of the largest fully-independent Digital Marketing Agencies in the UAE, Nexa has provided a vast array of services to over 1,000 clients in the region since 2005. Nexa is HubSpot›s only Diamond Partner Agency for the GCC region. www.DigitalNexa.com

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

MarTech The Rise of MarTech and its Effect on Digital Marketing By: Toni Becker

he digital landscape continues to evolve and shift with each passing day, and as technology advances and the world becomes more digitised, new trends will arise in the digital marketing space. Regardless of whether you are a marketing professional that swears by inbound marketing, or you have your sights set on push marketing, there is one thing every marketer relies on and that is marketing technology - and this technology is growing at an incredible rate.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

What is MarTech?

The Future is MarTech

Marketing technology, commonly referred to as MarTech, is a rising industry made up of businesses that provide software and related technology to help companies with their marketing efforts.

The days of having to manually segment our marketing efforts based on individual channels of communication are behind us and the future of marketing lies in easy-to-use, easy to integrate, and powerful Marketing Technology.

Essentially, MarTech tools make life easier for marketers. The technology is designed to automate time consuming tasks and help in data collection, audience segmentation, content creation, content distribution and much more. To put it simply, this kind of technology provides the backbone of all marketing efforts and cuts out the middleman, helping businesses succeed in the digital marketing space.

Marketers can look forward to a future in which their MarTech platform of choice offers a central location through which to distribute, direct and adjust every aspect of their marketing strategy. This will lead to a system that allows marketers to provide the most consistent brand message, targeted marketing, personalised campaigns - and a great return on investment for clients.

Examples of MarTech To gain greater insight into what MarTech is, let’s take a look at one of the company’s leading the way in MarTech innovation. A great example is HubSpot, a marketing automation and Customer Relationship Management software that has created a forward thinking niche in the marketing space. CRM systems such as HubSpot allow clients to collect contact information in a database, while segmenting these contacts, allowing marketers to send certain messages to certain leads - helping drive them through the sales funnel on a more personalised level. Essentially, HubSpot allows marketers to send the right message, to the right people, at the right time. MarTech doesn’t stop there, it is not only about email marketing, social media messaging and CRMs. Today, it continues to evolve and augmented technology has become one of the most anticipated marketing tools and is set to change the face of MarTech forever.

The Benefits of MarTech for Digital Marketers With the rise of marketing technology, notably CRM software, the digital marketing space has significantly changed and has opened up businesses to vast inbound marketing - even on a small budget. Most businesses viewed Inbound Marketing as marketing reserved for corporations, large businesses or enterprises, but thanks to MarTech innovation - Inbound Marketing and highly targeted marketing is available to all businesses and brands. This allows marketers to ensure greater results for start-up clients and smaller businesses - while ensuring a greater Return on Investment in the process. MarTech also offers marketers campaign longevity - as it allows for consistent campaign tracking - ensuring all your marketing efforts are of the highest quality and performing at their optimum level. As MarTech solutions are run through a central software, sales and marketing teams are able to follow website visitors, prospects and leads through the sales funnel and allows marketing teams to track the success of every email message, social media campaign, blog post (and more points of contact) and adjust strategy where necessary.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

Social Media App of the Moment: Clubhouse By: Shannon Correia

here’s a new social media app causing a stir. If you haven’t heard, it’s probably because nobody’s invited you yet, and that’s the only way to get in at the moment. Invites to this exclusive network are few and far between. Still, with Clubhouse planning on letting users from the waiting list, we’re sharing insight into what sets this app apart from the rest...and why it’s going to disrupt the social media landscape as we know it in 2021.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

The Basics of Clubhouse In 2021, audiences care about what they consume and want to be assured that a business’s values align with theirs. This is what can make digital PR so appealing since it provides a trusted representation of your brand from a third party. It is not the direct messages shared by a business, but rather a trusted source who advocates for it. In a world where success is built upon credibility, having this social proof is paramount. When building relations with key personnel, businesses increase their coverage, and with that, they can improve their rankings online. Rather than merely sharing press releases, for instance, a PR agency can provide you with a topical article that mentions your business or performs a study with surveys related to your business. These are the new kind of advertorial content that is then picked up and repurposed on various platforms. With this new way of gaining brand visibility, your business will increase its leads through the volume of mentions and links created externally. This results in credibility not only with your audiences but with search engines too. Agencies who provide digital PR have the advantage of a team of content creators to create that can produce valuable and relevant content and the media lists and access to platforms that they have developed over the years.

It taps Into the Desire for Exclusivity… and the Accompanying FOMO

There is a reason podcasting took off a few years ago and has been sailing smoothly ever since. With Clubhouse, people can do more than just tuning in to listen - they have the opportunity to be put up on stage and actively engage as well. Merely listening to voices takes away from visual distractions and provides you with a more intimate experience. In a world filled with fake news, increased isolation, and ongoing polarisation, the need to communicate with others and to have open conversations with others is more necessary than ever. Clubhouse is set to become a new way to connect with others. It provides a unique platform for networking since you can virtually get yourself in the same room as people you would otherwise not have had the opportunity to. Whether it›s for work or pleasure, you can connect with strangers who are interested in similar topics. Alternatively, these rooms can be spaces for you to converse with friends and family.

Long Story Short There are hundreds of app submissions made each day. Few can tap into the needs of society and cause waves of social media revitalization. Clubhouse is doing just that in 2021, and it reaches far beyond its current state of exclusivity. It appeals to a dire need for a new way to communicate healthily.

Want In? Sign up for the waiting Clubhouse list to reserve your username. Those who have been invited can sign in and are allocated one invite to send another. After some time, they’ll be granted three more invites to give out - and that’s it! Time to see who your real friends are; otherwise, hang tight - we’re sure this app will be taking off in 2021.

This is the most obvious point of the lot, so we’ll tackle it first. Marketers know all too well that the concept of exclusivity works. The fear of missing out is a real force and driver among audiences. Social media networks are flooded and open to all. Clubhouse’s model has people on waiting lists, eager to join in on the conversations. It builds anticipation and gives the app an air of exclusivity before it’s ever experienced. The FOMO is also triggered by the chat rooms’ ephemeral nature, which cannot be recorded - only listened to live. That being said, the app is in the process of opening up to the waiting lists of others who are keen to join, as the potential for these conversations to do good if held only by the elite will be limited. Based on its exclusivity, only a limited number of people are using the platform, including celebrities like Drake, Oprah, Jared Leto, Ashton Kutcher, and Kevin Hart.

It’s all About the Voice If we think of all of the other predominant social media apps, we can see that audio forms only part of the experience. Generally, audio is left to voice notes on messaging apps, calls, podcasting, and as something to accompany videos, though in many cases, these are watched without any sound at all. There›s been a clear gap in the market for a voice-based platform.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

What is Prospect Lead Scoring? By: Toni Becker

e all know that lead generation is the lifeblood of any business however, you need to make sure that you are generating leads of the highest quality because you don›t want your team wasting precious time and resources chasing dead-ends. Rather, your team should be spending their time nurturing and engaging with promising, high quality leads and this is where lead scoring comes into play. Lead scoring is a methodology that is used to rank prospective clients against a scale that reflects the perceived value of each prospect to the business or organisation. This kind of scoring is made up of a variety of factors and can include: job position (is the prospect a decision maker in their business?), social media followers (is the prospect a thought-leader?) or company size. These are just three examples of what kind of data is used to establish a leads value to your business. In this article we delve deeper into the methodology of prospect lead scoring and how it will benefit your business.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

How Does Prospect Lead Scoring Work? A lead scoring model is a specialised and analytical system used to evaluate the quality of your leads. Essentially, points are given to a lead based on a variety of factors including their industry, level of interest in your business and related qualities associated with previous high-value clients and leads. Thanks to Customer Relationship Management systems (CRMs) such as HubSpot, this model is made easy thanks to online data collection, automation and audience segmentation. A lead scoring model or system is designed to help your team quickly and efficiently identify sales qualified leads versus low quality leads that aren’t that interested in what your business offers (also known as low priority leads).

