In the late 19th Century, Nikolai Tesla and Thomas Edison created competing systems for delivering power, AC and DC. Through a publicity campaign, Edison was able to convince many cities to use DC systems, even though AC systems were cheaper and easier to manage. It’s an example that though much of marketing is about having the right product, in the right place, at the right time, it’s important that business owners and marketers say the right things to consumers. This means it’s important to know what consumers want. Many studies have asked consumers what they want from retailers, and their answers can help internet marketers and business owners craft better campaigns.
A common theme among the things consumers want from retailers is information. In a recent study cited by eMarketer, 24 percent of women and 18 percent of men in the U.K. internet users say they don’t shop online because of the lack of product information. In the U.S., keeping product information up-to-date and readily available is vital for businesses, even local businesses. With so many products, brands, and competitors on the market, it’s important for a business to reassure consumers that they should buy a certain product and that they’re the retailer to use.
This starts with the website. Just about everything a customer would want to know about a product should be readily available online, including product availability information. This even applies to big brands. A study from Maximizer found that 95 percent of potential Walmart customers research a product online before going to the store to make a purchase. Read this article to get a lot more stats about mobile marketing and local business.
A good example saying the right thing by providing information can be seen through direct-to-consumer ads for medicine. If you see an ad for a drug on television or hear it on the radio, there will always be a laundry list of facts and information that get shoehorned into the ad in a way that no regular person could comprehend in 30 seconds. However, these ads are always clear about a website where the consumer can go to lookup more information. Besides the legally mandated information on the site, there will probably be colorful infographics, videos, FAQs, where to get the product and more. Business owners and marketers need to apply the same logic to their websites and campaigns. If curiosity about a product brings a consumer to a website, the website should contain a treasure trove of information about the product.
It takes time and effort to keep a website up-to-date with product information, but it’s a necessity for retailers who want to sell online as well as for local retailers who want an edge on the competition. The simple truth is that in time, digital channels will become more important, so it’s best for business owners to adapt their business models now. In June, Nielsen released a study that found 60 percent of all US consumer packaged goods sales will be digitally sold or influenced by 2017. It’s unlikely that the percentage will decline in the near future.
A big part of saying that right thing in marketing is using the right medium. There are many ways to tell a story and marketers need to use the method that best suits their audience. For example, many studies have shown that many users prefer video content. A recent study from AOL Platforms showed that ads shown on the video-sharing platform YouTube have higher conversion rates that ads shown on other social networks. This is also backed up polls from marketers. According to two recent studies, 71 percent of respondents confirm that video converts better than other content and that brands are seeing greatest ROI from hosting video on their own sites, and on their YouTube Channels.
Knowing what consumers want to know and how they want to learn about it is a value commodity for marketers and business owners. Understanding what motivates consumers allows marketers to craft better campaigns and ad messages. As the data discussed here shows, one of the best things a marketer can do is make information more readily available and in formats that people enjoy. For more tips on becoming a better marketers, read this article with eight stats every internet marketer should know.