“Feeding the Customer Journey”
A good marketer knows to pursue opportunities when and where they are presented. That is why the Site Strategics team attended the Indy AMA lunch on June 14. DK New Media’s CEO Douglas Karr gave a great presentation titled, “Content Marketing: Feeding the Customer Journey.” Bringing his usual charismatic and conversational manner, Karr broke down many of the myths modern marketers accept as fact. In turn, he discussed alternative methods to avoid wasting time on practices that just don’t work.
For Starters…
Starting off with a story of buying his Amazon Echo, Doug dismissed the idea that with so many information channels, it is now nearly impossible to know when a decision to buy is made. Therefore, just because results can’t be measured for some content, it doesn’t mean they aren’t worth doing.
For example, social media has been very difficult to measure. But statistics have shown that salespeople who use it consistently out sell their peers. In this modern age where you have to do more than shove content in the consumers face, social media can be used to gain credibility from endorsements and referrals. After all, with a massive globalized market, products can be obtained from just about anywhere. In the end, the customer needs to know why your product is different.
But with short copy, how do I get my information?
There is no lack of content on the web. The question that marketers needs to ask is what makes my content worth reading? Karr criticizes companies that substitute quantity for quality. Attention spans are short according to stats. Write short content is what they tout, but people want to make a purchase with prior knowledge. It’s true that a customer who is interested in making a purchase will read a 1500-2000 word article on the product. As for the rest, Karr challenges conventional thinkers by asking the following question: Why are people writing for those who aren’t interested in buying?
Marketing Holistically
Yet, another question as a follow-up that he poses to marketers is the following: What are the different avenues that you use to reach your customers? With the fact that attribution can no longer be determined, your entire marketing campaign should work together rather than compete in metrics. Too often, the customer journey is seen as a hub with a few neat lines coming off of it, when in actuality it’s a total mess. Each piece of your campaign may play a small part in a conversion, but it’s impossible to see what individual parts played a role. The only solution is to make sure that every piece of the puzzle is right where it needs to be, when it needs to be.
In an omni channel marketing industry, Karr brings a mindset that challenges conformity. If you would like to see the full presentation, click here.