The Benefits of Prospect Lead Scoring for your Business Marketing and Sales Alignment When it comes to selling, it is vital that your sales and marketing team are in alignment because if these teams are cohesive, less leads will fall through the cracks and your sales team will have greater insight into which leads are of a higher quality than others. Prospect lead scoring allows for your sales and marketing teams to align which ensures there are no leaks within your sales funnel. A powerful lead scoring model will have these two departments working together to develop lead scoring criteria which ensures all departments are on the same page when it comes to marketing message and sale message.

Creating a Lead Scoring Threshold A lead scoring threshold refers to the point value, when a prospective client is recognised as sales-ready. Once a leads score has exceeded or reached this amount, they will become what is known as a Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) and will then be handed from marketing to sales. Your “threshold” needs to be correct as you do not want to waste your sales teams time by qualifying leads prematurely. You also don’t want to raise the threshold too high as you may be sitting on a promising lead for too long and they may contact your competitors before you have the chance to speak to them. So, how is a threshold actually determined? Your team needs to look at the current and previous clients and study historical data that can tell them about what characteristics mark a qualified lead. For example, if leads that request a demo usually become clients, then leads that request this should automatically be marked as an MQL. Once your sales and marketing teams have identified what the threshold is, you will be able to set this up on a CRM such as HubSpot, and you will automatically be notified when a lead becomes an MQL.

Explicit Lead Scoring Explicit lead scoring is when you assign points to a lead based on specific qualities such as demographics and characteristics. For example, explicit lead characteristics include: job title, industry experience, seniority within a business, company size etc. Having this information allows you to evaluate your leads and will help your marketing and sales team understand whether or not they are a good fit and likely to make a purchase. There are a variety of ways to get this information, from social media data to lead generation forms. For example, you can create a landing page that provides downloadable, helpful content such as an e-book or e-guide, and in order for a user to access the content, they need to fill out a form or questionnaire.

Understand Implicit Scoring Explicit lead scoring refers to demographics and characteristics while implicit scoring refers to awarding points to a lead based on their individual behaviour. That is: how they have interacted with your business and how they have engaged with your brand. Implicit Scoring Behaviours Include: •

Website and Webpage Visits

•

Email Clicks / Email Opens

•

Social Media Engagement / Interaction

•

Content Downloads

•

Contact Requests

•

Webinar or Newsletter Subscriptions

•

Demo Requests

We previously discussed the importance of downloadable content for information and data gathering purposes however, this kind of content can also be used for implicit scoring. The act of downloading an e-guide or e-book infers that a prospect is interested in something your business offers, and this can be added to their lead score. By understanding a prospects behaviour, how long they have spent on your website gathering information, and looking into their social media engagement with your business page, you have greater insight into their level of interest, and this kind of information (when gathered correctly) contributes more to a leads overall score than explicit scoring. By using a CRM, you are able to successfully track every interaction a user has with your business and this will help you gather and score implicit data successfully.

Negative Scoring Not all interactions a prospect has with your business will be a step toward a sale and your lead scoring model needs to recognise this fact. By implementing a system of negative scoring, you are able to remove points from a lead score based on characteristics or behaviours that imply a lack of interest in your business or service offerings.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

Negative Lead scoring should take the following into account: •

Visiting your website’s careers page (they are interested in becoming an employee rather than a customer)

•

Unsubscribing for your newsletter or email list

•

A job title that does not fit your target audience ie: a student that is interested in your website content for academic reasons only.

Negative lead scoring should be in place to prevent high scores that are essentially a waste of time. With a negative scoring model in place, your sales team can quickly identify weak leads and focus their time nurturing high quality leads that have a higher chance of conversion.

Understand Score Degradation Score degradation is about tracking stagnant leads, that is: those with a lower lead score that have not engaged with your company in a while. You want to know who these leads are in order to direct them through the sales funnel and not leave them stuck at a certain point within the funnel. Similar to negative scoring. Score degradation helps you determine who has lost interest in your business, and allows your sales team to refocus their efforts.

Consistent Refinement It is important that you do not become complacent with your lead scoring model. You want to make sure that it is always up to date and that you keep an eye on anything that can be refined. This means you should always be updating your model based on your most recent customer data. For example: if you have noticed a decline in sales conversions, you may be setting your scoring threshold too low - and this should quickly be amended. Keep an eye on your MQL to conversion rate, and if you notice a decline then there is a chance your target customer persona has shifted slightly and your model needs to be adjusted.

In Summary Your lead scoring model should consist of the following: Marketing and sales alignment: Ensure your marketing and sales team work together when understanding your target market and their specific needs. Lead Scoring Threshold: The point value of when a prospective client is recognised as sales-ready. Explicit Lead Scoring: Assigning points to a lead based on specific qualities such as demographics and characteristics. Implicit Lead Scoring: Assigning points to a lead based on their behaviour and engagement with your business. Negative Scoring: Removing points from a lead score based on characteristics or behaviours that imply a lack of interest in your business. Score Degradation: Tracking stagnant leads Regular Refinement: Amend your model to suit the evolving needs of your target audience.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

If Pandemics are Here to Stay, What is the Best Long Term Strategy for Businesses? By: Shannon Correia

he COVID-19 pandemic has presented the world with ongoing challenges. While the future remains uncertain, businesses are having to come up with strategies that accommodate these difficulties. Having an effective strategy that considers the realities of the situation facing life as we know it is the best way to prepare and remain resilient in the long term. Here is a look at some of the strategies you can incorporate.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

Situational Considerations Optimistic outlooks predicted that by 2021, the pandemic would have blown over, and businesses would be entering into recovery mode. However, this has not been the case, with many countries re-entering lockdowns and continuing to impose restrictions. The shift has now changed, with a prediction of 18 months before any recovery occurs, yet even that is speculation. Thus, businesses have moved away from short-term ploys and tactics to make it through the pandemic. Aside from the political, legal, and economic regulations and restrictions, society and technology have also changed, having a knock-on effect on businesses. When looking at how the pandemic has impacted businesses, one can state that it runs three levels deep, from micro to market and macro stages - in other words, everything has changed.

Business Strategy The crux of this article is all about the best business strategy. With it in place, you can navigate the ongoing world amid a pandemic with a sense of direction that attempts to regain some control over the situation. You should prepare to revisit your strategy in-depth since much may need to change. Begin by determining what your core values are as guiding principles in planning and inform your competitive advantage. For many businesses, the point of this is simply to survive, but for the best strategy, you’ll need to have a grander vision that extends beyond survival. Consider your vision and objectives, findings from a SWOT analysis, resource management, and results from measuring your business’s performance. As you determine what your business will need to do, and achieve to meet its strategic goals, consider a more in-depth look at the business world’s context right now. This considers the general ways in which businesses have been affected across the board, but remember - having a successful strategy will need to be tailored to your business specifically. Factors like industry and region separate this. If you’d like a tailored solution for your business, get in touch with us for a one-onone meeting to discuss further. As we’ve mentioned, the best strategy for businesses is about surviving the pandemic, and the best way to do this is to adapt with a long term view. The emphasis has been on slowing the curve and adopting the treatments which are being developed. This will take time to roll out, and it will be a process before herd immunity is reached. That being said, the way of life will have altered permanently. ‘Social distancing’ and ‘new norms’ are here to stay. It leaves businesses in a position to make plans that will ensure their business remains relevant and sustainable. Making it through this pandemic and being wary of future pandemics that could affect society, the modus operandi has moved away from crisis management and long-term strategy.

