Here you are! You have recently put your ecommerce website online and would like all the effort, financial and cognitive to generate excellent performance on the platform to be paid off with a cascade of sales. You have everything you need: the site is aesthetically beautiful, the design is functional, the products you sell are perfect, but visits to the site are sporadic and random.
There is a big problem!
It’s not enough to put a shop online, create social pages and hope something happens!
In order for what every entrepreneur in the digital world would like to see to happen, it is important to implement an omnichannel strategy that systematizes and enhances all media manned by the brand in the right way.
According to the data of Osservatorio Omnichannel Customer Experience:
70 percent of large and medium-sized companies consider omnichannel the best way for strategic business development.
What Omnichannelality means in an online business
“Omnichannel” holistically identifies the concept of customer experience built from knowledge of the customer journey.
In recent years, customer experience, has evolved from mere marketing strategies useful for maximizing sales to an overview that includes customer care, retail, logistics and supply chain.
To truly understand the concept of omnichannelality, one must first focus on that of customer experience. The consumer experience is realized through all the interactions the consumer has with the brand through institutional communication, consumer experience, and social comparison. Thus emerges a strictly personal abstract concept that involves the customer emotionally, rationally, sensorially and physically.
Having clarified the concept of “consumer experience” and analyzed the factors that determine it, the definition of omnichannelality can be introduced through the timely words of Inside Marketing:
“Omnichannelality is the term used to refer to the synergistic management of all contact points between the company and customers (online and offline) that must be interconnected. It aims to make sure that we provide an optimal brand contact experience that is seamless and totally consumer-centric.”.
From this assumption, it emerges how this delicate practice synergistically involves all the touchpoints used by the company to reach the customer, i.e., the assets that the company has at its disposal to develop a firm bond with the customer that is as long-lasting as possible. These tools fall into 2 categories:
physical such as retail, call centers, service centers;
online such as social media, mobile app, website and e-commerce.
Thus, it emerges that the differential factor between a well-done marketing strategy and an excellent marketing strategy comes from the integrated management of these channels.
This new vision stems from a strong awareness of different media and their potential, moving from optimized to integrated management. Thus emerge the concepts of multichannel as the combined use of multiple channels and cross-channel, which involves the development of integrated projects across multiple channels generating a customer experience that enhances two or more different touchpoints.
An omnichannel marketing strategy makes it possible to increase the number of potential customers by intercepting and converting more consumers during all steps of the customer journey.
The initiatives undertaken all start from a data-driven approach by ensuring that the actions implemented are suggested and take their cues from the user habits implemented up to that point. In reality, there are currently few companies using systems to automate and personalize omnichannel marketing initiatives.
From a retail perspective, omnichannel can be seen as a competitive factor. This is now familiar to all retailers who, since digital has disrupted our consumption habits, are busy reformulating their business proposition through synergistic integration of all channels.
Benefits offered by an omnichannel strategy
Omnichannel impacts all business units of an organization by generating widespread benefits for the entire organization.
The business areas most involved, in planning and benefits, are those that preside over the “last mile” by establishing a relationship with the customer. It thus emerges that those most involved in such activities are those working in the marketing and communications, sales, crm and customer care departments. These, more than others, are able to exert direct control over the customer experience by having a decisive impact on it.
The benefits that emerge from virtuous activities of this kind generate: an increase in sales and revenues; an optimization of costs and internal processes; an improvement in lead acquisition in terms of volume of contacts generated and cost per contact; increased consumer and employee satisfaction; a higher rate of customer engagement and loyalty; and an improvement in service levels.
Data-driven omnichanneling: timely management of marketing initiatives
Using an approach based on the analysis and study of data is definitely an added value for Omnichannel management. The data to be extracted, organized and analyzed will have to refer to all the actions the customer takes during the customer journey.
Since the internet and the network have become pervasive in all the actions we perform our devices produce a multitude of data, still segmented and uneven, that leave a furrow in the world of the web and digital hypertext. This data, being produced in disproportionate volumes, will need to be organized according to the interests and goals pursued. Once the policy of data collection and use has been rationalized, the data will need to be organized into digital repositories that catalog them in a timely and effective manner. One of the many databases that can facilitate such work is Hubspot a very effective tool in which the Biscuitway team believes strongly, to the point of becoming its certified partner.
This model can be defined as “data-driven” in that the consumer and his or her habits are intercepted through the collection, analysis and exploitation of data released by the latter in all moments of contact with the brand.
The three steps needed to develop a strategy based on firm point data are:
Data collection: at this stage all data, primary and secondary, available to the organization are collected and integrated. The touchpoints through which data can be collected are: the point of sale, the website, direct marketing channels, corporate information systems, and data purchased from third-party providers.
Data Analysis: once the data is collected, it is analyzed and processed in order to obtain new insights that have the corporate objectives as their focus. It will then be possible to generate a general overview of the consumer. The analyses can be of various kinds from the simplest and merely descriptive, to multivariate analyses using complex algorithms.
Data Execution: this third step consists of data activation. These are delivered to the different business divisions that will use them for communication, marketing and sales initiatives. This data will also be used to create protocols and rules useful for activating specific actions on specific targets.
