Algorithms shape the digital landscape. For businesses, marketers, and content creators, keeping up with regular updates to algorithms, especially ones as influential as Google’s, can be the difference between digital visibility and obscurity. Google’s primary goal is to deliver the most relevant results to its users. As user behaviour, technology, and the online environment change, so too does the Google algorithm.

Here’s why it’s essential to keep up with these changes and how to do it effectively:

1. Understand the Purpose of Algorithm Changes

Google’s algorithm updates aim to improve the user experience. Whether it’s cracking down on low-quality content, spammy link-building practices, or rewarding mobile-friendly sites, each update focuses on making the search results more accurate and relevant.

By understanding the intent behind these changes, businesses can better align their strategies with what search engines (and, ultimately, users) deem valuable.

2. Stay Informed

With hundreds of minor updates a year and several major ones, staying informed can seem like a full-time job. Some reliable sources to keep an eye on include:

– Google’s Official Blog: Where they often announce significant updates and their intentions.
– Industry Blogs: Sites like Moz, Search Engine Land, and Search Engine Journal regularly cover updates and their implications.
– SEO Forums and Communities: Platforms like Webmaster World and the SEO subreddits are filled with practitioners discussing the latest changes.

3. Regularly Audit Your Website

Even if you’re following best practices, updates can affect your site’s performance. Regular SEO audits can identify potential issues, like sudden drops in traffic, that may be linked to recent algorithm changes. Tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and various third-party platforms can be valuable in these audits.

4. Avoid Short-Term Tactics

The history of Google updates shows that shortcuts and manipulative tactics (often called “black-hat SEO”) tend to get penalised in the long run. Instead of looking for quick wins, focus on building genuine value through high-quality content, a great user experience, and natural link-building.

5. Be Adaptable

The digital landscape is ever-evolving. Businesses that succeed in this environment are often those that can pivot quickly and adapt their strategies based on new data and changes in the ecosystem.

6. Diversify Your Traffic Sources

While Google is a dominant source of traffic for many, it’s wise not to put all your eggs in one basket. Consider other traffic sources, such as social media, email marketing, and other search engines, to ensure that if one channel faces challenges, others can compensate.

7. Engage with the SEO Community

One of the best ways to stay informed and adapt to changes is by engaging with others in the field. Attend SEO conferences, join webinars, and participate in online discussions. The collective wisdom and experience of the community can be invaluable in navigating algorithm changes.

In Conclusion

Algorithm updates, especially from giants like Google, can feel intimidating. However, by understanding the purpose behind these changes, staying informed, and prioritising long-term strategies over short-term tactics, businesses can not only weather these updates but thrive in the ever-changing digital environment. Remember, at the heart of every algorithm change is an attempt to make the online world more user-friendly. Align with this mission, and you’ll always be on the right path.

Did you know only 2% of online shoppers convert on their first visit to an e-commerce store? 

The cold harsh truth is that most people who visit your website for the first time leave without making a purchase. Maybe it’s because they aren’t ready to commit yet or they simply get distracted before clicking the ‘Buy Now’ button (our attention span is shorter than a goldfish’s after all).  

In general, first-time visitors leave without converting and rarely return to your website when they don’t have a reason to. But here’s a secret: there’s a way to bring them back.  

Retargeting gives you a second or maybe even a third chance to re-engage your past visitors by reminding them of your brand and products after they leave your website.

To put it in a nutshell, retargeting uses simple tracking codes that allow you to show highly relevant ads to visitors when they visit other web pages or scroll through Facebook and Instagram. 

Ultimately, ad retargeting strategies can help increase the visibility of your brand. And by reaching prospects and potential customers that have already expressed an interest in your services or products, retargeting is a surefire way to get them to buy. 

Need more convincing? Read on for retargeting statistics that just might blow you away.

Retargeting Statistics You Need to Know

Here are five statistics that will make you strongly consider implementing retargeting into your digital marketing strategy:

1. According to Wishpond, retargeting ad campaigns perform ten times better than regular display banners.
2. Criteo saw a 43% increase in conversions with retargeted ads.
3. According to CMO, 25% of online shoppers enjoy seeing retargeted ads because they serve as reminders of the brands and products they were already interested in.
4. A Pew Research Center study on privacy found that 47% of consumers are happy to share their information for better deals.
5. MotoCMS reveals that retargeting can reduce cart abandonment by 6.5% and increase sales by 20%.