Business Planning for the Long Term Some of the already abound changes include increased unemployment rates, fewer funds available, and more decisionmakers’ risks. This applies to homes and businesses as well.

The overarching message that the lockdown following the pandemic has illustrated is that people have had to adjust and make do - some have found comfort in maintaining their surviving position. In contrast, others have forged ahead in the new world. That very same dilemma now faces your business. In terms of business changes that are likely to stay in place, the significant changes include: •

New ways of operating.

•

New ways of managing teams.

•

New product and service offerings.

In your strategy, you need to critically assess whether your offering is feasible and sustainable in the long term. If there is doubt, new solutions need to be developed.

Assess the feasibility and sustainability of the following: Your product or service offering: Your offering still needs to stand out among your competition and, most importantly, present a solution to your customer base. As needs and behaviors have changed, your products and services will likely need to change as well. Your sales channels: Many brick and mortar stores have had to begin trading online, and those already have seen an increase in e-commerce sales. Social media platforms are also becoming increasingly business-friendly, with the option to sell to customers directly on these channels is becoming the norm. Your operations: How you manage and work is likely to have changed, with an influx of remote working. For many businesses and roles, this is unlikely to change; hence permanent structures need to be put in place to occur in the best possible way. Multinational companies will need to consider whether their office spaces are still viable and necessary or if regional headquarters and seasonal conferences with remote working is best. Likewise, smaller businesses can apply this to communal working spaces. The best strategy will include plans that range in periods, from as short as three months to mid-level 9-month plans and finally the full 18 months. It will be about short and mid-term goals that facilitate your brand and business position in the long term. Every area of your business should be open to adaptations. Though budgets have been restricted and are likely to continue experiencing strain, businesses need to ensure they invest in and upgrade their technology where needs are. For instance, ensuring your team is connected by a CRM platform and having access to a communication platform’s premium features can increase productivity and transparency. This transparency extends to customers, too, as it is a value that is appreciated and expected of businesses. Having access to the latest tools and technology also means you can improve your business experiences with your business.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

In Summary There is no need to reinvent the wheel of developing a business strategy. However, you do need to revisit it and possibly ‘reinvent’ many of the plans you have for your business in the future. When it comes to navigating your business through a pandemic, having a strategy based on innovation rather than crisis management alone is essential. When all of the necessary considerations and contextual factors are taken into account, you can apply them in conjunction with your business needs and develop long term solutions in a comprehensive strategy.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

How can I identify a good lead versus a poor quality lead using data? By: Toni Becker

id you know that sales representatives only spend a third of their time selling? This means that they are spending a large amount of time on non-revenue generating tasks and we all know that business growth is the key to survival in these trying times. This is why it is important that your team is equipped with lead data, and are able to prioritise quality leads over stagnant or cold leads. A high quality lead is an individual who is interested in your business and has a genuine need for your service or product - this means they are more likely to convert into a paying customer. These are the kinds of leads your team should be focusing on and all of this can be achieved through lead scoring, that is: a system that helps marketing and sales reps prioritise quality leads over poor quality leads. To ensure your lead generation tactics bring in results and benefits your entire organisation, you need to make sure that your marketing qualified leads and sales qualified leads are of top quality.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

What is Lead Scoring and How Does it Work? Lead scoring is a marketing methodology that aligns sales and marketing in order to rank leads and determine their sales readiness. Lead scores are based on interest a lead shows in your business as well as their current place in the buying cycle. Businesses are able to place a “score” on their leads by assigning certain “points”, and implementing ranking and segmentation systems such as whether a lead is warm or cold. The primary benefit is that sales and marketing teams are able to increase their efficiency and productivity through this method - thus promising significant business growth. The best lead scoring models make use of demographic and behavioural characteristics of a lead including company size, job title, industry, website clicks, website visits, and social media engagement with your business. But what exactly defines a high quality lead and how can you identify a good lead from a low quality lead?

How do you determine a high quality lead? In order to know which leads will likely convert into customers, your marketing and sales team need to work together and study current and past clients in order to understand qualifying information.

Future behaviours will then be tracked to increase or lower a lead score. For example, if a lead visits your website and signs up to your email newsletter, they will gain more points - and every email click through will gain them more points. It is important to note that the score numbers you create should be based on your specific criteria and there is no one size fits all model for this. Once the criteria is discussed and laid out, your marketing team is able to use the criteria to fuel targeted campaigns, which will lift the overall quality of leads generated. And once these leads have moved through the buying cycle and become sales qualified leads, your marketing team is able to pass their information over to your sales team. Your marketing and sales team will also need to decide when a lead can be counted as sales-ready - that is: what score indicates that a lead is sales ready - and then the lead information can be passed on to your sales team.

In Summary The term “lead scoring” refers to a process of assigning a numerical value to each of your leads in order to reflect the likelihood of them becoming paying clients this process is somewhat similar to credit scoring. You are able to collect data on your leads by using a Customer Relationship Management system such as HubSpot and once data is collected, you are able to assign points to each lead - based on their behaviours and demographics which ultimately determines their value.

There is also no ideal lead scoring model and it is not a one size fits all approach. It is up to your team to create the model and scoring factors together. Your model should measure how engaged a prospect is with your business, and this will help them decide when a prospect can properly be identified as a sales ready lead - and this is why data collection and analysis is vital in the lead scoring process. Thanks to Customer Relationship Management systems such as HubSpot, your lead scoring is made easy because of online data collection, automation and audience segmentation. You see, HubSpot and related CRMs are able to track every interaction a prospect has with your business, from their social media engagement with your business page to website clicks, email open rates, lead forms and downloads. This means that you are able to understand every aspect of your lead from their behaviour to their demographics (based on a variety of factors, from their social media information to lead forms that they fill out on your website).

An example of a lead scoring point system: As stated previously, lead scoring is based on the behaviours of a lead. For example: prospects identified as decision makers in their business may begin with a lead score of +20, while a prospect who is identified as a student and is probably using your website for research purposes may begin with a lead score of -20.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

The Future of Video Content is Shoppable Entertainment By: Shannon Correia

he future of e-commerce is changing as the lines between shopping and entertainment are blurred. Businesses can utilize video as a media source for streamlining sales. In this article, we’re taking a look at the concept and its relation to customers, brands, and marketers.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

An Introduction to Shoppable Entertainment

Marketing and Branding with Video Content

Shoppable entertainment refers to video content that has interactive touch points within it. This means viewers can click on an item they see in the video and purchase it instantly. It is the future of e-commerce and one to which many social media platforms are adapting to. China has seen a lot of success with this format, with its influence steadily expanding worldwide.

These videos are a reflection and extension of your brand. This medium presents businesses with a multitude of opportunities and more connections with their audiences. When delivered well, it can vastly improve the customer experience. However, the video itself needs to be engaging, and the integration of these shopping touchpoints needs to be seamless. The shopping aspect needs to fit in naturally, and the process should be quick and easy to complete - and then continue watching. For many brands, this concept will go hand in hand with their influencer marketing. Since these videos’ primary mover is influential, people can create and inspire high-quality and desirable content that will succeed in this form of selling. It is the point at which people watch this content as their source of inspiration and act upon it in realtime, shopping directly.

