#Customer Sentiment

The Concept of Value Proposition  Ezekiel Muoneke Content Writer Blog June 10, 2023 1:54 pm Have you ever wondered why some customers choose your products or services over others? What makes them decide to buy from you and not from your competitors? How would you communicate your unique value to them in a clear and compelling way? If you’ve asked yourself these questions, then you need to know about value propositions. A value proposition is a concise statement that summarises the benefits that you offer to your customers, how you deliver them, and why you are different from other alternatives in the market. It is effectively the main reason why customers should buy from you. A value proposition goes beyond a catchphrase or tagline. It is a powerful tool that can help you attract, retain, and delight your customers. It can also help you stand out from the crowd and create a loyal fan base. A good value proposition should answer these questions: • What is your product or service? • Who are your target customers? • What problem or need will your product or service solve for them? • How does your product or service solve it better than others? • What evidence is there to back up your claims? A value proposition should properly answer these questions and should be communicated to your customers directly, either via your website, social media, email, or other marketing channels. But how do you create a winning value proposition for your business? How do you make sure that it resonates with your target audience and reflects your brand identity? How do you test and improve it over time? In this blog post, we will answer these questions and more. We will show you how to craft a winning value proposition for your business in five simple steps. Let’s get started! Step 1: Identify Your Customer’s Needs and Pain Points The first step in creating a winning value proposition is to understand your customers’ needs and pain points. What are the problems that they are trying to solve? What are the goals that they are trying to achieve? What are the challenges that they are facing? To answer these questions, you need to do some market research. You can use various methods, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, online reviews, social media comments, competitor analysis, etc. The goal is to collect as much information as possible about your customer’s profile, preferences, behaviour, motivations, and expectations. You can use tools like personas and empathy maps to organise and visualise your findings. A persona is a fictional representation of your ideal customer based on real data. (See our article on buyer personas.) An empathy map is a diagram that helps you understand what your customer thinks, feels, sees, hears, says, and does. Step 2: Analyse Your Competitors  Who are the other players in your market? What are their value propositions? How do they position themselves in relation to your target customer segment? What are their strengths and weaknesses? You can use tools like SWOT analysis, a competitive matrix, or benchmarking to compare and contrast your competitors and the competition.   Step 3: Define Your Unique Value Proposition Based on your customer and competitor analysis, what is the unique value that you can offer to your target customer segment? How do you solve their problem or satisfy their need better than anyone else? What are the features or benefits that make your product or service stand out from the rest? You can use tools like the value proposition canvas, lean canvas, or business model canvas to articulate your value proposition. Step 4: Communicate Your Value Proposition Effectively The fourth step in creating a winning value proposition is to communicate it effectively. This means that you need to convey your value proposition to your customers in a way that grabs their attention, sparks their interest, and persuades them to take action. To communicate your value proposition effectively, you need to use various elements, such as: • A headline: This is the main statement that summarises your value proposition in one sentence. It should be catchy, clear, and concise. It should also highlight the main benefit that you offer to your customers. • A sub-headline: This is a supporting statement that expands on your headline and provides more details about your product or service. It should be informative, relevant, and specific. It should also address the main pain points that your customers have. • A bullet list: This is a list of key features or benefits that you provide to your customers. It should be short, simple, and scannable. It should also emphasise how you solve your customers’ problems or help them achieve their goals. • A visual: This is an image, video, or graphic that illustrates your product or service in action. It should be attractive, engaging, and appealing. It should also show how your product or service works or what results it delivers. • A call-to-action: This is a button, link, or form that invites your customers to take the next step in the buying process. It should be visible, clear, and compelling. It should also tell your customers what to do next and why they should do it. You can use these elements to create a value proposition canvas that shows how your value proposition fits with your customer’s needs and pain points. A value proposition canvas is a visual tool that helps you align your product or service with your customer segment. ENJOYING THE ARTICLE? Sign up For Our Newsletter Step 5: Test and Improve Your Value Proposition The fifth and final step in creating a winning value proposition is to test and improve it. This means that you need to measure how well your value proposition resonates with your customers and how it affects their behaviour and satisfaction. To test and improve your value proposition, you need to use various methods, such as: • Feedback: This is the information that you collect from

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Branding: The Idea of Standing Out from the Crowd Ezekiel Muoneke Content Writer Blog June 8, 2023 10:57 am Branding is one of the most important aspects of any business, whether it is a small start-up or a multinational corporation. Branding is not just about having a catchy logo or a memorable slogan, it is about creating a unique identity and personality for your business that sets you apart from your competitors and resonates with your target audience.  But what exactly is branding and why is it so important to incorporate into your business’s life? How can you create a strong brand that stands out from the crowd and attracts loyal customers? In this article, we will explore these questions and provide some tips and examples of effective branding strategies. What is Branding? Branding is the process of creating a distinctive name, symbol, design, style, voice, message, and image that represents your business and its values, products, and services. In a nutshell, it is the way you make your customers feel when they interact with your brand, and the way you communicate your values, vision, and mission. Why is Branding Important? Branding is important because of its ability to make or break your business. Strong branding can give you a competitive edge in the market, increase your customer retention and loyalty, boost your reputation and word-of-mouth referrals, enhance your profitability and growth potential, and create a lasting impression on your audience. On the other hand, weak or inconsistent branding can confuse your customers, damage your credibility, lose your market value, and invariably hinder your growth potential, making you forgettable or irrelevant in the sphere of things. According to a study by Nielsen, 59% of consumers prefer to buy new products from brands they are familiar with, and 21% would opt for a new product because they had an affinity to the brand. What this simply means is that strong branding can help you:  • Establish a clear and consistent identity for your business that reflects who you are, what you do, and why you do it. • Differentiate yourself from your competitors and highlight your unique selling proposition (USP). • Build trust and credibility with your customers and stakeholders by delivering on your promises and exceeding their expectations. • Create an emotional connection with your customers and inspire loyalty and advocacy. • Increase your visibility and recognition in the market and attract more leads and sales. How to Create a Strong Brand that Stands Out from the Crowd? 