2021 - Page 2 of 2 - TILL IT CLICKS

4 Reasons Why Marketing Must Manage Your Website and Not IT

A majority of businesses across the world today have established their digital presence by building websites. This helps brands considerably in gaining better reach across multiple locations and boosting their business growth. IT and marketing departments are the major powerhouses that help businesses in building and maintaining an online presence.

IT specialists look after connectivity, security and other technical aspects of website management and generally lack the skills necessary to communicate a brand’s message. Marketers, on the other hand, are experts in understanding the requirements of the target audience. They are proficient in articulating a brand’s value proposition through a website very clearly.

Since website management is a long-term responsibility, it is always beneficial to hand over the reins of website management to just one team. But which of these two departments are more capable of completely controlling a website? The answer is – your marketing department. Here are 4 reasons that explain why businesses must prefer marketers over IT professionals when it comes to managing their website.

1. Web Presence isn’t Completely Reliant on Coding

Image Source: Business Pro Designs

Contrary to common perception, coding is not the only factor influencing web presence. It is also dependent on factors such as the website structure and SEO. While IT professionals use technical skills to lay the foundation for a website, marketers play an important role in shaping the look and feel of the website. This helps in delivering a great user experience to website visitors.

Strengthening web presence requires the basic knowledge of SEO which IT professionals do not usually possess. On the other hand, SEO and keyword research expertise enables marketers to incorporate the right keywords into URLs, headers, content, and build effective internal links. Moreover, with site structure having an impact on SEO and ultimately, on your web presence, it is always wise to let your marketing team manage your website.

2. Marketers Understand the Target Audience Better

Image Source: Swansea

The first and foremost prerequisite of managing a website is to assess why visitors would land on your website and provide them with exactly what they’re looking for. This is extremely helpful in creating and delivering personalised experiences to prospects visiting your website. As a result, your website is always visited by the right customers. But to achieve this, it is necessary to first identify and know a great deal about your target audience.

With the IT team in charge, you can build a website successfully but fail to identify and target your right customers. But marketers can conduct research activities and have the skills to assess the preferences, buying behaviours, etc of customers. This helps them present the website in a manner that delivers value and grabs the attention of the target audience.

3. IT Teams Can’t Communicate the Brand Message

Image Source: Total Jobs

Once you have identified your target audience, you need to focus on delivering your brand’s message through the website. This involves incorporating an apt approach to display designs and content so that people perceive your business in the exact manner you want them to. Since marketing revolves primarily around communication, marketers are best suited when it comes to looking after your brand’s messaging.

Although IT professionals are well-versed with the technological aspect of website building, they lack the proficiency to communicate a brand message effectively. As a website is the online face of a brand, it is also important to maintain consistent messaging across the entire website. With their creative skills, marketers are able to keep branding consistent by delivering the same message and value proposition throughout the website.

4. Marketing Experts Can Regularly Update Your Website

Image Source: Mind Studio

To keep on winning new clients for your business, it is extremely important to always keep your website up to date. Constant modifications are useful in ensuring that at any given time, the most relevant and SEO-friendly content is up on the website. Regular updations enable the incorporation of the latest design trends which compels prospects to visit your website again and again. These factors help in improving your website’s search engine rankings.

A website with the latest information and design revolving around the target audience’s needs plays a crucial role in displaying your business as a thriving organisation. It can help businesses in grabbing the attention of new customers. As the IT team is not capable of carrying out such website modifications, it is thus necessary to assign the website management task to your marketing team.

The primary purpose of establishing and managing a website for a business is to improve brand awareness so as to boost sales. This can be carried out through the website by showcasing your brand’s value proposition and influencing how visitors perceive your brand. However, these activities require certain creative skills and expertise that marketers possess and IT professionals do not. Hence, it is quite advantageous for any brand to let marketers have complete control over the website creation and management and not the IT team.

COVID-19 Pandemic | Social Media | Till It Clicks

Decoding the Evolution of Social Media Post the COVID-19 Pandemic

The ways of using social media are evolving. The expectation from social media is evolving. Change was and always will be constant in marketing, but the last year has been very aggressive with changes in social media. Social media growth in 2020 was insane. While the world was forced to remain physically distanced, social media bridged the gap and kept the world connected.

Helping Global Businesses and Brands Thrive

Image Source: Brafton

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, social media was looked at as a mere communication or networking tool. However, amid the global lockdown mandates, social media has been the fuel that’s propelling businesses forward and helping them widen their reach successfully. Clearly, social media has become a must for each and every brand in the post-pandemic world.

Popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc have become the most useful platforms for businesses to establish and grow their digital presence. Consequently, businesses have begun investing time and money into strategizing their social media plans. Brands have also started allocating more budgets for social media marketing as it is one of the best ways today to generate higher ROI.

Transitioning into a Customer Acquisition Tool

Image Source: Shane Barker

Earlier, brands were using social media to achieve their objectives of brand presence, brand recognition, engagement, brand loyalty, listening, content promotion and advertising. But today, the primary expectation of most brands from social media is the ‘increased acquisition of new customers’. Several reports have suggested that social media is the most effective tool to boost traffic, get leads, and attract new customers in 2021. Thus, social media has evolved from being a platform that merely connects people, to a favourable lead generation platform!

Beneficial Platform Driving Positive ROI

Image Source: E Marketing

After transforming into a customer acquisition platform, social media is now in a race to drive positive ROI. The expectation from social media today is :

1. Short term objective of delivering ROI with targeted performance marketing.
2. Long term objective of building digital experiences to win loyalty with crisis response, social customer care and engagement, etc.

