Give Consumers What They Want Digitally

The universe works in mysterious ways. There I was, attending a luncheon when I realized that the speaker for our discussion on digital trends was none other than someone I met during my college days working in a coffee shop. We had to cut our geek-out conversation short so that he could jump up and present.

What my friend outlined in the discussion wasn’t just the key trends in digital media. Many of the trends are well-known, must-haves to those of us in the digital community. He highlighted one overarching theme: give consumers what they want.

I shall explain.

Website Trends

While the presentation did a wonderful job breaking down the confusing topics of coding languages, search engine optimization and site optimization, it all related back to what the viewer wants out of a website:

As a viewer I want…

• The site to load fast.
• The site to work on whatever screen I’m on.
• To find what I’m looking for easily.
• To be engaged and entertained.

As you’re creating your website strategy, it’s important to ensure through the web development, image optimization and design that you’re giving consumers what they want. And this is important because it translates into more people finding your website, spending more time on your website, and completing the ultimate desired action.

Mobile Trends

The next trend topic centered around mobile. And to put it simply, if you’re not paying attention to how your brand presence in mobile you can say goodbye to at least half of your traffic. What consumers want from your website is the same for mobile. As consumers, however, we’re more impatient when it comes to mobile and it may be easiest to convey mobile trends with what viewers don’t want.

As a viewer I don’t want:

• To have to wait to download something on my mobile devices.
• To operate a large website on my data provider.
• To search in vain for the most important information

Satisfying the consumer through a good mobile experience will translate into growing your digital network and make your brand more robust. Google is taking into consideration your mobile presence more and more within its algorithm and if you’re not paying attention to mobile you will be penalized in the search rankings.

Digital Marketing Trends

As a business owner or marketing director, here’s where you ask yourself, “What’s in it for me?” Traffic, baby! It takes a variety of tactics to reach your target audience. The key benefits of digital media are targetability and measurability. And because of this, there is a fine line between annoying your customer and totally relating to them.

As a consumer I want:

• Ads that are relevant to me.
• Ads that don’t hinder my ability to get the content I’m interested in.
• To be entertained.
• Short, sweet and to the point. I have a life, ya know?!

Consider these wants no matter the type of digital marketing you engage in. Whether it’s email, display, search, video, social or mobile. It’s all the same, just a different platform and format.

Are You Speaking to the Consumer?

After reviewing these trends, do you feel you’re truly giving consumers what they want? Ask yourself:

1. Am I happy with my website?
2. Can I find my brand easily? Can my friends?
3. Can I pull up my website on my mobile devices?
4. Am I creating an engaging experience to increase time spent on my site?

If you’ve answered any of these with a no, it might be time to revisit your website and online marketing strategy.

This column ran in the March 3 issue of BlueSky Business Aviation News.