1. Define Your Brand Purpose Your brand purpose is the reason why your business exists beyond making money. It is the core value that drives your actions and decisions. It is the impact that you want to have on the world. Your brand purpose should answer these questions: • What problem are you solving for your customers? • How are you making their lives better or easier? • What difference are you making in the society or the environment? • What is your vision for the future? Your brand purpose should be clear, concise, compelling, authentic, and meaningful. It should inspire you and your team to work towards a common goal. It should also resonate with your customers and make them feel that they are part of something bigger than themselves. For example, Nike’s brand purpose is “to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world”. This statement reflects their passion for sports and fitness, their commitment to excellence and innovation, their inclusiveness of all people regardless of their abilities or backgrounds, and their aspiration to inspire others to achieve their potential. 2. Identify Your Target Audience Your target audience is the group of people who are most likely to buy your products or services. They are the people who share similar needs, wants, preferences, behaviours, values, demographics, psychographics, lifestyles, etc. You need to identify your target audience so that you can tailor your branding strategy to suit their needs and expectations. To identify your target audience, you need to conduct market research using both primary (e.g., surveys, interviews, focus groups) and secondary (e.g., reports, articles, statistics) sources. You need to collect as much information as possible about their: • Age • Gender • Location • Income • Education • Occupation • Family status • Pain points • Desires • Aspirations • Values • Beliefs • Attitudes • Opinions • Behaviours Based on this information, you can create buyer personas or fictional representations of your ideal customers. (We talked about this extensively in a previous article.) For example, Spotify’s buyer personas include: • Chloe, a 22 year old college student who loves music and podcasts and uses Spotify to discover new artists and genres, as well as to relax and have fun with her friends. •David, a 35-year-old lawyer who loves music and podcasts and uses Spotify to stay updated on the latest news and trends, as well as to unwind and escape from his stressful work. •Emma, a 45 year old motherof two who loves music and podcasts and uses  Spotify to enjoy to her favourite tunes annd shows, as well as to bond with her family and friends. Buyer personas help you to understand your customers better and communicate with them more effectively. They also help you to segment your market and target your marketing campaigns more precisely. 3. Develop Your Brand Identity Your brand identity is the visual, verbal, and emotional expression of your brand. It is the way you present yourself to the world and how you want to be perceived by your audience. Your brand identity includes: ~ Your brand name: The name that identifies your business and distinguishes it from others. It should be catchy, memorable, easy to pronounce and spell, relevant to your industry and audience, and legally available. ~ Your brand logo: The symbol or graphic that represents your business and conveys its essence. It should be simple, distinctive, scalable, adaptable, timeless, and consistent with your brand personality. ~ Your brand colours: The colours

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Product Placements and The Entertainment Industry Ezekiel Muoneke Content Writer Blog June 3, 2023 1:57 pm Have you ever seen a movie scene where a particular product is brandished for a few seconds or a TV show where a character casually mentions the name of a brand? If you have, then you’ve very likely witnessed a form of advertising called product placement.  Product placement is a technique that companies use to promote their products or services by integrating them into various forms of media, such as films, TV shows, video games, music, and even books. Product placement can be subtle or obvious, depending on the context and the intention of the advertiser. In this article, we will explore what product placement is, how it works, why it is important, and some examples of successful product placements in the entertainment industry. Product Placement: The Art The Oxford Dictionary defines product placement as a practise in which producers of goods or providers of services pay to have their goods or services advertised in films and television shows. Product placement can also be referred to as “embedded marketing” or “embedded advertising”, as it involves embedding the product or service into the content of the media. Product placement can take various forms, such as: • Visual: The product or service is shown on screen, either prominently or in the background. For example, a character may drink a can of soda with a recognisable logo or drive a car with a visible brand name. • Verbal: The product or service is mentioned by name or described by a character or narrator. For example, a character may praise the quality of a smartphone or recommend a restaurant to another character. • Plot: The product or service is integrated into the storyline or theme of the media. For example, a character may use a specific gadget to solve a problem or achieve a goal, or a scene may take place in a specific location that showcases the product or service. How Product Placement Works  Product placement works by creating an association between the product or service and the media content that features it. This can influence the audience’s perception, attitude, and behaviour towards the product or service. According to Investopedia, product placement can create explicit and implicit advertising effects. ~ Explicit effects: Product placement can increase awareness and recall of the product or service among the audience. For instance, after seeing a brand mentioned in a movie through product placement, viewers are more likely to identify it. ~ Implicit effects: Product placement can affect the feelings and opinions of the audience towards the product or service. For example, product placement can create positive associations between the product or service and the characters, settings, or emotions depicted in the content. Product placement can also influence the purchase intention and behaviour of the audience. For example, product placement can create a desire for the product or service among the audience, especially if it is portrayed as desirable, useful, or trendy. Product placement can also trigger impulse buying among the audience, especially if they encounter the product or service shortly after seeing it in the content. Why Product Placement is Important Both media producers and advertisers value product placement. Product placement can be beneficial to advertising for a variety of reasons, including: 1. Cost-effectiveness: Compared to other types of promotion, such as TV commercials or print ads, product placement can be more affordable. Since it can be viewed by many audiences frequently over time, product placement can also result in long-term exposure and value for the good or service. 