Omnichannel technologies and tools
From what we have learned so far, it is clear that this practice is increasingly central to Italian companies. The most advanced realities that generate satisfactory results invest a multitude of time and resources each year in implementing Customer Experience Management activities and technologies.
In these processes it is necessary to possess technologies and infrastructures capable of collecting and processing large amounts of data quickly and with a very high level of accuracy.
The two tools that will necessarily have to be used are:
Customer Experience Management (CXM): tools and technologies useful for managing the customer experience by monitoring customer activities in real time. One of the most advanced methods of developing this is Content Intelligence, which involves semantic analysis of content to profile the interests that the individual makes explicit online.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): essential tool for managing and nurturing the relationship with current and potential customers by integrating personal data, authorized under GDPR, with careful reporting of all moments of contact between the brand and the customer.
Your Growth Agency can make the difference
Biscuitway sees big data as the most valuable starting point for strategic implementation of operations in the digital world.
Within our team, all resources have a data-driven approach to make available to our partners. We also believe that presiding over as many touchpoints as possible in an integrated and synergistic way is the true added value of a business, and every day, driven by a love of innovation, we work to discover and master all the tools that can help you reach your target customers.
Our bakery not only bakes donuts but churns out delicious cookies, cupcakes and macarons every day. Come try them and let’s write a new recipe for success together!
There’s a lot of talk about a data-driven culture, and we at Biscuitway, as Growth Consulting, are among the biggest proponents of this approach.
However, I want to ask you a fundamental question: are you sure your company can truly adopt a data-driven culture by embracing data governance, analytics and strategies?
A data-driven company also relies on data to make daily decisions
You start with the assumption that every day you potentially collect all kinds of data and you start to ask yourself, how do I use all this data effectively?
Essentially, there are a myriad of data, both scientific and empirical. Having a data-driven business means consulting it to manage every aspect of the business organization.
So, for data-driven companies, what is commonly called data management is not just a technical aspect, but a real strategic key to the entire business.
Bringing a culture of data to all levels of the company is the right way to make sure you are guided by the numbers to make sound decisions based on objective facts and not your personal feelings. Have a doubt? Check out big data!
What the hell is big data?
I know, we’ve been talking about Big Data and how it is useful for business for years, but then you always find yourself asking: what data? Where do I find it? How much is it?
When talking about big data, people often only think about the volume of data to be accessed, but there are also five other Vs that can help you make the data valuable.
In fact, in 2001, Doug Laney, then Vice President and Service Director of the Meta Group company, described in a report the 3V Model of Big Data: Volume, Velocity and Variety. Today, however, we speak of the 6Vs of Big Data because the previous paradigm has been enriched by two more variables: Veracity, Variability and Value.
A data-driven company will therefore have to look at data against these variables:
Volume: capture, process and store even large volumes of data in a scalable way for growing business needs, with data from human and machine sources.
Speed: the flow of data is often vast and continuous and requires platforms and capabilities that can not only handle significant volumes, but also manage this flow in real time.
Variety: the integration of different data into a manageable structure is the key to a solid big data opportunity.
Trueness: being able to identify the relevance and accuracy of data and apply them to the appropriate purposes.
Variability: manage and contextualise data in a way that provides structure, even in unpredictable and variable data environments.
Value: understand the potential to create revenue or unlock opportunities through your data. This reflects the results you apply to your use of data: if it is not valuable, then why and when do you keep it?
How to Adopt a Data-Driven Business Strategy: Put Data at the Centre of Decision Making
Do you have a data analysis team? Well, if you don’t have one, it’s time to set one up. If you do have one, are the members of that team the only ones who see and analyse that data? And are other departments left out?
It sounds like you need to have a bunch of people to spend their time on this alone: but if you are a start-up can you invest everything in this data analysis? Of course not! But you certainly have to impose this fundamental rule on yourself:
Make data-driven decisions in all departments in order to have a broad view of what is working and what is not.
This is why all companies, even those with different businesses, rely on data in making every decision. But it doesn’t end there, remember:
Align your company culture with all departments to maximise insights. Creating a culture where everyone appreciates how data brings value will ensure that internal/external processes and company culture are aligned with maximising insights.
This process starts with the top management, those people who are supposed to pilot this new process before it is disseminated among the entire staff.
When decision-making is data-driven, company or departmental focus group discussions improve.
How to build a data-driven team
One thing that is extremely necessary is to surround yourself with the right talent.
Build a culture that gives credit to data science and management. A data-driven staff is highly valued in today’s job market and, above all, is able to achieve results faster.
This means that hiring the right workers, especially those who can analyse data, is important. When hiring, always look for candidates who are comfortable with data analysis skills.
Moreover, individuals who by nature embrace data are open to what this methodology can teach them. This is also a very important trait for what are other inputs, such as customer and management feedback, qualitative research and user testing: also fostering a feedback-driven culture and User Satisfaction.
In fact, if data in business decision-making is necessary, it should also be done on the basis of an all-encompassing view of business goals, rather than on the analysis of numbers alone.