While this content was predicted to influence the online shopping experience, its adoption and success have been sped up due to increased video content consumption, which has recently and ongoingly occurred. It has set the stage for people to want to do more than watch - they want to participate and assimilate. If you find the proof of the pudding to be in the numbers, consider the fact that shopping habits around the world are changing, with mall culture moving to online and mobile shopping. Whatever the industry, brands find ways to make their products both shoppable and entertaining, from 360-degree showrooms to streaming fashion shows, showcasing product galleries, and hosting online pop-ups and live shows through video content. These touchpoints are being adapted to various platforms so that no matter what video you create or share, it can be transformed into something shoppable. Over time, we have seen this develop, focusing on mobile led shopping experiences, from shoppable social media tags to QR codes to scan. The key is to produce and deliver this content well, in a meaningful way, and stands out among the multitude of other online videos.

Marketers will have to work creatively with these kinds of videos to increase engagement, sales, customer satisfaction, and loyalty. One of the best ways to do this is through personalization. While this makes the creation, production, and distribution of this video content more complex, the results can be exponential. Marketers are tasked with creating deeper connections and taking their storytelling ability to new heights with shoppable entertainment. Much of this concept’s success is based on the perceived value of the brand and the video, which will directly influence sales. Some successful models include introducing episodic, original content that features a combination of interviews with people of interest and products.

The Customer Experience Reimagined Shoppable videos give new meaning to ‘click to buy.’ For decades, people have been influenced by the content they consume. For example, seeing a particular style or brand in a movie can influence people to follow suit and purchase a similar product. With this, people can see something as they are watching it and purchase it immediately. It shortens the customer journey. These posts are already available on social media giants Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat in select regions, with expansion plans in place. It is indicative of how consumers want to see and experience retail online going forward. The days where one flat image is enough to entice a sale are long gone - customers want to see the product and interact with it. With this functionality enabled with your video content, you can allow the customer to purchase or find out more about the product offered directly. It increases the reach and interactions a brand has with its audiences. As a result, sales are also increased as it cuts out the customer’s need to search for the product or visit the website.

12 WAYS TO DRIVE SIGNUPS FOR YOUR WEBINARS

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

Strategy and Relevancy The starting point cannot be anything other than a guiding strategy. The topics you choose need to be relevant and alluring enough to drive signups. Therefore work with topics that you know are appealing to a target audience to match your ideal signup figures. The subject also needs to be more than just a discussion - it should ideally combine educational content with the entertainment factor. Part of this planning stage needs to include selecting the best possible time and date to host the webinar. Evergreen and Series for the Win Once you have a range of topics that will work, you need to decide the best way to deliver the content. To make the best use of the resources required to produce a webinar, it is best to create evergreen or series-based webinars. Pre-recorded evergreen webinar content can be auto-scheduled and played on the hour or as needed by newcomers. On the other hand, a series is a way of engaging with audiences over the long-term and is a great way to build loyalty. Once-off webinars can and do work; however, they cannot drive signups or engagement long-term. The Power of Partnerships In today's world of business, partnerships are golden. The webinar strategy should, therefore, include seeking suitable partners as guests and sponsors. By having guests, you can leverage a complementary audience, which will naturally drive webinar signups. There is also the option of partnering with a brand through sponsorship, which can boost your credibility and industry-standing. This can provide audiences with the authoritative vote of confidence that your webinar will be worthwhile to tune into. Incentives and Value The content you cover needs to be of high value. What does this mean? Well, webinars require viewers to dedicate a considerable amount of their time, so it needs to hold their attention and be worthy of that watch time. Many businesses offer incentives to audiences to encourage more signups and viewers to join in. This can include special deals for those who tune in or prizes for the guests. If you have something worthy of sharing and can do so well, your signup rates will increase. Consider incentives as an option to boost these numbers if need be or as a token of appreciation. Optimization is the Driving Force As with most online activities, optimization is both necessary and rewarding. By having a title that includes keywords, you will be off to a good start. Other things to consider are having a dedicated and well-designed landing page for the webinar where people can get all the necessary information and signup quickly. This needs to be appealing and easy to find. Refining the target market and utilizing retargeting will ensure it is reached by the right people, who are most likely to sign up. Promote your Webinar One of the best ways to drive signups is to publicize and promote the webinar well. This begins with allocating enough time ideally a month, with most signups occurring in the two weeks before the webinar. Personalized email marketing is a great way to do this. Your webinar's landing page should also have all of the links readily available for people to share it within their own social media networks. This is twofold, as people need to know about it and want to join in. Research and Rehearsals The research will begin with your strategy creation; however, it is important to continue throughout the marketing process. It goes beyond research about the target audience - it needs to include your competitors. Having a firm grasp of what's happening in your industry and the standards set by those around you, you can strive to provide better webinars to encourage more signups. Rehearsals are also crucial as winging it will show and be a poor reflection of your brand among viewers. Production and Branding Good quality webinars will need to be produced well. While it can certainly be done - and done well - on an iPhone, there is also the webinar platform to consider, sound, and all editing required to repurpose the content. Having a good technical team on board will help you provide interactivity and multimedia, creating better webinars, which will boost the number of people who want to watch your webinars. It also needs to give an accurate reflection of your brand throughout, which can be translated in obvious and subtle ways (for instance, being consistent with your set up and knowing when and how to show your logo. Calls to Action and Interactivity With more signups, you'll, of course, want to secure more viewers, leads, and sales. Calls to action are among the most vital aspects of webinar marketing, as investing time to no end will not bode well for your business. Attendees of webinars will be encouraged to signup when they know there is an element of interactivity. Often, they don't only want to be talked to, but rather to have the opportunity to engage directly through a Q&A or contribute to a poll or survey. Sharing and Repurposing Any marketer will tell you it is in your best interest to record your webinar. By doing this, you can have more than a record - you can repackage it to share various other ways to increase the content's lifespan. It is an easy way to create an on-demand viewing option or shorten it into video bite clips, which is the most coveted content on social media. Other ways to repurpose this content include creating slides and blog posts related to and driving signups for future webinars. Reminders and Thank You's Anyone interested in signing up for your webinar should be able to add it to their calendar easily. The reminders need to be there, though they should be shared in a balanced manner. Offering the option to check-in and share that as a status update on social media can also help drive last-minute signups. Finally, delivering a well-considered 'thank you' to attendees with packaged material and useful resources will increase audiences' satisfaction and encourage more registrations in the future. Auditing and Testing Audits are necessary to learn from previous webinars and see where improvements can encourage more signups. Testing for email subject lines and social media captions are also helpful in this regard. Remember, registrations are only one of many metrics to monitor. Once a signup is secured, other metrics such as completed viewings, conversions, and engagement need to be reviewed and included in your marketing KPIs. 18

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

2021 Trends: Mental Health, Diversity, and Digital Sovereignty By: Alison Leishman

ast year set the world on a new course. Here’s what Spitfire Inbound thinks you should know so you can navigate it with ease.

The first month of 2021 went by in a whiz and we’ve already got almost two months behind us. It feels like a lifetime ago but 2020 - the year that pretty much coined the words ‘unprecedented’ and ‘pivot’ - was a rollercoaster of unexpected events and curve balls. Now that we’re adapting to the huge changes rolled out by the past 12 months, what lies ahead for us? Spitfire Inbound, a Diamond tier HubSpot Agency Partner based in South Africa, have noticed five major trends that will impact not only businesses, but people too, in 2021.

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2021 trends What do we think lies ahead in the next year?