2. Credibility: Because product placement might be interpreted as an endorsement by the media content or its creators, it can increase the product or service’s credibility and trustworthiness. Product placement can also avoid some of the scepticism and resistance that traditional advertising may face from consumers who are wary of being manipulated by marketers. 3. Relevance: Product placement can make the product or service more relevant and appealing to the target audience, as it can be tailored to fit the context and style of the media content. Product placement can also reach audiences who are otherwise difficult to access through traditional advertising channels, such as young people who consume more digital content than traditional media. ENJOYING THE ARTICLE? Sign up For Our Newsletter  For media producers, product placement can also offer several benefits, such as: 1. Revenue: Product placement can provide an additional source of revenue for media producers who may face challenges in funding their projects. Product placement can also help offset some of the production costs involved in creating high-quality media content.  2. Resources: For media producers, product placement can provide them access to resources that might otherwise be too expensive or impossible to access. The quality of the media content can be enhanced, for instance, by using product placement to gain access to venues, props, tools, talent, and distribution channels. 3. Great Traction—More Endorsement Deals: Great delivery creates great traction, and consistent delivery creates more endorsement deals; it’s not rocket science. When a TV show or movie delivers massively in its first and subsequent outings, there’s bound to be a lot of hype and rave, and this is good for business, especially when it comes to product placement and how it’s neatly done. Take, for instance, the Nigerian reality TV show Big Brother Naija. When it re-emerged on the scene in early 2017, it promised to be a total revamp of the original, promising more excitement and buzz like never before, no small thanks to its now famous tagline, “See Gobbe.” It ended up delivering, successfully spawning five more seasons and counting and inherently becoming a hotspot for product placement in Nigerian entertainment.   Examples of Product Placement in Movies Movies are one of the most popular and lucrative platforms for product placement, as they can reach a large and diverse audience worldwide. Some movies are known for featuring multiple brands and products throughout their scenes, while

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The Move of Tangible Assets Towards Digital Convenience Ezekiel Muoneke Content Writer Blog May 31, 2023 4:46 pm Uber owns no vehicles. Facebook creates no content, and Jumia has no store. But there is one thing they all have in common: the ability to leverage the gap between consumers and their needs digitally. This action does not only identify the needs of the consumer; it also provides a speedy solution—one without stress but with ease—a digital convenience, if you will.  With the world changing rapidly, so are the ways we interact with our assets. Gone are the days when we had to carry bulk loads of cash, cards, keys, documents, and other physical items to access our money, property, identity, and information.  The world is moving from tangible assets to digital convenience, and today, we can store and manage most of our assets digitally, using our smartphones, computers, or cloud services. This trend of moving tangible assets into digital convenience has many benefits, but also some challenges and risks. In this article, we will explore some of the reasons and implications of this new trend. Why are We Converting Tangible Assets into Digital Convenience? There are several factors that drive the move of tangible assets into digital convenience. Some of them are: 1. Convenience: Of course, it’s always going to be convenience. After all, that’s the whole point of this article.  Compared to physical assets, digital ones are much easier to access, store, and use. We can pay for goods and services, unlock the doors of our homes, confirm our identities, access our accounts, and more using our electronic devices. This way, we don’t have to be concerned about misplacing, forgetting, or damaging our tangible possessions. Additionally, we can more simply and securely transfer and exchange our digital assets with others. 2. Efficiency: Another great benefit and reason why people now opt for digital assets is efficiency. With this, costs can be cut, time can be saved, and productivity can be raised. For instance, using digital payments can reduce fraud, do away with transaction fees, and speed up transactions. Printing costs, paper waste, and storage space can all be reduced with digital documents. The use of online or physical services is not left out, as they are made possible through digital identity, which in turn simplifies the verification process. Faster communication, teamwork, and creativity are all also possible thanks to digital information. 3. Security: Digital assets have the potential to provide greater security and control than physical ones. We can use passwords, biometrics, or other security measures to encrypt our digital assets in order to prevent unauthorised access. To avoid loss or damage, we can also create a backup of our digital assets on the cloud or on other hardware. With the help of logs, alerts, and other technologies, we can also keep an eye on and monitor our digital assets in order to spot theft or misuse and stop it. What are Some Examples of Tangible Assets that Have Moved into Digital Convenience? We’ve been talking a lot about these tangible assets and their metamorphosis into the digital assets we have become familiar with. But what really are they, and what are some examples for clarity?  