If you make decisions based only on numbers and figures, you are neglecting the intuition of your staff members and ignoring the experiences in the field with their successes and/or failures. These types of input are indispensable additions to quantifiable analysis.
It doesn’t end there, once you have chosen the right people the real work begins:
Support the professional development and training of your team and remember that the current skills of your employees must always grow.
Take note of improvements and always test processes.
Everyone must be fully trained on standard procedures and the consequences of not adhering to data security and privacy measures.
The culture of failure in the data-driven approach
Be careful, mistakes can and always will occur. It is unavoidable!
No success is achieved in a vacuum: establishing a culture that makes people feel comfortable to fail is the healthy way to set up a data-driven strategy.
Success is the goal, no doubt, but failure is part of the expectation.
The people inside your company are the greatest assets, but success also depends on the people outside: the customers/users.
When adopting strategies, ensure that they are people-centred (both externally and internally). A data-driven company must be a data-driven company for the benefit of people.
It all comes down to a better customer experience, in relation to using your company’s product, or directly from contact with your employees.
Un caffè può far crescere la tua azienda
Success is within reach. All you need? The right people to help you and the desire to succeed!
A comprehensive growth strategy could be exactly what your company needs to improve turnover, retain customers and enhance your performance.
ACompany Builder as Biscuitway could be the real turning point.
Our strength is the method gained from years of experience. We firmly believe that working closely with companies, becoming part of their team and guiding them step by step through digital processes, is necessary to achieve a quality result that unites all the vertical competences of each department.
This is because awareness is at the heart of innovation: the data-driven approach, the cross-fertilisation of ideas, different experiences and competences across sectors enable new perspectives on projects in their entirety, identifying innovative, alternative, ameliorative paths.
Do you think so too? Have a coffee with us to get to know each other better!
Tough times for those who fail to stand out, especially online. Did you know that your brand image is the most persuasive business card there is to attract potential customers? That’s why in this article I will explain how to build a digital brand identity for your business in 5 steps.
The web is that fascinating and unpredictable place that offers great opportunities to companies able to exploit its boundless potential to improve their online visibility. Just as powerfully, it throws those who do not know the rules of the game into oblivion.
The risk of quickly falling into neglect and ending up being lumped in with hundreds of other businesses that mistakenly thought they had the idea of the century is more than concrete.
If, when asked the question “who should I target?” your company is the first option in the mind of a potential customer, it means that your brand identity is working great.
If not, you had better continue reading.
Where to start when building your digital brand identity?
Building a brand identity from scratch is no mean feat. First of all, creating a brand identity is not limited to the creation of a logo or image.
A strong identity for your brand makes your target audience recognise the values of your company, enabling it to become the main reference point for certain worldviews shared by users.
Capture attention, convert it into interest and create a bond with your audience: let’s see how to build your digital brand identity in 5 moves!
1. Know your target audience
Identifying the target audience you want to address and the goals you want to achieve are the first steps of effective brand building.
To do this, it can certainly be useful to analyse the strategy of your competitors:
How do they present themselves?
What values do they carry?
Which social media do they prefer?
Knowing your competitors’ approach gives you some important pointers: it can help you understand how your brand identity may differ from others and how to create a message that makes you different from them.
People are the core element of your strategy: after you have identified those your competitors are targeting, it is time to build your own target audience! Here you will need to build an ideal model of what the audience interested in your brand might be.
The identity of a brand is nothing more than the dialogue it is able to establish with those it addresses. For this conversation to be successful, you have to know your interlocutor!
Only after you have gathered the useful information that will allow you to get to know your potential customer, can you start laying the foundations for the creation of your brand identity.
2. Be recognisable
In this phase you will have to put all your originality into motion. From the creation of a logo to the construction of a real message: nothing should be left to chance.
It will be important, therefore, to have a clear value proposition that effectively expresses your company’s image. Clearly stating your objectives will allow you to directly and unambiguously convey the values that your business will stand for.
Your value promise should represent a point of contact between you and the expectations of your target group. We could speak of a kind of compromise whose aim is full satisfaction for both parties.
The ideal value proposition will have the ability to:
be understandable by anyone at first glance;
present concrete and measurable results, even better if supported by data;
distinguish itself from its competitors.
For your message to be effective, you need to give the brand a convincing look.
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The visual aspect must be able to communicate immediately what is not said. Images, colours, material objects: each element serves to express the essence of your brand.
Precisely for this reason, you should pay close attention to the care of your logo and brand name. Originality and creativity are winning weapons, but don’t forget to keep it simple and incisive!
The name must be immediately understandable and leave no space for confusion. The best thing you can do, if your brand does not yet have one, is definitely NOT to copy names already used by others.
Keep your mind focused, jot down some ideas and try not to be trivial!
When thinking of a suitable name for your brand, you should not overlook the logo it should go with. From the font, which should be as personalised and simple as possible, to the colour palette, nothing should be left to chance.
Speaking of colours: did you know that some are better suited to your communication needs than others? Each shade represents different emotions, so your task will be to find the ones that best suit the message you want to convey with your image.
If you wanted to give your brand a sophisticated look, your choice could be colours such as purple or black; to send a message expressing positivity and exuberance, yellow and orange tones would be more appropriate.