Mental Health If there’s one thing the past year has emphasised, it’s the importance of mental health. From the stress of a global pandemic, to homeschooling and childcare, widespread job and financial insecurity, and pervasive isolation, 2020 has really taken its toll. South African psychologists (some of our frontline workers) have been busier than ever and in the USA, 40% of adults reported struggling with mental health or substance use in June 2020. “For the first time in my 36 years as a Clinical Psychologist,” says Annette du Toit Steele, Pretoria based Clinical Psychologist, “I’ve felt the weight of people’s sadness, grief, fear, and desperation weighing on me. It’s been heavy on mental health workers and there is lots of grief and guilt from 2020.” Another way people focus on mental health is the emphasis on “self-care” - this can be moments of meditation, eating well, grooming and exercise. Like everything else, self-care has adapted to the rigours of 2020, and balance has become the key word for individuals and corporates alike. There’s nothing like weeks on end of homeschooling on top of job responsibilities to make parents - and businesses - realise that there needs to be more balance between differing responsibilities.

Digitisation Working from home (renamed to “Working from Anywhere” by Harvard Business Review) and e-learning are part of the wider digitisation trend we’re seeing globally, where activities that are normally offline are being redirected into the online space to enable social distancing. Working from anywhere is a widespread trend that the Spitfire team reckons is here to stay. As HBR points out, though it’s not perfect and doesn’t work in every industry, the advantages of a remote working culture are numerous: “Without question, the model offers notable benefits to companies and their employees. Organizations can reduce or eliminate real estate costs, hire and use talent globally while mitigating immigration issues, and, research indicates, perhaps enjoy productivity gains. Workers get geographic flexibility (that is, live where they prefer to), eliminate commutes, and report better work/ life balance.” And a quick punt for Spitfire... In the past year, not only have we adapted to a remote working strategy (for example, the writer of this piece has only been in the office a handful of times since March 2020), we’ve also helped clients pivot with inbound marketing and sales strategies that cater to both customers and prospects’ new, digital needs.

Digital Sovereignty Since we’re basically living online now… people have become way more aware of their online digital rights.

attitude to using data for financial gain has bled over into newly acquired products like WhatsApp. As we saw late in 2020, “WhatsApp… asked its more than 2 billion global users to agree to new terms regarding the way it shares their personal information with Facebook by February 8, or they will no longer be able to use its services. The move triggered an outcry from everyday WhatsApp users and Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog alike, with many jumping ship to rivals such as Signal and Telegram.” What this means for marketers and businesses today is that you need to be incredibly respectful of how you collect, store and use people’s personal information. This mistrust means that people are increasingly reluctant to fill out forms on landing pages (the so-called ‘death of the landing page’) and are more keen to engage with chatbots. This also means that people expect their data to be used in a way that benefits them. As we wrote in our article on hyper personalisation last year: “Let’s face it - the times have changed! It’s 2020 - people know they’re being tracked online (especially with GDPR legislation - how many cookies have you accepted online in the past year?), and they expect you to use the data you’re collecting to improve their online experience. It is up to us to take users from a ‘nice’ online experience to a truly personal and delightful one by tailoring the articles, CTAs, the imagery and even the next steps on a page designed to their needs and interests, making every website interaction memorable. As HubSpot explains, personalised content does 178% better than generic content and calls to action.”

Unforgiving Customers Brands are being given less wiggle room to make mistakes. The pandemic has triggered a tsunami of informed buyers - people who want to buy from brands with a conscience. As Deloitte points out, “While it’s not the first time in history businesses are pondering why they exist and who they are to their customers, the current trend based on our research shows that businesses are using purpose to create deeper connections with consumers, do more for the communities with which they work, attract and retain talent, and in the process, are achieving greater results and impact.” This spills over in many ways: how businesses are treating their staff during the pandemic, how environmentally friendly is the brand, and what values does the business have? Since multiple global lockdowns, the public has also realised the fragility of small businesses, and this has emphasised the trend towards a strong but brittle brand loyalty. According to a study by McKinsey, supply chain disruptions and stay-athome orders meant that people have tried different brands over lockdown. They explain, “Beyond availability, the reasons for the consumer loyalty shift include value and convenience. People are looking for deals as money gets tight—and they are trying to get their shopping done in as few places as possible.” In this way, there is a greater reliance on word of mouth and micro-influencers to not only find local brands, but also to navigate a new world of online shopping.

But there is a broader history behind people’s current mistrust and reluctance to put out their information online. Through a series of privacy scandals dating back to 2018 with Cambridge Analytica and the roll out of legislation like GDPR and in South Africa, POPIA, people have become keenly aware of the fact that whatever you put online allows you to be manipulated by the unethical. Mark Zuckerberg himself (founder of Facebook) has become a massively mistrusted figure and his ruthless 21

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

Diversity and Inclusivity It’s no longer enough to simply say the right things about a diverse and inclusive work culture. Gender, race, identity and more are all part of a robust culture that shouldn’t just rubber stamp having the “right” people on staff, but also needs to listen to their voices. As Harvard Business Review says, “In the wake of major social and political changes over the past decades, leading companies are taking steps to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Diversity and inclusivity matter not only from the perspective of equality and fairness - they’re also linked to greater business success. “McKinsey’s research on diversity showed that companies with more diverse gender, culture and ethnicity outperform employers that don’t support diversity. The research found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity experience outperform by 21%. For ethnic and cultural diversity, there was a 33% likelihood of outperformance.”

2020 was a rollercoaster of a year, and both individuals and corporates had to be adaptable and flexible. Existing trends were emphasised - like the move to digitisation and inclusivity and others became crucially important - like mental health and finding work-life balance. We don’t know what 2021 holds, but we can certainly anticipate that some of the key factors we highlighted above will play a role in how the year rolls out. As that ancient curse says, “May you live in interesting times”. Hopefully 2021 is slightly less interesting than 2020. Sign up to Spitfire Inbound’s monthly newsletter for exclusive insights, tips and trends to keep you on your toes.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

In Summary The digital landscape is constantly changing and marketers need to grow alongside these changes in order to keep up with the target audience. SEO and lead generation work alongside and help businesses attract and acquire only the highest quality leads - the priority of all businesses and marketers.

All You Need to Know About the Expo 2020 (2021) Dubai By: Toni Becker

he Expo 2020 (2021) Dubai is set to be the world’s largest expo since 1851, and if you are an expo-aficionado, tech lover, knowledge seeker or thought leader in your sector, the Expo 2020 (2021) is for you!

The Expo 2020 was originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 - 10 April 2021 however, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it has been rescheduled for 1 October 2021 - 31 March 2022. For branding reasons the Expo is staying true to its original name “Expo 2020 Dubai” but this choice is also a great and highly commendable way to take back the power that those numbers hold over all of us. The Expo is set to be a defining moment for Dubai and the UAE, and will be bringing the world together safely and securely, at a time we need each other most. 23

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A Brief History of the World Expo The first World Expo was held in London in 1851 and showcased the inventions of the Industrial Revolution. Since its inception 169 years ago, the expo has taken place throughout the world, from New York to Paris and Shanghai. The Expo 2020 is the world’s first mega expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region. The Expo is predicted to bring in 10s of millions of visits from members of the public, thought leaders, business owners, students, heads of state and world leaders - with 70% of visitors to be international. The eventi is the UAEs largest megaproject and the constriction of the expo is one to behold. A new city has emerged in the UAE’s financial capital and this city will play host to the largest event to have ever been hosted in the Arab world. This new “city” brings with it a sense of optimism in an otherwise scary time and this spirit of hope and excitement can be felt throughout the capital as the new mega city continues to build and rise.