Tangible assets are physical assets that have a finite monetary value and usually a useful lifespan of more than one year. Digital assets on the other hand are anything that is created and stored digitally, is identifiable and discoverable, and has or provides value. Some tangible assets have morphed into digital assets through the process of tokenization, which is the conversion of an underlying asset, tangible or intangible, into a digital “token” that acts as its proxy. And while there are many examples of tangible assets that have moved into digital convenience in various domains, here are some of them: • Money: Money is one of the most common tangible assets that has moved into digital convenience. These days, we can use digital wallets, mobile apps, online platforms, or cryptocurrencies to store and transfer our money without using cash or cards. We can also use digital currencies that are backed by governments or corporations to facilitate transactions across borders or platforms. These digital currencies can facilitate faster and cheaper cross-border payments and remittances. • Property: Property is another tangible asset that has moved into digital convenience. Today we can use smart locks, sensors, cameras, or other devices to control and monitor our property without using keys or codes. We can also use blockchain technology to create and manage digital tokens that represent our property rights and ownership without using deeds or contracts. This way, real estate properties can be tokenized into fractional ownership shares that can be traded on secondary markets. ENJOYING THE ARTICLE? Sign up For Our Newsletter • Identity: A vital tangible asset that has been incorporated into digital convenience is identity. Without the need for identification documents or cards, we can utilise biometrics, face recognition, QR codes, or other techniques to confirm our identity. Another option is to employ self-sovereign identification systems, which let us construct and control our own digital identities independently of intermediaries or third parties. • Information: Information is a valuable tangible asset that has moved into digital convenience. We can use cloud services, online platforms, or other tools to store and access our information without using paper or disks. We can also use artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics (BDA), or other technologies to process and generate information without using human labour or expertise. • Art: These days art can be tokenized into non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which are unique and indivisible digital representations of an artwork that can be verified on a blockchain. NFTs are a great way to make an extra income as they create new revenue streams for artists and collectors by enabling royalties and secondary sales. Now that we have all of these out of the way,  What are the Implications of Converting Tangible Assets into Digital Convenience? The move of tangible

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Email Copywriting: Best and Worst Practices Ezekiel Muoneke Content Writer Blog May 27, 2023 11:35 am As has already been established in our email series, email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience and generate leads. However, writing an email copy that converts is not as easy as it sounds. You need to consider various factors such as the subject line, the tone, the structure, the call to action, and the value proposition. In this article, we will share some of the best practices and common mistakes to avoid when writing an email copy. What is an Email Copy? An email copy is the text that you write in your email to communicate your message to your subscribers. It can be a newsletter, a promotional offer, a welcome email, a follow-up email, or any other type of email that you send to your list. The purpose of an email’s copy is to urge the recipient to do something, like click on a link, buy something, sign up for a trial, or respond to your email. Why is Email Copy Important? Email copy is important because it determines whether your email will be opened, read, and acted upon by your recipients. According to a study by Litmus, the average email open rate in 2020 was 21.3%, and the average click-through rate was 2.6%. This means that only a fraction of your subscribers will actually see and engage with your email. Therefore, you need to write an email copy that stands out from the crowd and convinces your readers to take action. How to Write an Effective Email Copy? The best way to write effective email copy varies depending on the recipient. However, there are some general guidelines that you can follow to improve your chances of success. Here are some of the do’s and dont’s of writing an email copy. Dos: 1. Write a Catchy Subject Line  When your subscribers receive an email, the subject line is the first thing they will see. It should capture their attention and entice them to open your email. A good subject line should be clear, concise, relevant, personalised, and benefit-oriented. Instead of saying “Our latest update can save time and money,” you may write “How our new feature can save you time and money.”  2. Use a Friendly and Conversational Tone  Your email copy should sound like you are talking to a friend or a colleague, not like you are lecturing or selling something. Use simple and familiar words, avoid jargon and acronyms, and address your readers by their name or pronoun. You can also use humour, anecdotes, or questions to make your email more engaging and relatable. 3. Prioritise the Benefits Over the Features  Your email copy should answer the question “What’s in it for me?” for your readers. Instead of listing the features of your product or service, explain how they can solve their problems or improve their situation. Instead of saying that our app includes a built-in calendar, you may say something like, “With our app, you can easily schedule your appointments and never miss a deadline.”  4. Use Clear and Compelling Call to Action (CTA)  Because it informs readers of what they should do next, the CTA is the most important section of your email message. For instance, you could write “Claim your free trial now” instead of “Click here.” 5. Proofread and Test Your Email Copy  Before you hit send, make sure that your email copy is free of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting errors. You can use tools like Grammarly or Quillbot to check and improve your writing. You should also test your email on different devices and platforms to ensure that it looks good and works properly. Don’ts: 1. Write too Long or too Short Emails  There is no ideal length for an email copy because it depends on your purpose, audience, and message. However, you should avoid writing emails that are too long or too short for your readers’ attention span and interest level. A general rule of thumb is to keep your emails between 50 and 200 words.  2. Use too Many Images or Attachments While many tend to be guilty of this, like myself, because images and attachments enhance blog posts and email copies by adding visual appeal and providing additional information, they can also slow down the loading time of your email and increase the chances of being marked as spam or blocked by firewalls. Therefore, you should use images and attachments sparingly and only when they are relevant and necessary for your message. 3. Make False or Exaggerated Claims Your email copy should be honest and credible because your readers will not trust you if you lie or exaggerate about your product or service. You should back up your claims with facts, statistics, testimonials, or guarantees. A better alternative to stating “Our product is the best across the market” would be “Our product has been rated 4.8 out of 5 stars by over 10,000 customers.” You see, no lie no foul.  4. Use too Many Colours or Fonts Your email copy should be easy to read and scan because most people will not read every word of your email. You should use colours and fonts that are consistent with your brand identity and style guide. You should also use white space, bullet points, headings, subheadings, and bolding to break up your text and highlight the key points. 5. Send Emails Without Permission or Segmentation Your email copy should be relevant and personalised for your subscribers because they will not open or click on emails that are not interesting or useful to them. You should only send emails to people who have given you permission to do so by opting in to your list or agreeing to receive marketing communications from you.  You should also segment your list based on criteria such as demographics, behaviour, preferences, or interests so that you can tailor your email copy