Another reason why social media is gaining prominence as an ROI tool is that new groups of audiences are becoming social media friendly. For example, marketers have always targeted baby boomers through traditional & conventional media and not social media as baby boomers were never on social platforms. It was like a generation ignored by digital marketers.

Interestingly, since the pandemic outbreak, baby boomers have started using social media platforms to connect with their friends and relatives. As a result, they are spending a large amount of time on social platforms than they did earlier. Hence brands are now seeking ways to target and attract this increasingly digitally savvy audience through social media.

The growth of social media in recent years, especially during 2020, has been staggering. The transformation of this medium from a simple networking platform to an ROI-generating tool has introduced new opportunities for businesses across the world. It will be interesting to see how social media evolves further and how the expectations from social media grow. Stay tuned to know more!

Apple Vs Facebook and Google | Till It Clicks

Apple Vs Facebook and Google: Clash of the Tech Titans Over Data Privacy

Apple recently announced a significant iOS privacy update that will make it mandatory for the app owners to seek permission from the users before tracking their usage. Facebook soon released a statement against Apple, openly criticising this iOS update as they believed this is against the freedom of the Internet and will be detrimental to small businesses. So what’s the full story and the end game? Let’s find out!

As a digital marketer, it is a little frustrating when people loosely say things like :

“You know that all major tech companies track you every second.”

“I just told my friend that I want to go to McDonalds and wham! I started seeing McDonalds ads on Instagram.”

“How does Whatsapp make money?” When I ask this question in a digital marketing class that I am teaching, I often get an answer which is on the lines of “They sell our data”. While it makes for a good joke in the class, the ignorance that the general public has about data and privacy is staggering. Most people are under informed about the privacy debate. So, let me start by clarifying a few points.

Image Source: Amazee Metrics

What sort of information do the cookies track?

You are on a website that belongs to the ‘XYZ’ domain.
You opened an email from the ‘ABC’ Domain.
You have visited the website 5 times in the last 7 days, and once every other day for the past month.
Your timezone is GMT+05:30 (During Mon-Friday – Evening).
Which city, state and country do you live in?

While these points may raise some eyebrows, an equally pertinent question to ask is:

What sort of information do the cookies NOT track?

Your full name.
Your email address (the mail client ID is kept, but for most websites, this doesn’t matter).
Password or any sensitive information like a credit card number.
Which school do you go to? Which college are you studying in? Which university/ institute do you work for?

It is important to note that cookies cannot track any personal information of an individual. It’s generally easy to get people riled up about privacy issues and how their personal details are being tracked and sold out to unknown third parties – much easier than getting them to realize that nothing of worth is actually going on. So who is listening to those cookies? Not really anybody! Maybe Google Analytics, but Google has been known to treat aggregated data from multiple sources carefully.

Another important piece of information that the general public needs to be aware of is:

Exactly who can access all the data captured by cookies?

Sundar Pichai made it clear that all the data captured by Google cookies is stored in secure servers, and no individual working at Google can access this data. This data can only be accessed by computers. You have to take on face value and trust the things these large, publicly listed companies say.

So in short, although the data is tracked, the (really) personal information is never captured. And no human can access the data that is tracked. I am sure most of the data privacy activists would be relieved if this information is communicated more clearly to them. But, there will still be a few people who wouldn’t want any sort of data to be tracked. I do respect these people who still want to use technology and want to steer clear of being tracked.

How can we use technology and yet, prevent our data from being tracked?

Image Source: Computer World

Fair Question. First and foremost, you need to stop using apps for individual platforms and start accessing their websites via a web browser. There is an incognito mode or a private mode in all the browsers. Use them, and your cookies will not be stored. Furthermore, there are VPS platforms that you can easily use to access the Internet, which will throw the cookie tracking websites off.

Moreover, Apple is coming with a feature in iOS 15 wherein you can disallow all apps from tracking your data. And that is precisely the point of this article. Android users currently don’t have a provision like this. It is not likely that Google will make such a provision, as it is counterintuitive to its own Google Ads ecosystem. However, there still are reasonably easy ways for a person who wishes to use technology and stay away from data tracking.

Why are tech giants protesting against this iOS update?

Image Source: Fossbytes

In India there is a saying, which is roughly translated as – An elephant has two sets of teeth. The one he uses for display, and the other he uses for eating.

Facebook recently issued a statement and openly challenged Apple’s update of taking users’ permission to track their data. It is believed that Facebook estimates 80% of its iOS device users to ‘deny’ this permission. This move from Apple, they said in the statement, will have major ill-effects on many small businesses that are struggling to stay afloat on the free Internet. There are hundreds of thousands of small businesses dependent upon hyper-targeted ads from Facebook, who will suddenly see their ads performing poorly. This will have a direct negative impact on these small businesses. Facebook stands in support of these small business owners.

These, one can say, are the ‘display teeth’ of this giant.

In most parts of the world, Google and Facebook dominate Internet usage. These two companies make a large amount of money off advertising, wherein they serve appropriate ads to their target audience. Approximately 70% of Google revenue comes from advertising whereas over 90% of Facebook’s revenue comes from advertising. Through this update from Apple, if a large number of people opt out of tracking, it is likely to deliver a major blow to the performance of hyper-targeted ads. If the performance of ads drops, the advertisers will be forced to find new ways of reaching out to their customers. Clearly, Facebook does not want any negative impact on their revenue streams. Therefore, Facebook is openly taking a stand against Apple’s iOS update.