Expo 2020 Dubai Theme The Dubai Expo 2020 has one primary theme and that is: “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.” The theme is ideal for today’s climate, especially at a time when technology is bringing the world together and helping us connect while we starved of social interaction. While “connecting minds, creating the future” is the primary theme of the event, the sub themes are made up of: Opportunity. Mobility and Sustainability. Opportunity: Focusing on unlocking the potential within individuals and communities to shape a better future. Topics featured within this theme include: employment, education, governance, new business and financial capital. Mobility: Focusing on effective and smarter movement of goods, ideas and people and tackles. Topics featured within this theme include: transportation, exploration and travel as well as digital connectivity, personal mobility and logistics. Sustainability: Focusing on environmental themes and living in balance with our planet. Topics featured within this theme include: innovations designed to protect ecosystems, tackling the effects of climate change and creating lasting benefits for future generations. These sub themes will each have their own pavilion The Opportunity Pavilion will be made from organic materials and aspires to create a sense of empathy and passion for a better world. It is designed to engage visitors with a variety of gameplay experiences that will change their thinking about basic human needs such as water, food and energy. The Mobility Pavilion has been created to take visitors on an incredible journey, from ancient exploration to AI. The journey will begin as visitors board the world’s largest elevating platform, which will lead them through the House of Wisdom in 9th Century Baghdad through to the giants of modern day mobility. 24

The Sustainability Pavilion is designed to educate visitors about alternative water and food sources as well as renewable energy. The out of this world pavilion will guide visitors on a journey beneath a dense forest and have them risk the planet’s future by participating in a game of high-stakes pinball. This kind of interaction and gameplay will help visitors get a sense of what may come if we as a society do not take the right steps in ensuring the well-being of future generations.

In Summary A pillar of hope at this trying time, the Expo 2020 Dubai celebrates culture, worldwide collaboration and global innovation. We look forward to watching the event create a legacy that will benefit future generations, both on a global and local scale. Mark your calendars, and get ready to explore the world and all its innovation.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

Sales Strategies During an Ongoing Pandemic By: Shannon Correia

ith the repercussions of the COIFV-1 pandemic ongoing, many businesses worldwide have found themselves in precarious positions. With a looming global recession on the cards, business directors aim to increase sales by using the most effective strategies possible. Here’s a deep dive into how your business can achieve them both.

Effective Sales Strategies Online Channels When a potential customer requires information regarding The facts and figures speak for themselves - eCommerce is growing, and it is here to stay. Businesses have had to alter their outlets and channels. While this doesn’t mean you need to close up your physical shop, it does mean that having an online offering is an essential avenue for sales. There are many ways in which a business can achieve this, whether it’s through an e-commerce store, an online marketplace, or direct sales via social media platforms. Your strategy should focus on building and perfecting these channels, from your offering to the consumer experience. For instance, find and firmly establish a delivery system that works for your business and will satisfy customers. Many companies have also chosen to merge online with their physical stores by offering click and collect options. Presenting your customers with various options to suit their needs, especially during lockdown times, is the key focal point.

Customer Demands During a pandemic, consumers are required to adjust their behaviors and way of life to remain safe. With this comes new necessities and priorities. For example, many countries recommend that people wear masks, and as such, businesses

have included a range of masks in their offering. Retailers have noticed that customers are stocking up on selected goods and thus increase their inventory accordingly. While this may be easy for some businesses, others may need to readjust their offering entirely to generate sales. To have an effective strategy, you need to consider the solution your business can provide the customer with. While you’re catering to altered needs, be sure not to capitalize on this as customers see through this and will not appreciate being taken advantage of. To be effective, keep listening to what your customers need and provide them with that to the best of your ability, with flexibility and agility being the two essential traits to encompass.

Connections Businesses also need to keep in mind that even though things have become increasingly digitized with remote working and social distancing, connections made online need to be strengthened. This includes both those with your customers and your partners. This is done to encourage loyalty and grow your online communities, leading to increased sales. Nurture the relationships you have with your online communities by staying in touch and being transparent about what your business is doing to contribute to the community and how you›re keeping their best interests in mind. You should also be responsive and receptive to their engagements with your business. In terms of partnerships, consider teaming up with other companies and organizations. This will increase your brand›s presence, and you can widen your sales pool when aligning with a team that shares your business›s values. 25

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Upselling and Cross-Selling Retailers will be familiar with these terms. They’re essential to keeping in mind when trying to boost your sales. While many customers are strapped for cash, the perception and affinity for value have increased among consumers. Therefore, look for ways in which you can add value for your customers, whether it’s offering additional helpful products or services. This is a traditional way to improve your sales strategy, particularly popular among new eCommerce retailers. It can encourage more online sales, where you can offer complementary products as a package deal along with free delivery, for example. Alternatively, you can down sell by offering a special discount to encourage a potential sale, which is especially useful for abandoned carts.

Strategy Shift During a pandemic, sales strategies may change at a moment›s notice, depending on the situation faced by your country. It is earmarked as a time of uncertainty, and businesses are required to make short-term plans and adjustments at a moment›s notice. That being said, an effective strategy will also include medium to long-term goals for your business. By looking to the future, you can ensure your sales strategies for the moment to serve your business in a post-pandemic world. For instance, if society changes to such a degree that there is a new way of life, then your business will need to consider whether it remains relevant and how it can improve its position in the market. This kind of strategy shift will be dependent on your business and the industry you›re in. The critical takeaway is to be effective by looking ahead and planning accordingly.

Leads One of the most effective sales strategies is to focus on leads. This is especially true in an online context. Work on increasing the number of contacts in your database through various channels using valuable lead magnets. Your business should have lead forms on your website that are easily accessible and inviting. Subscribers can also be generated using social media platforms and direct messaging. By generating and cultivating leads, you can develop effective sales strategies targeted at your growing audience. Once you have more contacts, you must continue interacting with them in the process of lead nurturing. This is one of the best pools to draw more sales from; hence it is an opportunity not to be missed.

Account-Based Marketing During times of a pandemic, your business may be unable to focus on lead generation given a reduced team or budget. If that is the case or a well-established brand with enough leads, then having an account-based marketing strategy can lead to a highly effective sales strategy. To do this, you›ll need to work with the existing database of potential customers you have and devise a highly targeted plan for them. By focusing on these segments of existing potential customers, you can make direct sales. This requires a substantial amount of in-depth research on your customer base.

Digital Marketing One of the best ways to improve your sales strategy is to focus on digital marketing. Develop specific campaigns and be active with your database to remain relevant and present. Solidifying your content strategy with the likes of videos and high-value content magnets will attract and engage audiences. This all boils down to communicating with your audience effectively. During a pandemic, this will likely require you to change your marketing messages. Advertising through online channels 26

can also be an effective way to increase your presence and encourage more sales in a highly targeted yet cost-effective manner. Ensure your digital marketing is comprehensive and well-rounded so that you do not neglect any channels. A primary example of this is email marketing, which continues to be a highly effective way to draw traffic to your website.

How to Increase Sales Re-evaluate Your Offering To increase your sales, you need to audit your current product and/or service offering. Consider whether it is still relevant to your audience or adjustments that need to be made and introduced. Ask yourself how your business can offer the audience a solution, both for the time being and in the future. Beyond the products and services you offer, you need to consider how you provide value. This does not have to be tangible; in fact, one of the best ways to do this is through the content you create and share. By being helpful, you are giving your online community something extra. This is also important because it is an extension of your brand communication. During a pandemic, your business needs to be transparent with its audience. People want to know how you›re affected and what you›re doing about it. If your business is supporting your employees further within the wider community or than is required, be sure to share it. They also want reassurance on a personal level that you›re taking all of the necessary precautions so that they remain safe. In summary, by offering relevant products, providing value, and being transparent, you can increase your sales and customer loyalty.