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Making Your Emails Mobile-Friendly Ezekiel Muoneke Content Writer Blog May 24, 2023 2:54 pm Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach and engage your audience. It can help you build trust, increase conversions, and generate revenue. But email marketing is not a one-size-fits-all strategy. You need to consider how your subscribers are accessing and reading your emails and optimize them accordingly. As a result, one of the most important factors to consider in this journey is mobile optimization. Mobile devices account for nearly half of all email opens worldwide, and this number is expected to grow in the future. If your emails are not optimized for mobile, you risk losing subscribers, clicks, and sales. In this article, we will guide you through the best practices for optimizing email marketing for mobile devices. We will cover the following topics: ~ Why mobile optimization is important for email marketing ~ What to do And ~ How to design mobile-friendly emails Why Mobile Optimization is Important for Email Marketing Mobile optimization is the process of ensuring that your emails look good and function well on mobile devices. This means that your emails should be responsive, adaptive, or scalable to fit different screen sizes and orientations. Mobile optimization is important for email marketing because it affects your subscriber experience, engagement, and conversion rates. Here are some of the benefits of optimizing your emails for mobile: • Improve subscriber experience: Mobile users expect fast and seamless experiences when they open your emails. If your emails are not optimized for mobile, they may encounter issues such as slow loading, distorted images, unreadable text, or broken links. These issues can frustrate your subscribers and damage your brand reputation. By optimizing your emails for mobile, you can ensure that your subscribers have a positive and consistent experience across devices. • Increase engagement: Mobile users tend to be more active and responsive than desktop users when it comes to email marketing. They are more likely to open, click, and share your emails if they are relevant and appealing. When you effectively optimize your emails for mobile, you can capture their attention and interest with clear and compelling content. You can also use mobile-specific features such as buttons, icons, emojis, or swipe gestures to enhance interactivity and engagement. • Boost conversions: Just like desktop users, mobile users are also likely to take action from your emails if they are optimized for mobile. They are more likely to visit your website, sign up for your offer, or make a purchase if your emails are easy to navigate and complete on their devices. By optimizing your emails for mobile, you can reduce friction and increase urgency with simple and effective calls-to-action. What to Do 1. Optimize Your Subject Line and Preheader Text The first thing that mobile users see when they receive an email is the subject line and preheader text. Therefore, it is pertinent to optimize them for mobile devices. Keep your subject line short and to the point, as mobile screens have limited space. It should grab the user’s attention and encourage them to open the email. The preheader text is the short summary of the email that appears right after the subject line on mobile devices. It should also be concise and informative, providing the user with a reason to keep reading. Make sure that your subject line and preheader text work together to entice the user to open the email. 2. Use Responsive Design  Responsive design is a must for any email campaign that targets mobile users. It ensures that your email looks great and functions properly on any device, regardless of its screen size or orientation.  A responsive email design involves using HTML and CSS to adjust the layout of the email automatically. If your email is not optimized for mobile devices, it will look cluttered, and the user may have difficulty reading it. Responsive design ensures that your email is easy to navigate, and all elements are easy to read and interact with. 3. Optimize the Email Content Once you have optimized the subject line, preheader, and design of your email, it’s time to focus on the content. When writing content for mobile devices, keep in mind that users have limited attention spans. Therefore, your content should be concise and easy to read. Avoid using too much text in your email. Instead, use headings, subheadings, bullet points, and images to break up the content and make it more scannable. Use a legible font size and typeface that is easy to read on small screens. Also, make sure that your call-to-action (CTA) is prominently displayed and easy to click. 4. Test Your Email on Multiple Devices Before sending out your email campaign, it’s important to test it on different mobile devices. This will help you identify any formatting issues or design flaws that may cause problems for mobile users. Test your email on various smartphones and tablets, including both iOS and Android devices. 5. Monitor your email metrics It’s important to monitor your email metrics to see how your campaigns are performing on mobile devices. Pay attention to metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates on mobile devices. This will help you identify any areas that need improvement and optimize your campaigns for better results. How to Design Mobile-Friendly Emails Designing mobile-friendly emails is not as complicated as it may seem. You can use various tools and techniques to create responsive, adaptive, or scalable emails that adapt to different screen sizes and orientations.  Earlier on, we mentioned the need to use responsive design because it is the most suitable for mobile. However, there are other design techniques, and for the sake of clarity and a full understanding of these things, we’ll be delving briefly into them. The Responsive Design The Responsive design is the most popular and recommended technique for mobile email optimization. It uses media queries to detect the device type and screen size of the subscriber, and