These, one can say, are the ‘eating teeth’ of this giant.

Google too will be impacted in a similar manner, but their model is not as heavily dependent upon ads, as Facebook. So they have not taken as forthright a stand as Facebook, but experts believe that this is likely to have a big impact on Google’s revenue model too. Because of the large ads revenue numbers, Google and Facebook are able to offer most of their services for free to the consumers. If ads are taken out of the equation, these companies will be forced to charge the general public for using their platforms.

Can you imagine having to pay Google every time to search for something? Or having to pay to Facebook, every time you want to post an Instagram story?

But why is Apple showing so much concern for its users?

Image Source: Magneti

Apple has always stood for its customer-first policies. Among the many things Apple is known for, one prominent thing is its emphasis on the privacy of its users. They are the pioneers of technologies like fingerprint unlock and face ID. Additionally, all app developers know that if they wish to publish their apps on the App Store, they need to tighten all the loose ends for the security of the apps. Almost all app developers have seen their apps being rejected by Apple for security compromises. Overall, Apple has been successful in building a highly secure ecosystem across its hardware and software platforms. One can confidently say that Apple really cares for the ‘Security’ and thereby ‘Privacy’ of its customers.

When Apple started noticing that a lot of apps are tracking information of the users, they had to stand by the general public and disallow all non-permission tracking. I believe Apple too, has the same two sets of teeth and ‘care for the customer’ are the ‘display teeth’ of this giant.

In the year 2008, when the App Store was launched, it was as if Apple had suddenly discovered a new way of doing business. Many believe the App Store has been Apple’s single biggest invention in the four decades-long, illustrious history of the company. A large majority of apps were paid, and Apple shared app download revenue with the app developers. This arrangement earned several app owners millions of dollars, while Apple made billions. But along came Android, backed by Google and they quickly had to share the slice of the market with them. Android launched its Play Store (Android’s own version of the App Store), where the majority of the apps were free. This model complimented Google’s Adsense beautifully, as app developers still made a lot of money, but not because of app downloads, but by the courtesy of displaying Google’s Ads in their apps.

I am sure Apple didn’t see this coming. And when they realised that Ads are the way for them to make money, they had already missed the bus. Google had already built an Ads ecosystem far too sophisticated. Because most app developers still made good money with Google Ads, they kept their apps on the App Store for free, and Apple lost a major chunk of their revenue. Naturally, Apple had to retaliate. According to me, the retaliation came in 2021 with the major privacy update on iOS.

These, I believe, are the ‘eating teeth’ of this giant.

I don’t blame Apple or Facebook or Google for having done what they have done. These are just businesses. ‘Survival’ and ‘Growth’ are two of the biggest objectives for any business. All of them have been trying to achieve just that.

So how will this tug of war end?

I have three theories about the end game:

Scenario #1 : Apple Wins

If Apple wins, we all live in a world where finally technology users will not feel like they are being watched. There will only be permission-based tracking. However, there will be a cost. Just like the old times, there will be an annual subscription fee for most of the apps of today, which the general public will have to pay out of their pockets.

Apple iPhone’s market share will catapult, as people will prefer a device which they can use freely without worrying about who is watching them. Facebook and Google will have to reinvent their models or will have to die a painful death. Small businesses will struggle to run hyper-targeted campaigns and will have to discover and rely on new ways of customer acquisition. Several digital marketing companies will have to relook at their business models.

Perhaps this scenario will be the ‘ding in the universe’ that Steve Jobs was talking about.

Scenario #2 : Facebook and Google Win

If Facebook wins this tug of war, advertising will be the go-to monetization model for all popular platforms. Ads will become more and more targeted. Facebook and Google’s revenues will continue to grow aggressively. They will continue to make efforts to broaden the horizons of the Internet so that they get maximum people to become their users.

The general public will enjoy cheap Internet and subscription-free platforms. However, there will always be a looming danger of the data being tracked. The server where this data is stored, being hacked and all the data being leaked on the dark web. Apple will be forced to consolidate their stand. Digital marketing agencies will continue to flourish.

Scenario #3 : Coexistence

The most likely scenario according to me will be the coexistence of both the above scenarios. People who are willing to pay for their privacy will let Apple charge them. The rest of them will perhaps enjoy free usage of platforms, but with Ads being run.

Now how targeted and effective these ads will be is anybody’s guess. But basically, this scenario means that the general public will be empowered to make their own choice.

Do you think there can be any other possible scenarios? Do you agree or disagree with the thoughts put forth in this article? Please write your thoughts in the comments section below.

7 Ways Offline Retailers Can Thrive Amid E-commerce Rise Post the Pandemic

With the advent of online shopping, offline retailers have been feeling the heat. With huge discounts on e-commerce sites and then with the Covid pandemic devastating the world, it’s no wonder that many stores are struggling to make ends meet. It’s a tough time to be an offline retailer. The competition is stiff, and the stakes are quite high if you want to stay relevant in today’s world. In this article, we’re going to talk about some of the things that retailers should focus on when they’re trying to create a customer experience that will keep them afloat.

1. Make Shopping a Multi-sensory Experience

Bring many senses into play – smell, touch, sight, hearing. Think about how your store can be turned into an experience centre for the visitors.

For example – Louis Vuitton – Louis Vuitton store in London is an “experience store” where people can expect to feel the fabric on their hands, smell the leather and get a real sense of luxury.