Retargeting vs Remarketing: What’s the Difference?

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s answer the burning question: what’s the difference between retargeting and remarketing? 

‘Retargeting’ and ‘remarketing’ are often used interchangeably because they help you achieve the same goals.

Both target people who already visited your website and showed interest in your products. Both re-engage people are most likely to convert. Both help you build brand awareness and increase visibility.

While they have a handful of similarities, retargeting and remarketing use different digital marketing tactics to accomplish these goals. 

Retargeting uses paid ads on websites, social media, email, and other platforms to target audiences who have visited your web pages or your social media profiles.On the other hand, remarketing often uses email campaigns to re-engage old customers who have already done business with your brand. To learn more about remarketing, visit our digital service page: Remarketing.

How Retargeting Works

So how exactly do retargeting ads work? 

After leaving your website, a visitor will start to see your targeted ads while browsing other online stores, reading a blog post, or scrolling through Instagram. How is this possible?

Retargeting ads use simple pieces of code placed on your website to track a new visitor’s browser cookies. Their cookies will then alert the retargeting platform you are using – Google Ads, AdRoll, or Facebook Ads, for example – to display the most relevant visual or text ads as they browse other websites or scroll through social media. 

Any code placed on your site to run retargeting campaigns will not collect or view personally identifiable information including email addresses, phone numbers, and credit card numbers.

To dive a little bit deeper, let’s talk about the two main types of retargeting: pixel-based and list-based.

Pixel-Based Retargeting

Pixel-based retargeting is a great way to keep your products at the forefront of any anonymous visitor’s mind. When a visitor lands on your website, a piece of JavaScript code (aka a pixel) drops an anonymous cookie on their browser.

The pixel acts like a stamp on an online user’s digital passport – it shows that they have travelled to your website or browsed your landing page. 

When the visitor leaves your website, the cookie nudges the retargeting platform you’re using to show specific ads to that visitor based on the pages they visited.

Pixel-based retargeting wastes no time – it re-engages lost customers almost immediately after they leave your website. Because they already showed interested in your products, these customers might be more inclined to visit your site again and complete the purchase after they see your ad.

List-Based Retargeting

If you already have an extensive list of email addresses in your database, you may want to take advantage of list-based retargeting. 

The process involves uploading the email addresses to your chosen retargeting platform. The platform (Facebook Ads, for example) will then identify users on the network who own those email addresses and display ads only to those users. 

List-based retargeting gives you full control over what kind of ad is shown only to a specific audience based on information that you’ve already collected and online behaviour traits. Because it is highly customised and controlled, this hyper-targeted strategy gives you the best chances for clicks and sales. 

However, it is worth noting that list-based retargeting requires a bit more time to execute. You’re in charge of uploading and maintaining the list of email addresses. We recommend using this if you have a smaller budget. If you’re looking for a more timely and automatic strategy, then opt for pixel-based retargeting. 

Both pixel-based retargeting and list-based retargeting have their own sets of advantages as well as disadvantages. Choose the strategy that best suits the goal you want to accomplish. 

Complement Your Digital Marketing Efforts With Retargeting 

When done right, retargeting can be an extremely powerful digital marketing tactic in driving any type of conversion. Whether you’re looking to build brand awareness or increase sales, retargeting ad campaigns can help you get there quicker and cheaper than a regular online ad.

It’s news to no one that having an online presence is a necessity for any business and brand in today’s digital age. Out of all the channels and tools that can help you build a strong digital marketing strategy for your business, social media has the most eyeballs and ways of keeping users engaged.

Just take a look at the stats:

• In 2021, over 4.26 billion people globally were on social media. That’s over half of the population and this number is projected to increase to almost 6 billion by 2027.
• According to Search Engine Watch, 71% of consumers are more likely to base their buying decisions on what they’ve seen on social media.

Yet many social media experts will tell you it’s not about having a profile on any and every network. There’s a lot that goes into knowing, reaching and engaging with your target audience. In other words, you need a specialized social media strategy that serves your business goals and complements your business’ overall digital marketing strategy.

In this article, we’ll break down the ins and outs of building a social media strategy.

• What is a social media strategy?
• The differences between a social media marketing, content and engagement strategy
• 6 steps for building a social media strategy

What is a social media strategy?

A social media strategy outlines your social media goals, tactics and the metrics you will be using to track your performance. It is the plan that guides how you create and post content, and engage on social media.

