In the past year, our world has become more digital than ever before. Here at ReviewTrackers, we’ve gathered the most important information for you to take into 2021 as you move forward with your marketing and business strategies and goals.
Digital Transformation: Invest in Tech to Help Grow Your Brand and Innovate
Consumers are relying on social and digital to make decisions for everything in everyday life, with brands having to pivot and transform based on the changing needs of consumers. In fact, 76% of consumers expect companies to understand their needs and expectations.
Because the digital landscape is already very noisy and competitive, you need to help your brand stand out. With digital leading our world, we are lacking the human element and connection we are so used to having. Invest in technology that can help you gather feedback, listen to the voice of your customers, and communicate with them. New technology such as NLP can help you sift through large amounts of text data that would otherwise be impossible to sort manually. This will allow your company to innovate based on the ever changing needs of your customers through identifying trends in feedback easily and efficiently.
Drive ROI Through Enhancing Customer Experiences
Make sure to stay in tune with the feedback people are leaving to help prioritize the customer experience. Take note of keywords in reviews which can help identify certain aspects of your business that are doing well or need improvement.
Engaging with your customers is a great way of building and retaining a positive relationship.
Feedback should be leveraged to help your business operations and improve relationships with customers. It’s vital you strive for positive customer relationships because they heavily impact your digital reputation, word of mouth, and overall brand loyalty. In fact, 92% percent of people use customer reviews to guide their ordinary purchase decisions.
Incorporate this feedback as a part of your reporting for operations and the board room. The insights gleaned from reviews reflect how your business operates as a whole, where it needs help, or where it’s thriving.
Implement Customer Acquisition Strategies That Work
We’ve been hearing about the importance of SEO for years now, but why is it so important for your business’ reputation in 2021? As so many consumers rely on online listings to see if a business is open, has limited hours, or is taking safety precautions, it’s important to make sure you have accurate and consistent online information.
Help acquire more customers by building a strategy to request and gain more reviews. By having a steady flow of current and relevant reviews, it helps to increase your brand’s SEO rank. According to Local SEO Guide, 6 of the top 10 factors for a brand’s position in local search are related to online reviews. Together, managing your local listings and gathering new reviews will not only build your brand awareness, but also drive more people to your businesses through search as a cost effective customer acquisition strategy.
Foster Partnerships for Brand Growth
As businesses have fought for survival to grow, it helps having a partner on your side to generate each other’s brand strength and awareness for the long run. In the past year, there has been a great demand for alternative foods. Companies such as Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and Oatly began partnering with large chains such as Costco, Subway, Starbucks, and even Disney.
The interest from the health-conscious consumers was recognized by larger corporations who adapted to the demand of their consumers through partnering and helped increase business and expand their market. By creating partnerships with other brands, it not only boosts your awareness to consumers, but also to other people and businesses.
To learn more about 2021 social media and reputation management trends, register for our panel discussion with Hootsuite and Talkwalker.