Image Source: Louis Vuitton

2. Let Your Store Be a Place where People Meet and Connect

You need to create an environment where people can connect and interact with each other. This is a great way to build your tribe of customers who will be loyal to you and help promote the brand on social media channels.

For example – Sephora – Sephora does this by hosting makeup classes, product demonstrations, makeovers etc., thus turning their physical store into a place where people can find beauty inspiration, make friends and learn about new products.

Another example – Decathalon – Decathalon, a sporting goods store, is also doing this by hosting events for people, allowing people to use bicycles and table tennis racquets before they buy them. They also run fitness classes as well as running clubs which help their community stay fit and healthy.

Image Source: Grough

3. Try All You Want Before You Buy

One of the biggest reasons for customers to be loyal is that they are satisfied with their purchases. They don’t want to leave the store if they have not found what suits them and their taste. This is a great way for customers not only to find products they like but also ones that are good in quality so that they get their money’s worth.

For example – Hamleys – Hamleys the toy store is a perfect example of this. They have over 100 stores around the world and they try to make their shoppers feel as comfortable as possible when trying out new products. If you want to buy something for your child, but you’re not sure what will suit them best or what size would be good for them, then you can come to the store and try out different items before you decide what to buy.

Mage Source: The Print

4. Store as Many SKUs as Possible

To stay relevant to current customer demands, it is important that retailers store as many stock-keeping units (SKUs) as possible. Consumers are likely to purchase from an offline store only if they get to feel the subtle difference between products with small variants or colour differences. This will definitely help them compete with online stores that are able to offer a much broader product range because of the much lower overhead costs they incur in running their business.

Stores should not have just one section where the customers are served, but they should also invest in a warehouse to store more SKUs.

We are not able to pinpoint retailers who can store more SKUs than online stores, but we will keep an eye out.

5. Ensure that You Gratify Customers Instantly

This point is not something that retailers can do much about, but this benefit is in the very nature of offline stores. This is one of the most important areas. Users have to wait for e-commerce websites to ship their products whereas purchasing from a store gives them the product in their hands immediately. The feeling that customers get when they swipe their cards at the counter and get shopping bags filled with the goodies they just purchased is better than receiving a parcel a few days later at your doorstep.

For example – Croma – Buying a TV online is easy, but people still prefer going to an electronic store like Croma, as the TV is boxed right in front of them, they can keep the box in their car, and carry the TV home in excitement.

Image Source: LS Retail

6. Make Customers Feel Important

The next best offline store strategy is to make customers feel important. Customer service in an online store tends to be impersonal, whereas the employees at a brick and mortar establishment are more likely to know their buyers personally.

This might seem like a small point but it makes all the difference! In fact, research has shown that people who get personalized service end up spending more money. It is the innate need of a human being to feel important, and no amount of e-commerce can provide a personal human touch. All the more reason for the store manager as well as the salespersons to be happy and enthusiastic.

For example – Visiting a Bank – My father always prefers going to a bank for any transaction even though all the transactions can be completed using online systems. The most important reason why he prefers that is he likes talking to the branch manager, who always politely enquires about his wellness, chats with him for 10 minutes over a cup of tea.

Image Source: Knight Frank

7. Focus on Delivering Micro Experiences

We have already written a blog about micro-experiences, which you can refer to. Micro-experiences are essentially small, subtle experiences that brands can deliver to customers to give them a small shot of dopamine. Such experiences are registered in the minds of the customers for a long time.

For example – Starbucks – What is the sweetest sound to a human ear? The name! Starbucks uses this quite literally. When you order at Starbucks, they ask you for your name which is written on your cup. This is a great micro experience as it brings you back to the good vibes of ordering your favourite drink!

Image Source: Times

If you’re an offline retailer, it’s important to focus on creating a customer experience that will keep your business afloat. We hope this article has given you some ideas about how to stay competitive in today’s retail environment. If not, get in touch with the experts at Till It Clicks to seek help regarding marketing strategy and SEO tactics. You can’t afford to sit back while other retailers are taking over – The game is too fierce!

Push Notification for Mobile App | Till It Clicks

8 Push Notification Strategies to Elevate Engagement for Your Mobile App

Marketers are always looking for new ways to reach their target audience and push notifications can be a powerful tool to achieve that. Push Notifications are one of the best ways to re-engage your users. They have proven to increase in-app engagement up to 400%.

They can be used for everything from retention, engagement, and acquisition to updating users on new features or offers. Recent studies show that push notifications have an average open rate of 6x higher than email or SMS. This article will introduce 8 strategies every mobile app marketer should know about when sending push notifications.

1. Push Notifications in App Install Campaigns

According to statistica.com, around 20% of people will download an app based on a push notification they received. This strategy obviously works in collaboration with another app that the users already have on their phone. Very few marketers actually use push notifications as a strategy to get app installs, but when done with the right collaborations, they can be very effective.

Image Source: Yeeply

2. Personalising Push Notifications for Different User Segments

Personalisation is quite helpful for businesses that want to target specific customer groups. This means tailoring the type of message to meet user needs based on their behaviour, location, or any other characteristic. Just like every other marketing communication, the best push notifications are those which are personalised according to the recipients. Sometimes, push notifications can also be localised, which means they don’t need to be in English. They can be sent out in languages which the users are more familiar with.