These are of course examples; there is no fixed rule expressly forbidding the use of certain colours in certain circumstances. The important thing is to be clear about the emotions you want to focus on and to avoid using too many colours.
Just like the name, the logo also needs simplicity. That is why it is essential to have one that fits and is readable everywhere: on the website, on social media and in print.
3. Tell your story
People like listening to stories.
As the narrative gets closer to their personal lives and experiences, more your potential customers will be interested in listening to you.
Impactful brand storytelling can really make a difference when it comes to creating a strong and shared identity. The values and principles you want to convey will gain strength if there is a narrative to support them.
A product that is completely identical to others will only stand out because of its ability to arouse emotions in the target audience.
Have you ever thought about the reasons why Apple or Ikea became leaders in their respective fields? The quality and aesthetics of the products are important, but they are not enough to account for such success.
Consumer perception does: people do not so much rely on the product as on the idea they have built around it.
The representation of scenes that could very well be part of everyone’s experience, the propensity for inclusiveness, the openness towards the other: these are some of the factors that have led these companies to create a very strong bond with their audience, to the point of outperforming adversaries whose product quality is nothing less than theirs.
In case you’re wondering: yes, the moving narrative in which a child realises his dream of feeling big by gaining centimetres in height thanks to the adaptability of Ikea furniture is much more effective than it sounds!
To be able to sell you need to be able to attract, but first of all, involve!
4. Promises kept
Nobody likes liars or inconsistent people.
Whatever type of emotion you want to arouse, it must be authentic and supported by the correct tone of communication, which must be as in line as possible with the message you intend to convey, as well as maintaining its consistency over time.
If your promise of value is not fulfilled, your brand will inevitably lose credibility. Cheating is not an option! So be as authentic as possible and avoid lying to your audience, because sooner or later they will discover you.
What you absolutely must NOT do is to launch messages that are not in line with what is stated as your brand’s mission. This only confuses your audience, with counterproductive outcomes that in some cases may lead to customers abandoning your brand.
5. Elaborate your communication strategy
At this point what you have to do is ‘simply’ spread your message. How to do this?
Let’s start with an assumption: you most likely cannot do this alone. You will therefore have to refer to professionals with different kinds of technical and creative skills.
Structuring a website in which no detail is left to chance, which entices every visitor to return to it with the prospect of becoming a customer, is by no means easy. Likewise, trying to position oneself in SERPs correctly requires certain skills that not everyone possesses.
It doesn’t end there: in addition to getting people to find your website, you must also make sure they stay there. This is where content marketing comes in, which must present original and quality content, as well as social media marketing, through which you will be able to create different strategies for the various social media in which you decide to move (and even here, do you know which ones you need to work on?).
In short, going it alone does not seem to be the best option. If you want to succeed, you can’t just stay afloat with makeshift means, you have to choose an experienced crew!
Build your digital brand identity in 5 steps… Plus one!
That’s why you need a Growth Agency to help your brand grow in every aspect. Thanks to the diversified professionalism and expertise within its ranks, BiscuitWay is committed to realising your digital brand identity in all its components: dall’ideazione dell’immagine aziendale al design del logo, dal pay off al copywriting e così via.
Whether you have a clear plan in mind, many confused ideas or none at all, it doesn’t matter! BiscuitWay takes care of your business from A to Z, enabling you to achieve an image that speaks about you in a coherent, sincere and attractive manner.
Contact us, we’ll work out how to build your digital brand identity in 5 steps!
An e-commerce is certainly not always easy to build and manage. There are so many things to do that if you are inexperienced you can easily lose your way and literally ‘go crazy’ to keep up with sales, orders from suppliers, payments to be made and to receive.
It is therefore essential to make sure that you have a solid foundation for running a complete online shop and that you really know what the key elements are that should not be ignored.
What does my customer really need in my e-shop?
The best way to really understand what your e-commerce is missing and what needs to be added is definitely to examine it from the point of view of a visitor to your site.
That’s right, let’s start at the beginning: when your user visits a shop what does he do? What is he looking for? What does he need?
But that’s not enough: how does he get to buy? What does he need after he places the order? Indeed, it is crucial to understand how a company like yours can excel at every step of the process in order to achieve success.
Obviously, we at Biscuitway know that building an e-commerce from scratch is an arduous process and, moreover, according to our ‘tailor-made‘ vision, each e-commerce is unique, but here you will find some general tips that will lay a solid foundation for your e-commerce business.
Users in your e-commerce pay attention to design
A number of old marketing theories will tell you that you should not focus too much on attractive or unattractive, but on what does or does not perform. Who am I to tell you otherwise? But what I am telling you is that in order to make a business run, design is important:
design is not just about ‘graphics and aesthetics’ because, when it is done correctly, it is based on a solid study and design approach focusing simultaneously on the needs of the user and the company’s business;
a good website design shows that there is a solid and serious company behind the screen;
a good design helps the user to reach his purpose as easily as possible;
good design helps your company increase conversions.
You want proof? Well, have you ever entered a disorganised, dirty shop with a very uninviting atmosphere? How did it make you feel? You certainly weren’t dying to spend all your money there!