Tactically, this can include everything from resource allocation, establishing content and engagement guidelines, developing campaigns, and determining when and how frequently you will post.

While this might seem overwhelming, it does not have to be complicated. It is best to keep your social media strategy simple and specific to your brand. With meaningful data tracking, keep in mind that you can keep tweaking and gradually building upon your strategy to make it more effective over time.

Social media marketing, content and engagement

It may help to think of social media strategy broken up into three distinct areas:

Social media marketing

A social media marketing strategy is your starting point and throughline in directing your social media activities. It involves bringing together foundational elements like your target audience and brand identity before developing campaigns and producing content. Author and digital strategist Julie Atherton calls this approach “ABC” for an audience, brand, and campaign.

In the age of Tiktok, there’s a real temptation to be reactive to what is trending. Having a strategy that underpins everything you do will keep you grounded and help you determine what makes sense for your business.

Content

Content is where the rubber meets the road in engaging your audience, representing your brand and tracking your performance. A content strategy focuses on formatting, production and outputs.

Content creation requires planning and research into the campaigns, topics, and formats that will most effectively reach and engage your audience. You will also have to consider your messaging, tone, and the specifications you will be using for each social network. Lastly, tracking how your posts perform and analyzing the data serves as crucial information to optimise your content (i.e. telling you what’s working and what’s not)

Engagement

Social media offers a completely different and exciting way for brands to engage with their audience and customers. They provide a two-way street for businesses to promote their products and services, and for customers to publicly interact and influence how brands present themselves and what they offer. 

An engagement strategy is how you manage your community and grow your following. While certainly related, this is not to be confused with engagement as a metric, referring to the number of times people took an action on your post. These include clicks, shares, comments, or reactions. Social environments require responsible and responsive customer service and thoughtful ways of generating interactions. What are some unique valuable offerings you can share with your social media audience? Some examples might include educational content, free downloadable digital products, or giveaway competitions.

What are the steps for building a social media strategy?

• Set realistic goals

Taking the time to define specific and achievable goals will have a big payoff in guiding your strategy, budget, and day-to-day activities. It helps to start with a big-picture objective that answers why your business is active on social media and what you want to achieve. 

According to the 2021 Sprout Social Index, the most common goals for social were increasing brand awareness (58%) and increasing community engagement (41%). Others include generating leads and sales, learning more about your target audience, or growing your following. While you may want to achieve all of these, less is more, as each will involve different tactics.  

From there you will want to outline your goals according to their relevant metrics or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), your resources, and your timeframe. Using the S.M.A.R.T framework is always helpful here.

• Learn about your target audience

To understand who your target audience is and what they want, start by defining their key demographics (age, gender, income, interests, etc.). From here, you’ll want to spend time doing market research through online surveys or focus groups. Defining a buyer profile and having buyer insights will help you to create a buyer persona — a picture of your ideal customer. While the aim is to narrow down, you can have more than one persona, which will allow you to capture different demographics, insights, and needs.

• Decide which social platforms work best for you

As we’ve covered, you want to avoid being present on all social platforms for the sake of it. How do you choose the best channels to reach your audience? Research which key networks your target audience is spending the most time. It will also depend on what most intuitively suits your business and the type of content your produce. For example, Instagram is popular among younger audiences and is a great visual platform to showcase your products and connect with influencers. However, if your ideal customers are industry professionals, you would benefit more from LinkedIn, as a platform that provides businesses with a way to connect with both B2B and B2C communities. 

• Plan out your content

For each social platform you choose, you’ll want to create a separate yet coordinated plan for your content. Each platform has its own tone, so it’s important to determine the tone of your brand and how you want to speak on each (i.e. formal or informal, sense of humour or more serious?).  Some other helpful tips include coming up with content themes or buckets; creating a content calendar, and scheduling your content to take advantage of optimum days and times for networks and ensure you’re keeping up with the pace of social media with consistent posts. 

• Connect with and manage your community

Connections on social media can lead to great communities that build awareness and engagement with your brand. But this kind of community takes time and nurture, and the key to building it is to be responsive. Responding to queries and comments quickly, with the aim of being helpful and positive in a way that fosters human-to-human connection will not only help you avoid a crisis but will nurture trust. Another tool for connecting with your community is to ask questions and seek feedback or input on a product through polls or surveys. 