Image Source: Xtreme Push

3. Utilising Push Notifications for Various Objectives

They can be used as reminders, alerts about new content or deals, invitations to engage with the brand, etc. All notifications should have a call to action. They need to tell the users exactly what is going to happen when the users click on the notification. There are different types of push notifications – some send alerts or reminders while others just tell users about new features or updates that might interest them.

Image Source: Nick Babich

4. Push Notifications Consisting Text, Images and Emojis

Notifications beyond the text can make the users feel more connected. Just like emoticons in the subject line of an emailer can compel the user to check the notification out.

Image Source: Nick Babich

5. Sending Out Push Notifications at the Right Time

In general, the best time of day to send out a push notification is between 8 am and 10 pm – this has been shown by data from over 100 million mobile apps globally. However, this time interval is huge. Marketers should track the time of the highest app activity and send out push notifications just before this time.

Image Source: Izoot

6. Determine Apt Push Notification Frequency for Your App

Although push notifications can be great for app retention, their overuse can lead to app uninstalls. Push notifications are a great way to engage users. But don’t overuse them or you’ll run the risk of annoying your customers and losing their interest. Keep a track of the sending times of push notifications and app installs. What is the right frequency for you? Well, there’s no ‘one size fits all’ answer. Turn to your app analytics for the direction.

Image Source: Moengage

7. Improve Push Notification Performance With High Caliber Copywriters

Push notifications are often not done by specialists. This can be a great area for copywriters to specialise in. And for the app owners, identify people who can connect with the audience through a few short sentences. Witty push notification content can take the app engagement a long way.

Image Source: Izooto

8. Automate Your Push Notifications

Certain types of push notifications can be automated. These can be based on the activity or inactivity of the users. Some great push notification automation strategies include automated push notifications at the time of user onboarding, reminders to the users about certain important updates, etc. Automation is that one-time effort that will save your marketing team a lot of time. However, automation does not mean the notifications can be personalised. Use witty and personalised copy even with automation push notifications to keep the app users hooked.

Image Source: Airship

Use these push notification strategies to get the most out of your mobile marketing strategy. Your customers are waiting for you. So do you wish to keep them engaged and happy or let them slip away unnoticed? The choice is yours! Think about how much more successful your app would be if people were reminded of its existence on a regular basis. Why not give yourself an edge by using one (or all) of these eight push notification strategies? And if you have any questions or want help implementing these strategies yourself, don’t hesitate to reach out – our team is always available to help you.

QR Code in Marketing | Online and Offline | Till It Clicks

The Role of QR Codes in Marketing: Bringing Offline Customers Online

In the last decade, marketing has undergone a major shift. The internet and mobile devices have changed all aspects from advertising to customer service. From billboards to social media, marketers are exploring new ways to reach consumers with their messages. A key development is QR codes which use high-tech digital technology for offline businesses who haven’t been able to fully embrace it.

QR stands for quick response code – an industry standard type of barcode that can be scanned with an appropriate device. The code can be used to get information from a website or it can include the direct link for downloading content such as digital images, audio files, videos and more. When you scan a QR code with your smartphone camera, some will decode immediately and others may take a few moments to download before they open up on their screen.

This is why these codes are so powerful – offline businesses who traditionally have not been able to fully embrace Digital Technology now have access to powerful tools that combine the benefits of both worlds. This article will explore how companies can use this technology effectively for their marketing. Now let’s start exploring!

1. Redirect Users to Links:

Businesses can place QR codes in their stores and customers can scan them to be redirected to the website of the store. This website can be bookmarked and used later.

Image Source: Nonius

2. Save Phone Number:

Upon scanning QR codes, with a VCF file, the contact information of the store can be saved in the phonebook of the customer.

Image Source: Samsung USA

3. Contactless Visiting Card:

In the times of pandemic, people are trying to avoid any contact. In situations like this, wouldn’t a touch free visiting card prove to be a huge benefit? You can just carry one visiting card with the QR code on it. Upon scanning the QR code, a contact will be stored in the phone of the one who scans it.

Image Source: Brandly

4. Running Contests:

QR codes are a great way to incentivize people. You can make a QR code with the contest details on it and have customers scan it in order to register for your contest.

Image Source: TechInAsia

5. QR Codes in Newspaper / Magazine ads:

For a while now, Digital Marketers have been criticising print media for lack of traceability. This criticism can be somewhat diluted by placing QR codes in the corner of newspaper and magazine ads. These codes when scanned can track the source of the traffic of the website coming from these ads. In fact, a lot of cities are also seeing billboards with QR codes for exactly the same reason.

Image Source: QR Code Generator

6. QR Codes in TV Commercials:

TV is the most popular media of all time. Most people will at least glance at a commercial, so why not add your own content? Add a URL with a QR code in it for customers who would like more information about what was being advertised. They just scan the QR Code on the screen!

Image Source: QR Code Generator

7. QR Codes on Packaging:

This is a similar tactic to the QR codes on TV commercials. Customers who like something in particular can scan for more information about it!

One of the most popular ways that businesses are taking advantage of this technology is by adding them to their packaging. This way, customers have instant access to additional content before they even buy anything, which may influence purchasing decisions too. Users can be brought online and be made to participate in contests, follow brands on social media, or reorder the same pack just by scanning the QR code.

Image Source: MSLK

8. QR Codes in guiding visitors of the Mall:

Malls have been using QR codes to provide quick access to information about their stores. For example, if someone is in the Mall and wants to know more about a particular store they can simply scan for more information! Moreover, QR Codes placed at specific locations in the Mall help users to be redirected to specific stores, floors or areas within the Mall. This makes it a lot easier for customers to find and reach their desired destinations within the Mall.