On the other hand, have you ever entered a clean, spacious shop with a very comfortable atmosphere? I’m sure the attractiveness of that shop will have made its way to your heart and… your wallet! If you think about it, it is the Apple Store strategy: doesn’t the tidiness, the cleanliness, the simplicity of the space give you the feeling that it is a well-run shop, that the company cares about its customers and offers better products?
Hence, there is no doubt that the design of your website has an impact on your business and that good design must be a priority for you! Do you agree?
E-commerce websites must be fast
The loading speed of a web page has a huge influence on the conversion rate.
What’s one extra second or one second less? It may not seem like a big deal, but it can mean hundreds (sometimes thousands) of lost sales for a company. Do not underestimate the impact of speed.
No user wants to wait for the page to load if they have an army of e-commerce competitors who can sell them the product they are looking for ‘before you do’.
Do you want to know if your e-commerce meets speed standards? Take a test with Google PageSpeed Insights and find out what you are doing wrong!
In addition, speed also affects the ranking of your site in search engines, so pay attention to loading, especially from mobile!
In your e-commerce you need a selection of products
We have already talked about what to sell and how to find the right products for your e-commerce, but let’s try to shed some more light!
Obviously, most start-ups and SMEs cannot afford to have a selection of products like giant marketplaces such as Amazon, AliExpress o Zalando. On the contrary, sometimes giving too wide a choice can actually cost you sales. Thus, it is wrong to think that having a huge selection of products is the key to success. Sometimes limiting your selection can:
enable customers to quickly find what they are looking for;
prevent customers from having a real ‘decision paralysis’;
increase conversions by naturally limiting the number of clicks before buying.
This means that product selection must be carefully considered and strategic.
Your customer wants clear and comprehensive product pages
I don’t want to dwell on this. A good product page must have:
good quality images that bring out the details in all angles and the totality of the product; and if you want to do it really well, add a mini video too!
The price clearly visible (no, hiding the price is almost never a good strategy, although in some cases it might be irrelevant: maybe we will talk about that in the future!).
A short and effective description that is informative and persuasive at the same time. Not sure what to write? Professional copywriters exist for exactly this reason!
Good SEO optimisation.
The CTA to add the product to the shopping cart and/or purchase clearly visible.
“Just” this? Well, yes!
In your e-commerce, pay attention to what happens in the shopping cart and during checkout
The customer has come this far: he has visited your website, viewed your product selection, chosen a product he wants to buy and placed it in his shopping cart. It’s done!
Not really. The abandoned cart monster is around the corner!
How could all the work done on your e-commerce be ruined now? I’ll tell you a few ways:
unexpectedly high shipping costs;
do not accept certain payment methods;
roblige users to create accounts before ordering.
How to remove these three problems?
For unexpectedly high shipping costs, you can publish the shipping costs on the product page or home page. This eliminates the surprise of a high shipping cost and allows the user to take the total cost into account before adding it to the cart.
The minimum is to accept credit cards and, in some cases, bank transfers, and cash on delivery. Want to impress everyone? You can also accept Bitcoin and use cryptocurrencies. Yes, indeed! And if you want to be among the first to do so, thanks to our partners, we have the solution for you, contact us and we will tell you more!
Finally, requiring users to create accounts before placing an order does not benefit the user so it could be a blocking element and create distrust of your brand. It is better to allow users to create an account after placing an order.
Never skip after-sales service
After-sales service plays an important role in customer satisfaction and retention, playing a key role in strengthening the connection between the brand and its customers.
Also, never forget that a satisfied and happy customer speaks well of your product, influences those close to him, which means more awareness, reliability and revenue.
Therefore, keep in touch with customers even after the sale via e-mail, chat, IM and social media.
Receive feedback on products and services from customers. Feedback helps the organisation to get to know customers better and to incorporate the necessary changes for better customer satisfaction.
In your e-commerce you need expertise
At Biscuitway we have a infallible method that allows us to build an ecommerce that reflects all of your user’s needs. Our experience in the field ensures that a solid foundation is laid for your online business, from market analysis, planning, design, product research, to technology development and go-to-market with strategies tailor-made for you.
When it comes to the future of your e-commerce, don’t leave it to chance, trust the professionals. Let’s have a coffee together!
Yes, I know, we’ve already talked about what a growth agency (or consulting, if you prefer) is and how to choose one. Now it’s time to get serious!
Let’s get right to it! Are you a business owner? Do you want to grow your business?
Here are 3 reasons why you should prefer a consulting agency focused on digital business growth over a classic web agency.
1. Growth Consulting gives you a clear, unbiased and ethical perspective.
Why isn’t your business taking off?
It often happens that entrepreneurs are unable to take an unbiased look at the real problems of the business, and lack of experience or fear of change are some of the main culprits that cause small businesses and startups to fail.
Growth consulting helps you overcome this challenge thanks to a broad, multidisciplinary and result-focused vision of your industry and your target market.
The foundation is Design thinking and Growth hacking. First comes analysis, business sustainability and design. After comes strategy or technology development. Never the other way around!