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Email Marketing & Customer Retention Ezekiel Muoneke Content Writer Blog May 20, 2023 4:32 pm In today’s competitive marketplace, keeping existing customers engaged and loyal is just as important as acquiring new ones. To this effect, email marketing is one effective strategy for achieving this, as it offers the capability to reach and engage customers directly. This in turn allows you to build relationships, increase brand awareness, and drive sales.  But email marketing is not just about sending promotional messages or newsletters. It can also be used to increase customer retention and loyalty, which are essential commodities for any business hoping to grow and thrive. In this comprehensive article, we will discuss how you can leverage email marketing to increase customer retention and loyalty, as well as share some best practices and examples to inspire you. But first things first,  What is Customer Retention? Customer retention is the ability to keep your existing customers happy and loyal, while customer loyalty is the degree of attachment and preference that your customers have for your brand, products, or services.  Both retention and loyalty are influenced by many factors, such as customer satisfaction, trust, value, and engagement. Email marketing can help you improve these factors by providing relevant, personalized, and timely content that meets your customers’ needs and expectations. One of the brands that does this well is Amazon. Amazon sends thank you emails to its customers after they place an order or otherwise engage with its website. These emails are not only polite and appreciative, but also strategic and effective. Here’s how Amazon leverages email marketing to increase customer retention and loyalty with its thank you emails: • It provides order confirmation and tracking information.  Amazon’s thank you emails include the details of the order, such as the items purchased, the price, the delivery address, and the estimated delivery date. It also provides a link to track the order status and a button to view or manage the order online. By providing this information, Amazon reassures its customers that their order is processed and on its way, and gives them easy access to check or change their order if needed. • It cross-sells or upsells relevant products or services.  Amazon’s thank you emails also include recommendations of other products or services that the customer might be interested in, based on their purchase history or browsing behavior. For example, if a customer buys a book, Amazon might suggest other books by the same author or genre, or a Kindle device or subscription. By cross-selling or upselling relevant products or services, Amazon increases the chances of repeat purchases and higher customer lifetime value. • It builds brand loyalty and advocacy.  Their thank you emails also include social media icons that invite the customer to follow Amazon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., or share their purchase with their friends. It also offers incentives for referring new customers, such as discounts or credits. By building brand loyalty and advocacy, Amazon increases its reach and reputation, and creates a community of loyal fans and promoters. This neatly brings us to this statement of fact; Why Email Marketing is Important for Customer Retention and Loyalty As we’ve clearly established, the benefits of email marketing are manifold. But for the sake of more clarity we’ll discuss a bit more about these benefits. They include: • Helping you stay in touch with your customers.  Email is one of the most direct and personal ways to communicate with your customers. You can use email to send them updates, news, tips, offers, reminders, feedback requests, and more. By staying in touch with your customers, you can keep them informed, engaged, and interested in your brand. • It helps you segment and personalize your messages.  Email marketing allows you to segment your customers based on various criteria, such as demographics, behavior, preferences, purchase history, etc. This way, you can tailor your messages to each segment and deliver relevant and valuable content that matches their needs and interests. Personalization can also include using your customers’ names, locations, birthdays, or other details that make them feel special and appreciated. • It helps you build trust and credibility.  Email marketing can help you establish yourself as an authority and a reliable source of information in your industry. You can use email to share useful content, such as blog posts, guides, case studies, testimonials, reviews, etc., that showcase your expertise and value proposition. By providing valuable content, you can build trust and credibility with your customers and position yourself as a trusted partner. • It helps you increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.  Email marketing can also help you increase customer satisfaction and loyalty by providing exceptional customer service and support. You can use email to thank your customers for their purchases or referrals, ask for their feedback or reviews, address their questions or concerns, resolve their issues or complaints, etc. By showing that you care about your customers and their experiences, you can increase their satisfaction and loyalty. How to Leverage Email Marketing to Increase Customer Retention and Loyalty Here are some tips on how to leverage email marketing to increase customer retention and loyalty: 1. Set Clear Goals and Metrics.  Before you start any email marketing campaign, you should define what you want to achieve and how you will measure it. For example, do you want to increase repeat purchases, referrals, reviews, retention rate, lifetime value, etc.? How will you track these metrics? What are your benchmarks and targets? Having clear goals and metrics will help you plan your strategy and evaluate your results. 2. Know Your Audience.  To create effective email marketing campaigns that increase customer retention and loyalty, you need to know who your customers are, what they want, what they need, and what they expect from you. You can use various methods to collect data about your customers, such as surveys, interviews, analytics, etc. You can also use tools like customer personas or customer journey maps to visualize your customers’ characteristics, behaviors,

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Understanding Workplace Diversity Ezekiel Muoneke Content Writer Blog May 16, 2023 7:35 pm Diversity is a term that refers to the variety of differences among people in terms of their backgrounds, identities, experiences, perspectives, and skills. Diversity can include aspects such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, religion, culture, language, education, and more. Diversity is not only a moral and ethical issue, but also a business imperative. In this article, we will explore how diversity in the workplace can benefit organisations and their employees by driving innovation and success. What is Diversity in the Workplace? Diversity in the workplace means that an organisation employs people from different backgrounds and groups who bring diverse perspectives and experiences to the work environment. A diverse workplace can foster a culture of inclusion, where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported for their contributions and differences. A diverse workplace can also enhance creativity, problem-solving, decision-making, collaboration, and customer satisfaction. Now that we’ve established what workplace diversity is,  Why Then is Diversity in the Workplace Important? For a number of reasons, diversity in the work-space is important to every business. The following are a few advantages of workplace diversity: • Innovation: Diversity can spark innovation by bringing together people with different ideas, insights, and experiences. A diverse team can come up with more new and effective solutions to complex challenges and opportunities. A diverse team can also adapt more quickly and effectively to changing market conditions and customer needs. • Performance: Diversity can improve performance by enhancing productivity, quality, efficiency, and profitability. A diverse team can leverage the strengths and talents of each member and complement each other’s skills and knowledge. A diverse team can also reduce errors, conflicts, and turnover by fostering a positive and supportive work environment. • Reputation: Diversity can enhance reputation by attracting and retaining top talent, customers, partners, and investors. A diverse team can reflect the diversity of the