More Sales Channels A simple way to increase your sales is to be present and available across all channels. In the world of online, this means e-commerce, marketplaces, and social media platforms. It works because you are opening up more ways for your audience to reach you and make direct purchases, though this needs to be managed well to be effective. With the aim of increasing sales, you need to ensure that the sales experience online is as good as it can be for your customers. It is ideal for those moving or integrating to online channels to invest in technology to automate these processes. Depending on your business and industry, this may support or replace the brick and mortar model for the pandemic’s duration and the period that follows. In addition to this, retailers need to consider how they can prepare for demands from their customers. Inventory management and planning are imperative, as in many cases, pent-up demand for certain products is to be expected as the pandemic waves are felt. When looking at increasing sales, the focus is to have what your customers want, when they wish, and, importantly, where and how they want it.

Communicate with Customers Communication is one of the most important things for a business operating during a pandemic. People need to be informed and reassured through the messaging that you share with them. There are many ways in which your business needs to communicate with its audience. They want to know what›s going on behind the scenes and have easy access for purposes of reaching out to you if necessary. If you offer services, ensure that it is possible to set up virtual appointments, and if you have new online channels, you need to publicize that. Communication goes hand in hand with customer service. Offering after-hours services will demonstrate your commitment, care, and efforts to make customers happy. This is a great time to rely on

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customer support services, which can bridge the gap between any setbacks (such as delayed delivery services) due to the pandemic. Do this to decrease the returns made and increase the number of repeat customers. Any changes that can prepare your audience for what to expect will go a long way, as will a high level of empathy. Your marketing team should carefully consider your marketing messages, brand voice, and tone to offend during such sensitive times. It will improve customer satisfaction with your brand and improve your sales indirectly over the long term.

Start Planning Ahead To increase your sales, you’ll need to implement effective planning. During a pandemic, businesses must be agile and need to play by ear in many cases. However, planning needs to come into play to ensure that there is an overall strategy. When drawing up the plans, you need to factor in the current situation and your mid and long-term outlook. This will ensure that your business model is successful, making the most sales possible and ensuring sustainability for the future. This includes your

operations management and systems catering to the sales flow, as well as noting any postponements or changes to inventory requirements that have come into effect. Many suppliers will be facing their own challenges, so working closely with them during a pandemic is necessary to improve business relations and secure your own sales plans. Finally, you’ll need to plan according to the budget you have to spend throughout the company. The pandemic spells financial drawbacks for many businesses, so you will need to find ways to make do with less cash. Keeping realistic expectations in mind is also necessary during a pandemic, as your customers will also be feeling the effects of lockdowns and restrictions in various ways.

Adjust Your Marketing Strategy Marketing will undoubtedly change during the pandemic. For many businesses, the launching of specific campaigns will be necessary to carry through your business’s changes.

If your budget changes, this too will have an impact on your marketing strategy. This is one of the most important aspects of your business during a pandemic. Your strategy will be the vehicle you use to communicate with your audience, as mentioned above. When sharing your marketing messages with your audience, the element of connections and interactivity through online channels and communities will be more important than ever. It will likely continue, and your business merely being there and being responsive can significantly improve your sales. Consider using highly targeted advertising through marketing and provide your customers with a better visual experience online. This means you need to share high-quality, diverse imagery and videos that pertain to your brand. For instance, launching campaigns that showcase your product in a lifestyle context can help engage, please, and encourage sales. The key to your marketing strategy will be to remain relevant and present for your audience online throughout the pandemic. When it comes to improving sales through marketing, engagement, direct sales, email campaigns, and direct messages are the way to go. If you aren’t visible in multi-modal formats that include live broadcasts, now is the time!

Improve Your SEO While marketing budgets are typically cut during a pandemic, businesses can still retain traffic to their website through SEO. While this is due to preemptive content strategies, you can always use the time of slowed activity to improve your SEO rankings. To do this, you need to be creating a mix of news-based and evergreen content. Other actions to take are revisiting your older content posts and reworking them to ensure that they’re up to the latest SEO requirements and ensuring your website’s pages are loading quickly. By doing this, you’ll improve your website’s ranking and views, thereby increasing the number of opportunities to make more sales. There you have it, eight effective sales strategies that’ll help your business during a pandemic, and the six methods to implement to increase your sales. The choice of which techniques mentioned above will depend on your company and industry, providing you with better ways to grow your reach and close deals. 27

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eCommerce Launch: 10 Tips to Get Started the Right Way By: Shannon Correia

Get Down to Business

Plan Your Products

The first step is to have a business plan. This is a fundamental master document that will outline your plans for the business. It is essential to create this thorough plan if you’re to get started on the right note. If you need buy-ins, this document will be your go-to. More than that, it will ensure you have thought about each step and devised the necessary policies and processes for your store once it’s up and running. It should include everything from the mission statement to things like your refund policy (in line with your country’s consumer regulations) and the payment options your customers will have.

Your idea for the product or service you›d like to sell is arguably what will make or break your business. There needs to be a clearly defined USP that sets you apart from your competitors, and this product or service will need to present consumers with a solution that›ll improve their lives. A big part of this includes sourcing your products if required. Many new eCommerce businesses use the drop-shipping model, which can help keep your start-up costs low. Whichever method you go with, securing contacts for sourcing over the long term is vital, as well as accurately forecasting what you›ll need for the launch.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

The Name

Advertising and Public Relations

To get your eCommerce store started right, you need to select a memorable name. When doing so, it is best to check that there are no copyright issues with it. Then, you need to secure your domain name. The name is the point of departure for your branding, another all-important and exciting stage. Since your shop will live online, everything the customer sees related to your brand needs to be well planned out. You’ll need a unique aesthetic that people will be excited about and come to recognize over time. Carefully consider the brand identity (or your business’s story), messaging, and designs.

Advertising online is a must when planning to launch an eCommerce business. Opt for search engine adverts, as well as social media advertising. Research your audiences carefully to ensure the ads will be appealing to them. Another essential element is public relations. Inviting influencers and media to try your products before a launch can help build rapport for your brand. Both advertising and public relations are crucial pre-launch, though the goal should be to have them ongoing to build momentum and help your business achieve sustained growth.

Pick Your Platforms

Testing and Building

One of the key points for getting started the right way is based on the platforms you choose. There are several hosting sites for your eCommerce store, some of which come with easyto-use templates and various integrations to make it easy to run and manage your store. Creating your store with all of the descriptions, visuals, and design elements are critical at this stage, and you should ensure that everything is optimized for best practices. You will also need to select which additional channels you’d like to use to sell your products, as many social media platforms now offer eCommerce businesses the opportunity to sell directly within their apps.

The final step in getting your eCommerce store launched the right way all about preparing, testing, and building. By that we mean, you need to have all systems ready to go on the back end, which will help you going forward. You need to have an SEO strategy in place and start working towards that and all of the analytical tools that will help you measure success in relation to your goals. Building and nurturing your customer database is a highly valuable resource, so having the tools needed to do so is paramount. To do this, ensure your store and all of its assets are secured. It is ideal to do a test run to be sure you’re ready to launch.

Managing Your Ops

The Launch Event

The roles that are set out in the business plan will need to be actualized and tested out. Depending on your sales forecasts, you should host a test run of how the operations behind the scenes will play out. Ecommerce stores may be run entirely by one person or a team of people, but either way, it needs to work seamlessly. The goal is to have an efficient workflow that minimizes the turnaround time between orders placed and received. Customer service is of great importance and can be a differentiating factor for your brand, even before a launch. Take care of being ready to be responsive to all incoming queries.

Even though your business will live online, a launch event needs to occur. Building anticipation about your brand is critical. Plan a campaign for the opening of your business. Many businesses opt for promotions that apply to first time buyers, such as free delivery on the first order. Consider what will work best and share it widely. Align your marketing and advertising plans with these plans and ensure that you create the necessary media assets to support them. This will need to be supported by advertising, marketing, and PR. Your team should be ready and raring to go to fulfill all of its first orders.