Our only goal is to support you to quickly grow your business and build a case for success!
2. Formative approach resulting in cost reduction and long-term time savings
The strength of a Growth Consulting like Biscuitway is the method matured from years of experience. This is because awareness is at the base of innovation: the data driven approach, the contamination of ideas, the different experiences and competences between sectors allow to identify new perspectives on projects in their entirety, identifying innovative, alternative and improving paths.
Working closely with companies, becoming part of their team and guiding them step-by-step through digital processes, is necessary to achieve a quality result that unites all the vertical skills of each department.
Being able to gain this experience can save you from many headaches down the road, making your business more profitable with a focus on sustained profitability, identify structural and other process-related issues that can lead to unnecessary investment and long-term repeat business.
3. Personalized and results-oriented approach
There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to business consulting and growth services.
To help businesses grow and achieve their desired results, a Growth Consulting works side-by-side with you and your team to learn about the challenges and needs. Only after a thorough analysis will strategic action plans be formulated based on clients’ unique challenges and goals.
The approach is absolutely results-oriented, helping you to set the right goals and milestones, as well as KPIs for performance measurement and strategy updates.
Do you think your business needs this approach to really get results? Have a coffee with us!
Why should you implement a digital marketing strategy for your business?
If you’ve opened this article, you’re probably wondering why your business needs a digital marketing strategy.
What benefits can be derived from it? When you already have a good traditional marketing strategy, is it essential to replicate it on the web?
The answer to these questions is very simple: traditional offline marketing is no longer enough.
This obviously does not imply an abandonment of all marketing strategies that are not digital! Rather, it requires a change in perspective, as well as the realization that, to do good marketing, both approaches (digital and non-digital) are necessary.
Today, a promotional campaign that takes advantage of the full potential of digital can make the difference
A respectable digital marketing strategy is based on the creation of valuable content for your target audience and on the positioning activities of the company in order to make it more visible on the web: from the copy on your e-commerce, to the sponsorship activities on social networks.
After defining the short- and long-term goals of the strategy, you will outline the activities needed to achieve them, which span several areas, each of which is essential.
Whatever the goal, from Brand awareness to site conversion, you will rely on these practices:
Search engine optimization (SEO) to increase organic traffic and rankings for the keywords your site needs;
Search engine marketing (SEM): paid promotion activities that are based on the user’s search intent;
Content marketing: creation of valuable persuasive content that draws interest, attracts and drives the customer to the desired action;
Social Media Marketing (SMM) and Social Pay-per-click advertising (PPC): online content promotion activities via social media and paid advertising.
These macro activities will be complemented by ad hoc strategies of affiliate marketing, email marketing (DEM and Newsletter), influencer marketing, digital PR, community management, digital customer care.
Your customer-centric marketing strategy
The terrain of digital marketing is considerably more complex than that of traditional marketing.
Nowadays being present on the web is everything. This is not only because much of your marketing efforts have moved online, but because your competitors have too!
Yes, in spite of all your efforts and commitment to make your product as good as possible, some other product, maybe with a lower quality than yours, got the better of you just because it was sponsored on the web!
Did I guess right? If the answer is yes, fear not, the solution you are looking for is much closer than you imagine, but more importantly, it may not be the one you imagine! By this I mean not that the quality of the product is not important, but that it is not the only factor to consider.
Product is not everything!
Digital marketing allows for the formation of a network of contacts with two-way communication flows. What makes your potential customer become real is the way you make them feel.
Instead of focusing exclusively on the product, a digital marketing strategy also focuses on another element that is as important as it is often overlooked: people.
This approach, which is based on listening to the needs and desires of the customer, allows companies and their target audience to establish a dialogue resulting in full satisfaction for both.
The benefits are many: tapping into customer desires can help you create a targeted campaign with a high probability of achieving your goal. People appreciate a type of offer that seems tailor-made for them, and they respond to this interest with their brand loyalty.
Having gained loyalty, the customer will be inclined not only to rely on you in the future, but also to become a testimonial for your products, even going so far as to influence those in their closest circle.
Is digital marketing the future for SMEs?
The answer to this question is absolutely to be found in Big Data!
Every user constantly produces a large amount of behavioral data that should not be overlooked: analyzing the flow of data coming from those who buy a product, in fact, can tell us a lot about people, building models that predict their behavior.
What are your user’s preferences?
How old is he/she?
How does he/she like to spend his/her free time?
What are his/her values?
What is his/her job?
What are his/her goals?
What worries him/her the most?
A digital marketing strategy allows for immediate feedback and monitoring of an ongoing campaign.
There are many aspects to consider, as there are many skills needed.
What’s the first step in starting your digital marketing strategy?
Relying on an agency to take care of your marketing strategy can bring countless benefits.
Not all agencies guarantee the same results. How do you choose the one that best suits your needs, without neglecting any aspect?
A multi-disciplinary approach that ensures growth from a variety of perspectives is critical. In short, what you really need is a specialist who has an overview. Someone who can manage a digital promotional campaign from every aspect.