Image Source: Flickr

QR Codes in BTL activations:

QR codes are being used in BTL activations to provide information about the brand. A classic example of the QR code being used in BTL activation is through the agency of Gamification. Audiences can be engaged via digital games which they can play on their devices, which can be accessed by scanning QR codes. Before they land on the game, they can submit their contact information, so that they can be gratified later. This also translates to brands generating leads through gamification.

QR Codes in App Installs:

Most marketers are aware about the onelink URL which is a URL that recognises the device of the user, and redirects them to the intended destination. So for example, instead of having users to find an app in Google Play Store or App Store, users can simply scan the QR Code which is redirected through the onelink URL to either the Google Play Store Page or Apple App Store page of the app. Thus, saving the users time and effort to download your app.

QR Codes for social proof strategies:

If a QR code is displayed at billing of a physical store or restaurants, the customers can rate the service at the store before they leave. This helps improve Google Ratings. The same QR Code if made dynamic can help companies redirect the users to different social proof platforms like Facebook Rating, Yelp Rating and Zomato Rating. We will be writing a completely different article about how brands can leverage the power of social proof in a unique manner.

The applications of QR codes can be many. You just need to be creative and think how you can leverage them for your offering.

In conclusion, there is no easier way currently to get offline customers online than by adding these little stickers around town where everyone will be able to see them!

7 Tips to Master App Marketing And Bolster Retention Rates

Mobile app retention is a huge problem for mobile apps across the world. A study conducted by App Annie revealed that, on an average, close to 75% of people who downloaded an app stop using it after just one day. And when we talk about 7-day and 30-day retention periods, the numbers are even more dismal with only 3% and 0.5% of users still using the app respectively.

Most app marketers talk about how to get more app installs. While this is an important parameter, marketers also need to think about a critical question: How to increase mobile app retention?

The most important thing to understand is that mobile app retention rates don’t just depend on your marketing and advertising efforts. They also rely upon whether the app delivers the perceived value and how the app behaves on users’ devices over time. Now as you may have noticed, some of these conditions are beyond your control. This means you need to be prepared for moments when users will abandon your app due to reasons which are well beyond your control.

Here are some points which we believe will immensely benefit the app owners in improving their app retention rates:

1. Create a Great Onboarding Experience for New User

A large number of mobile apps are only used once then never again! Hence, we recommend that you make the onboarding experience for new users as pleasant and easy to use as possible. It starts with having an app that is light. Users don’t wish to block a lot of space on their devices for things they are not going to use much. Once the app is installed, provide a guided onboarding experience to users. This will show them what your app has to offer, while also teaching them how they can achieve their goals within it.

Example : Onboarding experience from Doordash

Image Source : CleverTap

2. Make Sure Your App is Easy to Understand and Use

Users are more likely to return to an app if they find it easy and intuitive. Ask yourself: what was the last mobile application you used? How many times did you open it up after downloading it for the first time? If your answer is less than one or two times, then this may be a sign that your app isn’t as user-friendly. For the app owners, the app is a piece of technology, but for the users, the app is a way through which they solve their problems. If the user interface is not soothing or the user experience is not intuitive, people are not going to come back to your app.

Example : Ola Cab – Ride Later

Image Source: Ola Cab

3. Upgrade the App with New Features Regularly

Users use a mobile app for a variety of reasons. It is important to keep the app fresh to the users by providing updates with new features on an ongoing basis. In the age of lowering attention span, new app features can be extremely useful in keeping the users engaged a lot longer.

Example : Whatsapp Update

Image Source: Business Insider

4. Track Activity and App Usage to Make Modifications

One of the ways to ensure maximum app retention is by enabling the developers to make changes based on user feedback. By gaining insights into the behaviour and activity within an app, you can tailor it accordingly by adding or removing features in order to increase engagement. Users don’t always give feedback voluntarily. It is therefore important to have deep analytics embedded within the app.

Example : DOMO App Analysis

Image Source: Domo

5. Build a Loyal User Base for Word of Mouth Marketing

You will notice from your own experience that you don’t easily get rid of the apps you downloaded because your friends told you to. Whereas you are more likely to uninstall an app that you downloaded because you saw its ad. As humans, we seek validation to keep doing what we are doing. No better validation than your friends using the same app as you. Build referral programs, introduce gamification and everything shareable, so that your users are likely to spread the word about your app.

Example : Dropbox Free Data

Image Source: Commerce Gurus

6. Ensure that Your Marketing Efforts Don’t Misguide Audience

A lot of times if the ad messaging is incorrect, people don’t understand what the app stands for. Marketers often hype the value proposition of the app to such an extent that people don’t know what to expect when they download the app. They accidentally download it, and when they discover that that was not what they were looking for, they uninstall the app. Thus, even if the marketers’ app install KPIs are fulfilled, it doesn’t provide any concrete benefit to the app owners.

Example : Inferential Advertisement

Image Source: Dribbble

7. Conduct Stringent Tests Before Launching the App

Often, apps are not tested for the real world. In the real world, users don’t always have updated operating systems, high GPU phones, or stable internet connections. The app needs to be able to adjust for these variables. Otherwise, it will crash or not work as expected and the users will have a subpar experience.