• Measure and assess your results

Take full advantage of the tools social media platforms offer to help businesses track analytics. You’ll not only want to see how much traffic your social media accounts drive to your website but what posts people are engaging with the most. You’ll be able to identify trends related to particular topics and content types, and what generates the most interest.

Once you gather these insights, it’s time to reassess what’s working and what isn’t, adjusting your strategy and setting renewed goals across key metrics (e.g. new followers, interactions, visits to your website).

Sources

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/social-media-strategy-for-your-business
https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/social-media-strategy
https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/podcasts/podcast-016-practical-social-media-strategy-julie-atherton
https://www.forbes.com/sites/goldiechan/2022/03/28/how-to-think-intelligently-about-social-media-strategy-in-2022/?sh=6d8b8097919c
https://www.searchenginewatch.com/2020/11/20/how-social-media-influence-71-consumer-buying-decisions/

Did you buy those jeans that were on sale? Or subscribed to receive monthly personalised hair products out of curiosity? Or booked a flight to Europe that you (let’s be real) probably couldn’t afford because you didn’t want to miss out on a great deal? Every action you take on the internet is likely because of a shiny, persuasive call-to-action or, as the cool kids call it, a CTA. 

Shop Now. Discover More. Subscribe. You see call-to-action everywhere online on landing pages, emails, and even social media posts. They come in many different forms – a button, a text hyperlink, or just plain text.  

When done right, CTAs tell your target audience to take a specific action through persuasive messaging and, of course, attention-grabbing design.

When crafting a call-to-action, the possibilities are virtually endless! They can be as short and as creative as you want them to be. 

But why exactly do you need CTAs? Imagine a landing page without a CTA button. It’s like a front door without a handle. Yes, your prospects are on your page. But with no CTA in sight, they have nowhere else to go. As a result, they leave and you lose significant conversions.  

According to Unbounce, more than 90% of web users who read the headline on your banner also read your CTA copy. CTAs are also effective in email marketing. According to WordStream, emails with a single CTA increased clicks by 371% and sales by a whopping 1617%! What would be more convincing than that? 

In this article, we’ll share a few tips and tricks on how to write the perfect call-to-action. But first, let’s talk about the different types of CTAs.

3 Key Types of Call-to-Actions

1. Lead Generator

Lead generation calls-to-action aim to convert visitors into – you guessed it – leads. Placement is key when it comes to lead generators. Typically, these CTAs go on the hero banner of homepages or landing pages where content sees the highest percentage of eyeballs.

2. Digital Word Of Mouth

Social sharing CTAs are more powerful than you think. These are the calls-to-action that go on the sidebar of a landing page or even on the social post itself. When used effectively, these CTAs nudge your audience to spread the word about your brand to their friends and followers on social media platforms.

3. The Guide

There’s no shortage of “Learn More”, “Discover More”, or “Find Out More” on the internet. These are the most used CTAs on web pages, blogs, emails, and social media posts. And for good reason. Simple yet effective, these CTAs guide users to blogs and other resources that they may find useful.

Now for the fun part…

5 Tips for Creating Persuasive Call-to-Actions

1. Use Action Words

Remember: less is more. Be clear and direct with your CTA. There’s no need to write a whole sentence – sorry, but ain’t nobody got time for that. Seriously. A Nielsen research study shows that, on average, users will read at most 28% of the words on a web page during their visit. And users often leave a site in 10-20 seconds if they’re not interested.

With that in mind, your CTA needs to get straight to the point if you want your visitors to stay on your site. 

If you run an online store, for example, use action words like “Buy”, “Order”, or “Save” in your CTA.

No one pulls off minimal aesthetics better than Apple. Their visuals never fail to get straight to the point. And clearly, neither do their call-to-action. 

2. Get Creative

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. When it comes to writing persuasive call-to-action, creativity is always key.

Headspace keeps it simple with their primary CTA, but they get creative with the surrounding copy. Not only does the copy provide more context, but it also gives prospects a clear picture of what they will receive when they try the app.

This example illustrates that CTAs are a great way to show off your brand’s personality, so you may as well get witty with it! 

3. Provide a Solution

Always let your unique value proposition take centre stage. Communicate why customers should choose to buy your products, subscribe to your newsletter, or sign up for your services.

Whatever your value proposition is, your CTA needs to highlight how your service or product will solve a customer’s problem. Need to come up with a unique value proposition? Check out our step-by-step guide here. 