The right professional for you, therefore, has a wide variety of skills, ranging from SEO to social media management, online digital PR to SEM, direct email marketing, pay-per-click advertising (PPC), funneling, data analytics and more. These are just a few of the fundamental skills for a digital marketing specialist.
To all this knowledge will be added those necessary to coordinate the marketing department with all the others that make up the company, in order to develop a marketing strategy that is as complete as possible and that, above all, combines perfectly with the work of each area.
How to choose the right Web Agency for you?
Choosing the best option is not always so simple and obvious, unfortunately. It often happens, in fact, to rely on marketers with a sectoral knowledge, not able to cope with the complexity of factors in a company.
A Growth Agency is right for you because while it creates the right digital marketing strategy, it monitors and takes care of the overall health of your business.
The approach adopted by a self-respecting Growth Agency is Data Driven: it is based on the analysis of the data flow, elaborating, depending on the results obtained, a strategy based on concrete facts rather than mere opinions that may have no connection with the real state of things.
A Growth Agency, moreover, while identifying any critical issues of your company, develops and implements a growth strategy aimed at eliminating problems and highlighting the strengths of your business. Before developing it, however, offers support in the analysis of your target market, intercepting the best strategy to be implemented to reach it and optimize the result.
Your business needs a digital marketing strategy, but it also needs experienced hands that know how to best implement it.
Are you still pondering? Contact us, let’s write the recipe for your success together!
Today we are talking about the phenomenon that has revolutionised and redefined the world of marketing in recent years: E-commerce.
Giving a single, comprehensive definition is not easy, but we could define e-commerce as the sale and purchase of products and services on the web via online payment methods.
We must be clear right away. E-commerce is much more than a transaction in electronic form: it is the ability to intercept the customer’s need in a clear and measurable way.
The fact that the customer has many more products available online than a traditional shop can contain implies that your e-commerce is taken care of in every detail.
This involves several factors: from the IT aspect to the communication aspect, from the care of graphic elements to the development of an engaging user experience.
Why do you need to sell your products online?
E-commerce is the result of the digital transformation process that has now affected every sector. If until recently being online was a choice, today it is a compulsory step for any business that wants to innovate, be closer to the needs of its customers and, last but not least, resist the blows of competition.
Let’s see why!
Does your target audience need your online presence?
Absolutely!
The emergence of e-commerce has revolutionised the concept of retailing, expanding its possibilities. By exploiting the potential made available by new technologies, e-commerce makes it possible to devise ad hoc strategies to address specific targets.
The use of valuable tools such as online communities ensures that even very distant slices of users can be reached, reducing the costs of a much more time-consuming process in traditional commerce.
People play a central role: they determine which direction the market will go. Users browse online, inform themselves, compare similar products and ultimately choose the one they think is best. In such a situation, being absent on the web can only be a disadvantage.
Covid-19: digital transformation becomes necessary
As if all this were not enough, the latest developments in the global pandemic that have led to the ever-increasing spread of Covid-19, disrupting customers’ habits even in terms of purchasing basic necessities, have caused the digital transformation process to accelerate even further. Indeed, the pandemic has prompted more and more consumers to turn to online commerce for purchases that were previously conducted in person.
This shift inevitably leads one to wonder how user behaviour is changing. Online transaction volumes in Italy are estimated to have grown by 15.4 per cent in the last year, leading e-commerce to face 10 times more demand than in the pre-Covid period. The need to maintain social distancing leads to the exploration of new ways of buying online, with the high probability that these trends will remain unchanged even after the pandemic.
It seems that the transition to e-commerce is something inevitable, which is why having a valuable web presence is necessary and indispensable.
If you are not yet online, now is the time to do so!
What are the benefits for a company with e-commerce?
The benefits you may derive from setting up an online e-commerce are manifold.
Analysing data from online user behaviour allows you to create a tailor-made communication strategy, minimising criticality and maximising the effectiveness of your action.
Study the behaviour of your competitors, identify the strategies adopted and understand what to focus on to overcome them.
Find out which keywords appeal most to your audience and use them to improve the visibility of your business.
Attract new customers through traffic generated by search engines and social media, increasing your user base.
Having the ability to provide all the necessary information to reassure the potential customer in order to induce him/her to buy, through an efficient customer care service.
Gain flexibility by ensuring that users can buy anytime, anywhere.
Multiply business opportunities by devising a coherent strategy that combines online and offline marketing.
The 4 types of e-commerce and which one is best suited to your business?
Are all e-commerce businesses the same? The answer to this question is “no!”. We tend to think that selling ‘online’ is exclusive to the B2C market.
When we talk about e-commerce we almost always refer to 4 main categories that are strongly related to your target market:
B2B (business to business): This type of e-commerce refers to exchanges between companies of products, services or information. These are product or supply exchange websites that allow companies to support each other in the activities necessary to produce a product or service.
B2C (business to consumer): indicates the relationship that is established between companies selling products, services or information and people, understood as consumers and the target of the marketing strategy. Retail shops are the most common example.
C2C (consumer to consumer): The term refers to the type of electronic commerce in which consumers exchange products, services or information online. This is made possible by the provision of sites on which transactions are carried out. The earnings of these platforms are derived from the percentage derived from user transactions. Online auctions can be classified as examples of C2C e-commerce.