Shipping and Packaging

Ready, Set, Launch

When it comes to eCommerce, there is a great deal of emphasis placed on ‘unboxing.” Before getting to that stage, ensure your store gets started on the right note, carefully assess which courier company you’d like to work with. They should be reliable partners as any delivery issues will ultimately be a reflection of your business. The shipping rates are also highly influential for customers, though if there’s one focal area that will set your business apart, it’s your packaging. Many eCommerce stores include a handwritten note with deliveries or reusable branded boxes - these are all opportunities and will add to consumer excitement about your brand.

By working with the above as a checklist for your eCommerce store, you’ll be ready to open your virtual doors the right way. Having a successful launch is as crucial as first impressions, so ensure your store is well planned and managed to build up a growing and loyal customer base. Each step holds its level of importance, so make sure you meet each one’s requirements before you launch to the public.

Marketing Social media marketing goes hand in hand with eCommerce businesses. Utilize these channels to promote your brand and its products. These online communities are a great way to build brand awareness and followings. Marketing needs to be a consistent activity that begins before your eCommerce launch. Plan and develop promotions and campaigns to excite your customers. Reaching and engaging with audiences on social media, even if you opt not to sell directly to them on social media, will be key to growing your business. This needs to reflect your business’s branding and provisions for high-quality content creation need to be made suited to each platform.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

What is the best CRM for Enterprise Businesses? By: Toni Becker

ustomer Relationship Management software has become the most sought after strategy for developing, retaining and acquiring customers. This advanced software ensures that every interaction between a business and consumer is smooth and efficient, which in turn increases overall business profit. This kind of strategy is quickly becoming a necessity for large organisations as it provides a centralised location to house all customer data and lead information and is designed to monitor sales processes, and track overall business performance. CRMs are fast becoming business necessities, and this demand has seen hundreds of CRM solutions pop up on the market. It is important that you do your research when deciding on the platform for your business as many of these platforms do not offer the tools you need for your specific business goals and objectives. Some CRMs are exclusively designed for smaller businesses and start-ups, while others are designed specifically for large corporations and big businesses. The key is to find a CRM that is able to scale with your business and grow with your team. If you run an enterprise or large business you should invest in a CRM that is able to manage your capacity, and has the power to grow as your business grows. So, what is the best CRM for enterprise businesses?

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

Introducing HubSpot CRM HubSpot is an inbound marketing and sales software designed to assist businesses in attracting potential clients, converting leads, closing deals and nurturing client relationships. What sets HubSpot apart as a powerful platform for large business is that it can be scaled to suit your needs, and is not limited to a small number of users. HubSpot has been created to provide a full CRM solution that is fully integrated with your marketing and sales platforms, ensuring you receive the best value for money and a return on your investment.

Why Choose HubSpot CRM for Enterprise Businesses Sales and Marketing Alignment HubSpot marries marketing and sales, something that has been lacking in the business world for decades. Before CRMs, there was a severe disconnect between sales and marketing teams, with marketers driving and distributing leads, and handing them over to the sales team without any further discussion and without lead qualification. HubSpot has been able to turn this system on its head and offers a system that marries these two departments. HubSpot has the power to create what has affectionately become known as “smarketing.” In fact, every account tab in the CRM makes it easy to move between the sales and marketing dashboards - and everything within the software directly links the two departments. For example: As soon as a contact in your CRM takes a specific action, whether it be engaging with a social media post, opening an email or visiting your website, the marketing team is able to assign the contact to a salesperson and the contact will be changed to a lead. The HubSpot CRM is also able to launch and analyse marketing campaigns, and provide greater insight into audience behaviour and trends through reporting features. This helps marketing and sales teams better understand what the audience is looking for, what is working and what messaging best suits a specific lead. The issue with most of the CRM systems available is that they only cover the sales aspect of CRM while HubSpot CRM offers an all inclusive system in this regard.

In-depth Insights It is all well and good to offer a place that stores contact information, but where do these contacts come from? What interaction have your contacts had with your business? What is their buyer intent? What percentage of deals were closed because of social media or search engine marketing?

Because of HubSpot’s in-depth tracking, integration and reporting capabilities, your business is able to track revenue and keep an eye on your marketing and sales progress. Thanks to these reports, your team is able to make changes and tweaks to your marketing and sales strategy, adapting to what has been learned from the reports. HubSpot also offers revenue reports that can track your closed revenue for the year and set specific quotas. And that is not all, your sales team is able to set up daily, weekly, monthly and even annual sales goals on the platform and they are able to track their progress - optimising performance.

Sales Sequences A Sales Sequence is a series of automated tasks, emails, notes, call reminders, or actions that can convert contacts into qualified leads and clients. And CRM Sales sequences have changed the game for large businesses. HubSpot provides sales sequences for every potential lead source and can vary between leads due to their preference and intent. That is, if a lead is in the beginning of the buying cycle (the research phase), your sales sequence can send out an informative email that isn’t just set up as a sales pitch, whereas if a lead is further down the sales pipeline, your CRM will send out communications designed to close a sale. The HubSpot CRM allows you to place certain leads into certain sequences that will automatically input their contact information and drip them personalised, automated followup emails that guide them through the sales funnel. This kind of process ensures your sales team is always up to date, and eliminates any opportunity for human error and miscommunication between your business and a lead. This kind of advanced sales and marketing automation software ensures your leads receive communication from your business that is triggered based on specific actions, which in turn cultivates personalised relationships with high quality leads and has the power to convert them into clients. This is particularly helpful for large businesses, with larger sales teams that generate a lot of leads, as lead data and lead communication can quickly become buried amongst papers, sticky notes, and hundreds of emails.

Never Forget or Double Book a Meeting Salespeople have a lot of menial tasks they need to complete before they can even begin concentrating on their actual job at hand. From setting up meetings, organising communication, and following up with potential clients, these long winded tasks waste a lot of time and money. But of course, HubSpot is here to save the day! The HubSpot CRM seamlessly integrates with your calendar which can then be synced to the Sales Sequences tools. This means that the software is able to add the booked meetings to the leads contact record - helping your sales team keep track of all communications and meetings. This may not be a “wow factor” feature - but it is incredibly helpful. Just ask any salesperson…

These are all important marketing and sales questions that the HubSpot CRM is able to answer.

Digital Growth - Feb. 2021

Data Collection in a Centralised Location A powerful CRM compiles and stores in-depth customer data from a variety of channels, or points of contact, between the lead/customer and a business. HubSpot does just that and is able to compile and store lead information from a variety of touch points including a company’s website, live chat, email, marketing materials, social networks and telephonic conversations. Having in depth customer information such as data regarding past purchases and online interactions, helps customer support representatives provide greater service, and helps the sales team understand buyer intent - making closing sales that much easier.

In Conclusion Any organisation with a large customer base would benefit from using a CRM system as it is an incredible asset for any sales team, ensuring they are able to find all the data they require to generate leads and close a sale, while making the customer experience as streamlined and positive as possible.

DIGITAL GROWTH February 2021 | ISSUE 5

Digital Growth Magazine - Issue 5: February 2021

Articles inside

What is the best CRM for Enterprise Businesses?

eCommerce Launch: 10 Tips to Get

Sales Strategies During an Ongoing Pandemic

All You Need to Know About the

If Pandemics are Here to Stay, What

How can I identify a good lead versus

The Future of Video Content is

What is Prospect Lead Scoring?

12 Ways to Drive Signups for your Webinars

Social Media App of the Moment: Clubhouse

MarTech

Letter from the editor