Let’s take Notion, project management and note-taking tool, as an example. The current banner on their homepage highlights their unique value proposition clearly in the copy. It gets to the point right from the get-go and is followed by a strong call-to-action: “Get Notion free”. To us, that screams “Click me”.   

4. Create Urgency

How often have you clicked on a “Shop Now” button because you didn’t want to miss out on a sale? We get it. FOMO is a real thing. We wouldn’t want to miss out on the latest and greatest trends either.

eCommerce stores like ASOS create urgency unlike any other. With big, bold CTAs like “Free Delivery”, “Up to 30% Off”, or “Limited Time Only”, you can trigger the fear of missing out and prompt your customers to act ASAP.

5. Go Big, Go Bold

Colours matter when designing your CTA (as well as the copy and the visual elements around it, of course).

Different colours evoke different emotions. In general, warm colours such as red, yellow and orange, can spark a sense of urgency. Cool colours such as green, blue and purple on the other hand, often evoke feelings of calm and security. 

Ultimately, the colour that you choose for your CTA will depend on your website design. But always make sure that the colour you pick stands out against the background. The bolder, the better

Other things you need to consider when crafting your CTA button are the shape and its size. Again, these will depend on your site design. Our tip is to make your button big enough so it stands out, but not so big that it ruins your overall page design.

As for the shape, you’ll need to A/B test what works best for your business. Though most of the time, rounded buttons tend to perform better than buttons with sharp, square edges. 

If you want to learn more about designing high-performing web pages with effective CTAs, check out our service page: Performance Website Design. 

Get Inspired By These Examples of Effective Call To Actions

Before we wrap up the article, here are a few more examples of effective CTAs for inspiration: 

Netflix

Bark Box

Madewell

MUD\WTR

Audible

Get Crafty

Evidently, CTAs are more than just a button or a link on a page. When done right, they prompt customers to buy your products, subscribe to your newsletter, follow you on social media, or read your blog.

When designing your next landing page or putting together your next social media campaign, take a more detailed look at your CTA – from copy to colour. Use our tips and tricks above to make sure you get your message across and skyrocket your conversions. Don’t be afraid to experiment, and make sure you track performance to get maximum clicks! 

From crafting high-converting CTAs to optimising your entire website, our digital marketing experts are here to help! Check out our Digital Marketing Services page to learn more about what we can provide. Or give us a call today to chat about your business needs.   

Your company’s value proposition articulates why customers should work with or buy from your company over a competitor. But exactly how does it do that? And how do you develop a value proposition that’s compelling enough to make an impact and increase conversion rates? 

In this article, we’ll cover what a value proposition is, why it’s important, and how to create a strong value proposition statement. 

What Is a Value Proposition?

A value proposition is a statement that communicates why customers should choose your products or services. 

More than just a product description, an effective value proposition explains how the product or service you provide creates value in a customer’s life. 

The best value propositions are clear, concise, and to the point. And they should be written in a language that customers will easily understand and resonate with. After all, a value proposition is your promise to customers of the value they are going to receive from your business. If they don’t understand your promise, how are they going to trust you?

Why Is It Important to Have a Great Value Proposition?

As illustrated with the LIFT Model by WiderFunnel, there are six key conversion factors to consider when evaluating the digital experiences you’re providing customers. 

The LIFT Model draws on a few factors including clarity, relevance, distraction, urgency, and anxiety. But at the heart of the model is the value proposition. 

Having a strong value proposition is essential for any business as it highlights key characteristics that separate you from competitors. If your customers know what separates you from the rest, it’s much easier for them to trust you. This, in turn, makes it easier for you to close a sale more consistently.

How Do You Develop a Great Value Proposition?

It’s important to create a Value Proposition Canvas before your write your value proposition statement. 

The Value Proposition Canvas is a visual tool created by Alex Osterwalder. Use this tool to help you position your product or service around the needs and wants of your customers. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to make a Value Proposition Canvas: 

Step 1: Create a customer profile to represent your target customer segment

It’s important to start with this section first so that the wants and needs of your customers can influence the overall canvas. 

Look at these three areas: 

Jobs to be done  

What is the job your customer needs to complete? What is the problem they’re trying to solve with your product or service?

Think beyond functional tasks. Include social and emotional tasks.  

Pain points 

For each job, what are the negative experiences associated with getting that job done? What are the risks or undesired costs? 

Group several jobs that may share similar pain points. You can also sort these in order of intensity. 