Example : Mobile App Testing

Image Source: matellio

App marketers should shift their focus to the next part of the customer lifecycle. This means moving away from app installs and focusing on what comes after that, namely retention rates. You have to work closely with your product team, understand the data they provide, and iterate on how you market in order to improve app retention rates. This can be done by incorporating the best mobile marketing practices into your campaign strategy.

Marketers must understand factors that are preventing people from downloading an app or making them use it for a very short time period (say 5 minutes). You may be able to reduce these drop-offs by employing tactics like push notifications that prompt them back into the app at opportune moments. When done well, this will help increase the customer lifetime value of each user while increasing engagement levels – which means more revenue!

Does this sound interesting yet overwhelming to you? Don’t worry. At Till it clicks we have helped numerous clients with their mobile app marketing efforts. This includes developing strategies right from audience targeting to post-installation engagement techniques like push notifications and referral programs. Our team of experts can work closely with your product team to improve your mobile retention rate. TIC helps you to ensure that more people not only download your app but also stick around longer.

3 E’s For Excellence: How To Craft Compelling Content That Converts

Content is at the heart of every marketing strategy. When it comes to marketing a brand and expanding business, content plays a vital role. Content is the best way to communicate with your audience and engage them in a way that they find your business interesting.

Writing or creating content is not rocket science but it takes effort to bring the best and unique out of it, every time. If done right, content marketing can ensure that your marketing efforts are more targeted. This can lead to better customer engagement and scale up the conversion rate for your business.

Take a look at this Rolls Royce ad from 1958.

Source: Honey Copy

This headline is regarded as one of the greatest ad copies of all time. By following the advertising mantra of ‘show, don’t tell’, this copy incorporates all the 3 E’s of content effectively. Read on to know more about how content can entertain, educate, and emotionally connect with your target audience.

Adding the Entertainment Flavour to Spice Up Your Content

Source: Fabrik Brand

No matter your industry or business domain, creating content that excites your audience is absolutely necessary. This involves content that is funny, inspiring or anything that grabs the audience’s attention. For instance, many youth-centred brands have started using millennial lingo in the content they produce. This helps them maximise the effectiveness of their marketing efforts and drive up conversions by entertaining their audiences.

Consider the Rolls Royce ad mentioned above. The words ‘60 miles an hour’ and ‘loudest noise’ paint a picture and help the reader to imagine as if he/she is inside a car, accelerating fast, with the only audible noise being that of the electric clock. Rather than simply saying it is a ‘silent car’, the ad copy talks about the experience that this car will deliver, which gets the reader interested and invested instantly.

Ford recently launched a new car called Ford EcoSport SE, which is similar to its earlier version Ford Ecosport in terms of features and technology. The only difference in these cars is the outer designs and style. To market these cars, Ford India created a funny and entertaining ad that narrates the story of identical twin brothers who want to have the same feeling but look different.

Educating Your Target Audience To Boost Engagement

Source: Content Marketing Institute

An effective way to impact your readers is by imparting information and educating them. A great copy not only entertains but also educates prospects on the value offerings of the products or services. This helps the readers understand the product or service better and guides their purchasing decision.

The Rolls Royce ad copy is a great example of educating readers through content. It clearly communicates the unique selling proposition of the car through its headline itself. This helps in attracting only those readers that are specifically looking for a silent or quiet car.

With rising cybercrime incidents, many people are still sceptical of and don’t rely on digital payments. The following ad by Airtel targets such audiences and puts across a strong message that digital payments with Airtel are safe and secure. Not only is this ad engaging but also quite informative, which can encourage a lot of people to opt for digital payments.

Evoking Emotional Responses Through Persuasive Copies

Source: Customer Think

Buying decisions are never influenced by product or service features, they are driven by emotions. The key to compelling an audience to buy your product/ service is by appealing to their emotions. Persuasive content has the power to tap into human sentiments and form a deep connection with the readers. It also rewards you with loyal customers and produces advocates for your brand.

If you look at the Rolls Royce ad, it does not mention any normal luxury car offerings such as quick, comfortable and classy. Instead, it promises the upper-elite consumers exactly what they crave for – a peaceful and quiet drive. By catering to their specific needs, this ad copy thus manages to strike a chord with the right audience and compels them to buy the car.

A great example of a brand that connects with its customers through emotional ads is that of Apple. Rather than talking about features, Apple sells its products by assigning feelings to the idea of owning it. As a result, the majority of Apple customers associate Apple products with luxury, which acts as a driving force in their buying decisions.

Add any of these 3 elements to your content and you can hook your audience right away. But that’s not all, if you manage to incorporate all the 3 E’s in your content, your content’s effectiveness and customer engagement is sure to shoot through the roof.

Want to up the content marketing game for your brand? Feel free to reach out to us. We have the most dedicated and creative content writers ready to serve you with crisp, compelling and clear content. Make your marketing campaigns stand out from the crowd by producing high-quality content with TIC.

Ramp Up Your SEO to Rank Up: Climbing the Search Results Ladder!

Identifying and targeting the right keyword is a crucial aspect of crafting a bankable and efficient SEO strategy. It is true that targeting keywords that people are actually searching for can garner significant traffic to your website. However, choosing a keyword that is specific to your business offerings can drive high-quality traffic, thereby boosting your conversions.

If the offerings of your business are very specific in terms of services, products or even geographies, then it is essential for you to target long-tail keywords. Let us understand this with the help of this example:

Consider a software development company situated in Los Angeles that is looking to fortify its SEO process for better search engine rankings. In order to chart an effective SEO strategy, the company must first determine the keyword they want to target. Should it be Software Development, Software Development Company or Software Development Company in Los Angeles?