C2B (consumer to business): is a type of e-commerce in which consumers make their products and services available online, with the aim of selling them to companies. This takes place on intermediary platforms. Common examples are blogs or forums that offer the possibility of including links to the company’s website, promoting its products.
What is involved in having an online shop?
In order to start an e-commerce from scratch, one should not underestimate certain steps prior to going online.
Having a business plan and carrying out a convincing online promotion activity are fundamental operations, which must, however, be conducted by a specialised team.
Having a strategic guide that allows you to focus on the goals your company aims to achieve is as challenging as it is necessary.
An effective business plan is based on a detailed description of the company and the reasons for taking certain actions.
What needs do you intend to satisfy?
What is the target audience of the online shop?
What professional skills are available for the realisation of the project?
The plan should illustrate the offer to be presented to the target market, as well as a collection of information on the environment within which the business is to operate. It should then outline the traits of the companies that represent the competition: from describing the competitor’s offer to highlighting its weak points, and finally to elaborating a strategy that aims to make the difference between your business and its rivals.
All this without neglecting the elaboration of economic-financial forecasts that will allow you to derive projections on the progress of the project.
Another point to focus on concerns the communication plan adopted. Equipping yourself with a corporate blog that deals with topics related to the field you operate in, doing good SEO optimisation and focusing on social media marketing… Everything is necessary to gain online visibility for your e-commerce!
Getting people to engage with your communication channels through informative content on blogs, email marketing and social media activities is an important step towards gaining loyal and satisfied customers.
Rely on professionals to create your e-commerce from A to Z
Any website that wants to gain and maintain contacts and visibility needs an investment. Not all investments are successful, however, so a wise choice must be made.
Relying on professionals who can understand your needs and guide you in the implementation of your business project is absolutely necessary. Great care must be taken when choosing the most suitable web agency: one wrong step and the risk of losing time and money is just around the corner.
At Biscuitway, we are a Growth Agency with a focus on the all-round growth of entrepreneurial projects.
Tell us your project and together we will find the right key to grow your business!
Marketing Manager: who is the right professional for your company?
There you are, you are again looking for the communication agency for your company. Each time they promise you great things, fireworks and “out of the box” ideas and yet, time and time again, you don’t feel satisfied!
What’s going on. How come no one can completely understand your needs as a business owner?
Simple, maybe for your company you don’t need a marketing manager, but a T-shaped Marketer!
Who is a T-shaped Marketer?
If you’ve never heard of a T-shape trained marketer, you might think I just made it up just to get you hooked on reading the article. But I swear, I’m not talking about a mythological figure, and I assure you he exists.
What characterizes a T-profile in the marketing world is the multidisciplinary approach, spanning all areas of marketing and beyond.
If you don’t think you’ve ever met such a professional, the reason is simple: marketing is a very broad field, which means there are plenty of opportunities to specialize in various areas.
I confess, in the world of media agencies spotting a T-shaped marketer is difficult and somewhat rare.
Usually, agencies work in watertight compartments, with a clear and precise distinction between the various departments: the Social Media Manager, the Digital Strategist, the Copywriter, the SEO Specialist, the UX designer, the Project Manager, the Web Developer, and so on and so forth.
What are the skills of a marketing expert with a T-profile?
Working in a Growth Consulting, where the primary objective is the 360° growth of the client’s company, the multidisciplinary approach is essential, not only for those who deal with Marketing, but for the entire team.
Each member of BiscuitWay is committed to developing skills that travel in horizontal and vertical lines, just to form a T, especially to meet the needs related to the Digital Transformation journey that our customers require of us.
The T-profile digital marketing specialist framework.
Regarding the training framework of such a specialist, there are 3 levels:
Basic knowledge of the digital world
Marketing knowledge
Specific channel skills
The T-shaped Digital Marketing Framework – Source: Mattyford.com
A marketing manager who has to follow the all-round growth of your company must have a basichorizontal knowledge of all the fields that come into play in the process of developing a business.
Instead, he/she must be absolutely vertical in the field of marketing to be able to create a marketing strategy consistent with everything about the company, its products/services and business needs. So, he/she will have SEO, SEM, Funnel, Social Media, Influencer Marketing Campaigns, DEM, PPC Campaigns, Digital PR, Community Management, Data Analytics, etc..
Warning! The goal will not be to develop the mere marketing campaign, but to put together a marketing strategy by leveraging a generalist knowledge database and collaborating with team members.
Why rely on a T-shaped expert?
A marketing manager with such a profile helps clients develop a marketing strategy from A to Z. He or she will be able to create more accurate strategies by collaborating with the entire team, not just the marketing department section.
Companies need marketing experts with multidisciplinary training because they have a wealth of knowledge at their disposal that is both broad and constantly updated.
The future of effective marketing lies in this concept of interdisciplinary knowledge.
Especially in the digital world, there is too much complexity, time, resources and information available for consumers to ignore or avoid any one area. It becomes essential that a solid marketing plan includes a wide variety of different elements in order to drive growth, sales and conversions.
Not all markers are the same, choose yours carefully!