Gains 

What is your customer expecting to gain from using your product or service? 

Use research to explain what your customers expect from your business to purchase your product. 

Step 2: Create a value proposition map for your products and services

In this section, work out how to address your customer’s needs. In other words, describe what your business can offer to your customers. 

There are three sectors to look at: 

Products and services 

List the products you make or the services you provide that will help your customer complete their functional, social or emotional jobs. Only include your products and services that will create the most gain and alleviate the most pains for your customers. 

Rank these in order of how important they’re likely to be to the customer.

Pain relievers 

How does your product or service help the customer overcome their pain points? How does it eliminate negative experiences, mitigate risks or reduce undesired costs?

Gain creators 

What features do your products or services have that make the customer happy?

Consider the customer’s financial and social goals as well as their psychographics. 

Step 3: Determine how your value proposition fits within the customer profile

In this step, determine how your value proposition fits within the customer profile. Use a ranking process to do this. Prioritise products and services based on how well they address the customer profile.

Elements of a Value Proposition 

Now that you’ve completed the Value Proposition Canvas, you now have a framework for crafting your value proposition statement. 

There are three main elements that you should include in your value proposition: the headline, the sub-headline, and a visual element.

Headline

The headline of your value proposition should articulate the main benefit the customer will gain from purchasing your product or service.

The headline can be as creative and catchy as you want it to be. But remember to keep it clear, concise, and to the point. 

Sub-headline

The sub-headline or paragraph should flesh out the information you highlighted in the headline. Use this section to explain in detail what your company offers, who it serves, and why. 

Visual element

Enhance your message with a video, infographic, or image to capture your audience’s attention. 

You’re All Set!

Several factors can inform and influence a customer’s decision to engage with your business. A value proposition will help you understand your customers better, highlight what separates you from competitors, and articulate why customers should trust you. We hope that these tips and tactics guide you in crafting your unique value proposition! 

The DGA team is composed of dedicated experts in digital conversion and strategy. With over 10 years of experience in digital marketing, our passion lies in helping businesses grow. Whether you want to learn more about your customers or need help developing a unique value proposition, we’ve got you covered.

Fun fact: the first electronic mail was sent in 1971. That’s right, email has been around for over 50 years, predating the internet! 

Over time, email has evolved from being an inter-office messaging channel to a primary digital marketing tool today. With 4 billion daily users and growing, it’s safe to say that email is not going anywhere anytime soon. 

The introduction of cool, contemporary digital marketing channels like social media has led many to believe that email isn’t as effective in reaching customers as it used to be. And you’ve probably heard that email marketing is dying, or already dead, more times than you can count. So, is email marketing really out of the game? Our sources say no.

Email generates a whopping 4200% return on investment (HubSpot, 2022), making it one of the most effective ways to attract and retain customers to this day. 

Still not convinced that email is worth investing time, effort and resources in? Buckle up, because we’re about to blow your mind with astounding email statistics.

Types of Email Marketing

Before we jump into key statistics and some ways to refine your email marketing strategy, let’s talk about five common types of email marketing:

1.Welcome Emails

A welcome email is one of the first impressions a brand makes. It’s the first step in forming a relationship with new prospects, and a friendly welcome message may just be the push they need to interact with your business. 

If it’s nailed right out of the gate, a welcome email can provide prospects with a positive first experience and lead to increased customer retention.

2.Email Newsletters

Stay top of mind and keep your brand relevant with email newsletters. They are a great way for connecting with prospects as well as nurturing existing customers with company news and events, product announcements, upcoming projects and more.

Sent regularly, email newsletters are effective in helping businesses retain happy customers and collect valuable insights for future campaigns. 

3.Lead Nurturing Emails

Often overlooked, lead nurturing is all about taking customers on a journey that may impact buying behaviour. To be successful, it’s important to define your buyer personas to reach your target audience more effectively.

Lead nurturing emails provide more advantages than just an individual email blast because they are more timely, automated and personalised. Email automation technology makes the process possible and simple by sending scheduled emails to leads based on their brand interactions.

As the name suggests, lead nurturing is all about reaching out to leads during every step of the customer journey. The goal of lead nurturing is to establish a connection and build trust over time so your leads are more likely to become paying customers. 

A few high-impact lead nurturing strategies include abandoned cart reminder emails to recover otherwise lost revenue, and retention emails that help brands keep existing customers happy by providing them with longer lifetime value.