society and the market and appeal to a wider range of stakeholders. A diverse team can also demonstrate social responsibility and commitment to equity and inclusion. • Learning: Diversity can enhance learning by exposing people to different perspectives and experiences. A diverse team can challenge assumptions, biases, and stereotypes and create a culture of curiosity and openness. A diverse team can also encourage feedback, communication, and collaboration among members and across departments. How to Promote Diversity in the Workplace Promoting diversity in the workplace requires intentional and strategic actions from leaders and employees at all levels. Some of the strategies to promote diversity in the workplace are: • Recruitment: Recruitment is the process of attracting and hiring qualified candidates for a job. To promote diversity in recruitment, organisations should adopt fair and inclusive practices such as posting job openings on diverse platforms, using objective criteria and assessments, eliminating bias from CVs and interviews, and offering flexible work arrangements. • Retention: Retention is how you keep employees engaged and happy with their jobs. To promote diversity in retention, you should provide equal opportunities for growth and development such as mentoring, coaching, training, feedback, recognition, and promotion. You should also create a culture of inclusion where employees feel valued, respected, and supported for their differences. • Education: Education is the process of providing information and knowledge to employees about diversity and its benefits. To promote diversity in education, organisations can offer regular training sessions on topics such as diversity awareness, cultural competence, unconscious bias, micro-aggressions, allyship, and conflict resolution. Organisations should also encourage employees to share their stories and experiences with each other and learn from each other’s perspectives. • Engagement: Engagement is the process of involving employees in decision-making and problem-solving processes that affect their work. To promote diversity in engagement, organisations should solicit input from employees from different backgrounds and groups on issues such as strategy formulation, product development, customer service, and policy implementation. Organisations should also empower employees to initiate and lead diversity initiatives such as employee resource groups, diversity committees, and community outreach programmes. ENJOYING THE ARTICLE? Sign up For Our Newsletter In conclusion, diversity in the workplace is a key factor for organisational success in the 21st century. By embracing diversity, organisations can enhance their innovation, performance, reputation, and learning outcomes. As a brand, by promoting diversity, you can create a more inclusive, equitable, and respectful work environment for all employees. Don’t just exist online, thrive! Partner with us to create a digital marketing strategy that will take your business to new heights. Say goodbye to mediocre results and hello to digital success – contact us today to get started!  Share this article

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Outsourcing Your Customer Service: A Smart Move? Ezekiel Muoneke Content Writer Blog May 13, 2023 2:23 pm One of the key components of every organisation is providing excellent customer service. Your reputation, consumer loyalty, and income could all be made or broken by it. However, providing excellent customer service can also be challenging, time-consuming, and costly. That’s why many businesses choose to outsource their customer service to a third-party provider. Outsourcing customer service simply means hiring an external company to handle your customer interactions, such as phone calls, emails, chats, social media, etc. This can offer many benefits for your brand, such as: Saving money and resources: Outsourcing customer service can help you reduce your operational costs and overheads. You don’t have to invest in hiring, training, and managing a large in-house team of customer service agents. You also don’t have to pay for the infrastructure, equipment, software, and utilities needed to run a customer service centre. Instead, you can pay a fixed or variable fee to the outsourcing company based on your needs and expectations. Improving quality and efficiency: Outsourcing customer service can help you improve the quality and efficiency of your customer interactions. You can access a pool of skilled, trained, and experienced agents who can handle various types of customer enquiries and issues. You can also leverage the expertise and technology of the outsourcing company to ensure high standards of service delivery and performance. Moreover, you can benefit from the scalability and flexibility of outsourcing customer service. You can adjust the number and availability of agents according to your peak and off-peak periods, seasonal fluctuations, and special events. Enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty: Outsourcing customer service can help you enhance your customer satisfaction and loyalty. You can provide your customers with faster, easier, and more convenient ways to reach you and get their problems solved. You can also offer them 24/7 support across multiple channels and languages. By contracting out your customer service, you can concentrate on your core strengths and value proposition while leaving the customer care to the experts. By doing this, you ultimately foster long-lasting connections with your clients and gain their trust. Increasing revenue and growth: Outsourcing customer service can help you increase your revenue and growth. By improving your customer service quality and efficiency, you can reduce your churn rate and increase your retention rate. You can also generate more referrals, reviews, and word-of-mouth marketing from your satisfied customers. Additionally, you can use the insights and feedback from the outsourcing company to improve your products, services, processes, and strategies. This can help you create more value for your customers and differentiate yourself from your competitors. As you can see, outsourcing your customer service can offer many benefits for your brand. However, it also comes with some challenges and risks that you need to consider before making a decision. For example: Losing control and visibility: Outsourcing customer service could entail giving up some control and visibility over your customer interactions. You would have to rely on the outsourcing company to represent your brand image, values, and voice. You would also have to trust them to handle your customer data securely and ethically. As such, it is crucial to choose a reputable and reliable outsourcing partner who can align with your goals and expectations. Facing cultural and communication barriers: One demerit with outsourcing your customer service operations is the factor of cultural /communication barriers. This is because by outsourcing your customer service, you will be dealing with cultural and communication barriers between you, the outsourcing company, and your customers. To effectively deal with this, you have to ensure that the outsourcing company understands your target market, industry, products, services, policies, etc. You also have to ensure that they can communicate effectively with your customers in terms of language, tone, style, etiquette, etc. Therefore, it is important to provide clear guidelines and feedback to the outsourcing company and monitor their