“Software Development Company in Los Angeles”

Software Development

This is a generic or loosely defined keyword that will produce diverse and vague search results. Being a non-specific keyword, ‘software development’ will have a high search volume. However, ranking for this keyword can be very challenging and even then, it might not yield the desired results.

High volume keywords carry with them bigger bounce rates. Even if you manage to get ranked and bring in huge traffic with ‘software development’, there will be fewer conversions. This is because a higher rank will also attract visitors that are not your target audience. These users might visit your website but leave soon without performing any action.

Software Development Company

In comparison with ‘software development’, this keyword will have a relatively low yet significant search volume. It is also more detailed which will be beneficial in attracting the right audience. With huge competition and the obviousness of this keyword, staying on top of search result rankings will be an enormous challenge.

It may take from a few months to even years in order to meaningfully rank for ‘software development company’. Hence, your SEO or executive team is likely to run out of patience until that happens. But once you do manage to rank for this keyword, your business is sure to witness high volume and top quality traffic.

Software Development Company in Los Angeles

Source: Backlinko

With this long-tail keyword, you are sure to witness stunning and satisfactory results for your SEO efforts. As this keyword is more detailed, it will have a limited search volume but a very high relevance score. Ranking for this keyword will be a lot easier and even quicker.

Even after ranking for this keyword, it is possible that your website traffic may not be great. But the quality of this limited traffic will be extremely good and will certainly drive better conversions. Securing a top rank for this keyword will augur well for the other high volume keywords as well and help them rank quickly.

Narrowing Down Audience To Elevate Relevance

Adding modifiers or qualifiers to high-volume keywords is one of the simplest ways to make your keyword phrase more targeted. Adjectives such as luxury, best, top-quality, affordable, etc can act as modifiers that make the keyword more specific. However, geographic qualifiers are much more powerful than adjective qualifiers as they help in narrowing down the audience based on your preferred geography and aids in Local SEO. While this results in attracting a smaller audience, the relevance score shoots up significantly as you witness better conversions.

Do you wish to scale your SEO efforts and move up the search engine rankings? Get in touch with TIC today! Our experts work with you to reinforce your SEO strategy and also assist you in identifying the right keyword that you need to target. Improve your search result ranking and propel your business’ profits successfully with TIC.

Micro Experiences in Business | Till It Clicks

Micro Experiences in Business: Small Showers That Set Off Powerful Storms

Micro experiences are brand interactions that take place across multiple online and offline channels. Each of these interactions or micro experiences can be looked at as opportunities to influence how the customer perceives your brand. It is thus imperative to intelligently manage all touchpoints, internal and external, in order to set your brand apart.

Micro experiences constitute simple ideas that simplify efforts, personalise communication, address customer concerns or improve brand recall and recognition. Although these are small or seemingly insignificant changes, they do contribute to creating a huge impact on the overall customer experience. This, in turn, can help you to deliver better value to customers and optimise your marketing efforts for better results.

Micro experiences can be everywhere. Here are some examples of how businesses can use micro experiences effectively:

Simplifying Form Filling

Source: Colorlib

Online forms are a great way for businesses to understand their customers and improve their efforts for better business. However, while doing so, it is also important to make the form filling process a lot more convenient for the customers. For example, consider that the majority of your customers are millennials and the form consists of a section for ‘Date of Birth’. In such a case, ensuring that the options in the form start from 1980, so that the users do not need to scroll too much to find their year of birth. This can create a good micro experience.

Strengthening Customer Connections

Source: Boomerang for Gmail

Making your emails more appealing through humanised language is essential in order to build lasting relationships with your customers. It can make them feel as if they are having a real conversation and not just being marketed to by businesses. Starting your emails with a simple ‘Hey Buddy’ instead of a bland ‘Dear Customer’ can be a great micro experience.

Upgrading Smartphone Experiences

Soure: Apple

With constant innovations and futuristic ideas, Apple has been a pioneer of a number of micro-experiences. Pressure-sensitive 3D touch, home button removal, and Face ID are a few of the features that Apple has introduced in recent years.

These features, in spite of being small just small updates over the earlier features, have created impactful changes and revamped the smartphone experiences of Apple customers.

Ensuring Safety and Sanitisation

Source: E&E ExhibitSolution

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the significance of minimising contact between individuals and ensuring proper hand hygiene. As a result, the foot pedal sanitiser machine was introduced to mitigate the spread of germs through hand contact. While this is a good micro experience, the touch-free sanitiser proves to be an even better micro experience as it completely prevents the spread of germs and guarantees more safety.

Creating Immersive In-store Experiences

Source: Hyatt Place

Right from the location and lighting to even ‘scent’ plays a vital role in imparting meaningful store experiences to customers today. Smell has the ability to trigger memories in human beings. Hence, having a distinctive scent for your store can be an effective micro experience for customers. It can help them to associate that specific scent with your store, thereby improving brand recall and recognition.

Unearth the Secret to Strong Brand Loyalty

Regardless of the channel or size, every brand experience can be looked at as a way to improve customer engagement. Delivering great value to customers through the smallest of actions can have a major impact on how the brand is recognised. Micro experiences should thus be viewed by marketers as important assets in fostering strong brand loyalty.

Do you want to take a deeper dive and get insights into implementing micro experiences for your marketing campaigns? Talk to us at TIC today! We can help you deliver better micro experiences for all your important touch points, optimise your marketing efforts and boost your conversions!