4. Promotional Emails

Also known as a standalone email, a promotional email contains information that is sent to your database to promote a specific campaign. They work very similarly to a landing page in that they help set up the context to introduce the main call to action. This can ultimately result in immediate and significant revenue generation.

5. Sponsored Emails

A sponsored email is when you pay a third party to send a blast to their database on your behalf. Sponsored emails can be a great way to reach a different group of audience and gain new potential leads. The biggest flex of sponsorship emails over others is that you can be specific in defining the segment of the audience you want to reach. Used well, this type of email can give you an impressive ROI.

Email Marketing Statistics

The following stats are only the tip of the iceberg in the email marketing world. It’s important to keep in mind that your email marketing performance will vary significantly depending on the message, content and execution. With that said, we’ve scoured the internet for some impressive stats on email marketing that will blow any doubts out of the water.

• There are 4 billion daily email users and is expected to grow to 4.6 billion users by 2025 (Statista, 2022) 
• More than 306 billion emails are sent and received every day (Statista, 2021)
• Across all industries, the average email open rate is 29.87%, the average click rate is 1.32%, and the average bounce rate is 10.12% (Constant Contact, 2022) 
• 31% of B2B marketers report that email newsletters are the best way to nurture leads (Content Marketing Institute, 2020) 
• Marketers generate a 760% increase in revenue when they use segmented email marketing campaigns (Campaign Monitor, 2019) 
• 78% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement over the last 12 months (HubSpot, 2022) 
• Brands that A/B test their emails generate an ROI of 48 to 1 (HubSpot, 2022) 
• A mobile-responsive email design can increase unique mobile clicks by 15% (MailChimp, 2019) 
• 99% of email users check their inbox every day with some checking as much as 20 times a day (OptinMonster, 2020)
• Email reaches about 85% of the people you send it to (OptinMonster, 2020)
• About 60% of consumers subscribe to a brand’s email list to get promotional messages and deals compared to 20% that follow brands on social media (MarketingSherpa, 2016) 
• About 67% of consumers use mobile devices to check their email (OptinMonster, 2020)
• 68% of consumers say that email is the most preferred and most personal way to engage with their favourite brands (Bluecore, 2016)

Email Marketing Best Practices

There is an abundance of tips and best practices available to get the most out of your email marketing efforts. Here are 5 best practices that you can start incorporating into your marketing mix today and launch your email engagement to the next level.

1. Get to Know Your Audience

You need a deep understanding of your audience before you can start emailing them. Start by asking yourself how and when does your audience prefer to communicate, what are their likes and dislikes, and what distinguishes them from the general population?

Once you’ve addressed these questions, you can move on to building an engaged email database.

2. Build Your Email List

You need a database of contacts before you can start sending emails. Whether you’re starting from scratch or you already have an established email list, it’s important to verify that every name on that list was added organically.

You also need to check that each individual subscribed by their own choice and consent. This is so you can weed out any bogus, rented or purchased email addresses from the list and not risk getting blacklisted by major internet service providers. 

Getting recipients organically is the only way to build an engaged recipient base, and keep your open and click rates as high as possible.

3. A/B Test to See What Resonates

Test, test, and test some more. It’s important to A/B test every part of your email. We recommend testing only one element at a time for more conclusive results. Test key elements first such as the subject line or the primary call to action. 

You also need to make sure you have a significant sample size in your testing for it to be applicable. Once you find a winning element, move on to the next test.

4. Personalise Your Emails

Hyper-personalisation has increasingly become an important aspect of digital marketing. For good reason – personalised messages perform better than those that are not personalised or targeted. 

This is true for emails as well. Emails are simply better when they’re personal. Batch-and-blast emails just aren’t going to cut it anymore. Increase your email conversion and engagement rates by including personalisation with the help of intelligent platforms and targeting technology. 

5. Optimise Your Email to Mobile

On average, about 67% of users open their emails on a mobile device. This means you need to adapt your email marketing to accommodate smaller screen sizes. According to Adestra, if your email looks funky on mobile, it’s likely to be deleted within 3 seconds. Ouch.

Avoid losing any potential customers by adopting an email layout that works across all devices. Opt for minimal content length and start including call-to-action buttons, full catalogues and full menus within the body of the email to cut down the path of conversion, create the least amount of friction, and encourage mobile users to engage.