performance regularly. Managing quality and consistency: Outsourcing customer service means managing the quality and consistency of your customer interactions across different channels and agents. You have to ensure that the outsourcing company delivers the same level of service quality that you would expect from your own team. You also have to ensure that they follow your standards and procedures for handling different types of customer enquiries and issues. In light of this, it is essential to establish clear metrics and indicators to measure the outsourcing company’s performance and satisfaction. ENJOYING THE ARTICLE? Sign up For Our Newsletter In a nutshell, outsourcing customer service duties or any other role is not a one-size-fits-all solution for every business. It has its pros and cons that you need to weigh carefully before making a decision. However, if done right, it can be a great way to enhance your brand image, reputation, loyalty, and revenue. Don’t just exist online, thrive! Partner with us to create a digital marketing strategy that will take your business to new heights. Say goodbye to mediocre results and hello to digital success – contact us today to get started!  Share this article

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The Buyer Persona: Connecting with Your Audience Ezekiel Muoneke Content Writer Blog May 4, 2023 5:46 pm If you’re a start-up brand looking to grow your audience and boost your sales, it’s important to understand who your target market is. You need to know what their pain points are, what they like, and what motivates them to make a purchase. This is where buyer persona becomes useful. What is a Buyer Persona? Based on market research and actual information about your current clients, a buyer persona is a semi-fictional picture of your ideal consumer. It’s a profile that includes information about their behavioural, psychographic, and demographic traits. A buyer persona is a helpful tool for developing effective product ad placements because it’s like a picture of your target market. Creating a buyer persona is all about understanding your audience, and it starts with research. You need to gather data about your target market, including their age, gender, location, income, interests, and buying behavior. You can get this information from surveys, interviews, social media, and website analytics.  Once you have enough data, you can use it to create a buyer persona. Give your persona a name, and then outline their characteristics, including their demographics, goals, challenges, and preferences. Why is a Buyer Persona Important? For a number of reasons, developing a buyer persona is crucial. First, it helps you understand your target market and tailor your messaging to their needs and interests. Second, it can help you identify new opportunities for growth and expansion. Third, it can help you create more effective product ad placements that speak directly to your audience. Other advantages include, but are not limited to: 1.     Better Marketing ROI: By targeting your marketing efforts to your ideal customer, you can increase your return on investment. You can focus on the channels and messaging that are most effective in reaching your target market. 2.     Improved Customer Acquisition: By understanding your target market, you can attract new customers more effectively. You can create content and products that resonate with them and address their pain points. 3.     Increased Customer Loyalty: By establishing a personal connection with your target market, you can build customer loyalty. Customers who feel understood and valued are more likely to become repeat customers. 4.     Better Product Development: By using your buyer persona to guide product development, you can create products that meet the needs and preferences of your target market. This can lead to increased sales and customer satisfaction. Understanding your audience will help you produce content that connects with them and motivates them to act. For example, if your buyer persona is a busy working mother who happens to also be a fitness enthusiast, you might create content that focuses on quick and easy workouts that can be done at home. This type of content is likely to appeal to your target market and encourage them to make a purchase; in this case an e-fitness plan. How to Create a Buyer Persona Creating a buyer persona is a process that requires research, data analysis, and creativity. Here are the main steps you should follow when creating a buyer persona: 1.     Research Your Target Market: The first step is to research your target market. You can do this by conducting surveys, interviews, social media analysis, and website analytics. You want to gather as much information as possible about your target market, including their demographics, interests, behaviors, and pain points. 2.     Analyze Your Data: Once you have gathered your data, it’s time to analyze it. Look for patterns and trends in your data that can help you create a buyer persona. You want to identify common characteristics and behaviors that are shared by your target market. 3.     Create Your Buyer Persona: Once you have analyzed your data, it’s time to create your buyer persona. Give your persona a name and create a detailed profile that includes their demographic information, goals, challenges, and preferences. Use the data you have gathered to make your buyer persona as realistic and accurate as possible.  4.     Validate Your Buyer Persona: Once you have created your buyer persona, it’s important to validate it. You can do this by conducting surveys or interviews with your existing customers to see if your buyer persona accurately reflects your target market. Example of a Buyer Persona Let’s say you’re a start-up brand that sells organic skincare products. Your target market is women between the ages of 25 and 45 who are health-conscious and environmentally aware. Here’s an example of what your buyer persona might look like: Name: Sarah Age: 36 Location: Abuja Occupation: Marketing Manager Income: 130,000 – 250,000 Naira Interests: Yoga, healthy eating, sustainability Goals: To have healthy and glowing skin, to reduce her carbon footprint Challenges: Finding skincare products that are both effective and environmentally friendly Preferences: Prefers natural and organic skincare products. Creating an Avatar Once you have created your buyer persona, the next step is to create an avatar. An avatar is a visual representation of your buyer persona that makes it easier to imagine and connect with them. It can be a photograph, a drawing, or a stock image that represents your target audience.  Creating an avatar is an important step because it helps you humanize your target market. By visualizing your buyer persona as a real person, you can better understand their needs and motivations. This can help you create more effective product ad placements that resonate with your audience on a deeper level. ENJOYING THE ARTICLE? Sign up For Our Newsletter How to Use Your Buyer Persona Once you have created your buyer persona, you can use it to create a marketing strategy that speaks directly to your target market. Here are some ways you can use your buyer persona: 1.     Content Creation: Use your buyer persona to create content that speaks directly to your target market. This can include blog posts, social media content, and email marketing campaigns. 2.     Product Development: Use your buyer persona to guide product development.

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