6.Automate Your Email Marketing

As your business flourishes, your pool of contacts will also grow. And when your email list grows, it’ll get more complicated to take a highly-targeted and personalised approach. 

Don’t panic! Luckily, there are tools available that can optimise and automate targeted email touchpoints for you. Using email automation tools allows you to schedule all emails depending on the business parameters that you provide. 

Setting up automation not only makes it easy to find the right audience and engage with customers, but it also increases efficiency and reduces unnecessary interaction with your team members.

So, is email marketing a thing of the past? It’s pretty clear that email marketing is still going strong and is here to stay. It remains to be one of the most relevant and effective ways to reach audiences across all demographics.

Ready to propel your business forward with email marketing? You can count on the DGA Team to do the heavy lifting for you! To find out how to grow your traffic, check out our service page: Email Marketing.

And then the world came to a halt.

2020 was a year like no other. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, a wave of pervasive uncertainty took over and caused disruption across the world. 

At the height of the pandemic, businesses were forced to reassess and shift priorities quickly. Some flourished. Some suffered. Thousands of small businesses had to shut their doors permanently. Many more lost revenue simply because face-to-face sales interaction was no longer an option.

Consistent communication is key to success. But always remember to focus on selling solutions, not products.

It’s safe to say that the pandemic has changed the way consumers seek information, communicate with brands and purchase products. Ultimately, businesses needed to recalibrate and embrace the digital marketplace to stay afloat.  

As we enter a post-pandemic future and adjust to a “new normal”, businesses have an opportunity to respond to challenges and find new ways to connect with customers, create trust and build brand loyalty.

Below are five strategies to kickstart your digital presence and thrive in a post-pandemic marketplace:

1. Embrace the Power of Human Connection

It’s no secret: human connection lies at the heart of physical, mental and emotional well-being. If the pandemic has taught businesses anything, it’s that human interaction and staying connected is necessary, and that it’s crucial to build relationships with customers founded on trust. 

When building your digital presence, make it easy for your customers to connect with your brand and with others. Leverage the power of social media here. For example, if you own an online plant shop, you can set up livestream Q&As, launch a community page, or use Instagram stories to ask questions and invite your followers to answer. 

Consistent communication is key to success. But always remember to focus on selling solutions, not products. Listen to what your customers need and then create solutions for them. This is the first step to building an authentic connection and creating long-term trust.

2. Know Your Customer Segment

Utilising customer segmentation is vital to succeeding in today’s digital marketplace. To optimise your digital marketing efforts and deliver an exceptional experience, you must target specific consumers based on who they are and what their needs are. 

Several factors can be used to segment customers, but the most common include age, gender, location and buying behaviour. 

Your digital marketing efforts and messages need to be personally relevant and aligned to a target customer’s circumstances and values. If you create genuine human connections with your prospects, they will be more likely to engage with your brand and stick around for more.

3. Deliver Hyper-Personalised Experiences

Our reliance on technology skyrocketed overnight as we started working, learning and socialising remotely. The digital surge has also transformed the way people shop. And, naturally, these changes have raised consumer expectations in terms of what brands could provide with digital experiences. 

Businesses are suddenly faced with the challenge of engaging customers who are seeking more authentic, connected and immersive digital interactions. What’s more, customers now expect anticipatory, personalised digital experiences across the entire customer journey, not just at the beginning or at the end. 

Make sure that your digital efforts are meeting customers’ rising expectations with frictionless digital experiences that are relevant to them. Leverage digital tools to help you achieve this. Use real-time analytics, build the right data foundation, and align goals across the customer journey.

4. Stand Behind Great Values

Consumers are becoming more environmentally and socially conscious. It goes without saying that quality, convenience and price play a huge part in consumer choice. But sustainability, ethical sourcing, social responsibility and trust are increasingly becoming important to how consumers select products and services. 

Standing behind a great brand just won’t cut it. You need to stand behind having great values. But do so with the right intentions.

5. Leverage the Latest Digital Tools

Ever-evolving digital transformation and technologies hold the promise of bringing significant positive changes to your business. But you need the right tools to crack open a whole new world of opportunity and catalyse change for sustained results. 

Plunge into social media and start building authentic connections with your customers. Leverage segmentation tools and real-time data analytics to get to know your customers better. Implement content marketing and targeted pay-per-click campaigns to deliver more relevant, hyper-personalised digital experiences. 

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many digital tools available to help kickstart and accelerate your digital marketing efforts today.