Simple ideas to create exceptional digital experiences for customers

As more people bring their shopping bags online, providing a personalized experience to your customers has become inevitable. If you don't do it, people will move to your competitor's website in a couple clicks of the mouse. This post will give you a quick run through features you can utilize to create exceptional digital experiences for your customers. 

1. Personalized web experience

Market research is the key to understanding your demographic. You can do this on a basic level with the help of Google Analytics and cookie placement to determine who your audience is, what they want and how they can best be pleased. Personalization in simple is customization and suggestion of content. This is all over the internet, ads that follow you, enticing you into buying things you are clearly looking to buy. Based on a customer's last visit you can build a shopping list for when the customer visits again. My favorite example actually comes from a series of apparel websites like Miss Selfridge and Top Shop. Once you select an item, they quickly suggest you other items that you might be interested in buying based on your individual style. 

Personalization is not a new term, it has its roots in old school CRM and is the key to a happy customer! As every aspect of our life keeps going digital, the importance of user personalized interface is only going to grow. 

2. Help customers navigate

Most of us are too impatient to read through and find our way around websites that are hard to navigate.    Complicated navigation can occur in many forms, you can have a long trail of links built for sub-sub-super sub categories. These are called breadcrumbs and usually appear like this: Home Page>Category Page>Sub Category

The further categories you keep building, the more complicated this menu will look.

Another issue that can hamper navigation is a horrible search feature. If you are selling products, you should have a quick search along with the option for an advanced search based on categories.

Keep consistent throughout the entire purchase cycle. Every page the customer will view should be built to create maximum conversion. This requires tweaking until you have figured out the pattern your customers generally follow. 

3. Bring some fun into the equation

Entertainment keeps people engaged. There is so much one can do to create entertaining experiences for their customers, yet companies prefer to stay risk averse. With open graph API's and wicked human imagination, you can build creative games and contests to keep customers hooked. Gamification doesn't have a long life cycle but it is good enough to create a boom! 

You can also add videos, play around with augmented reality, invite users to generate content, there's no limit to the things you can try.

4. Be human

This is something that strikes me as a sign of a company that cares. To create a truly exceptional experience in the online world (where customers don't share physical space with you), it is important to remind your customers that they aren't just dealing with robots. Provide clear contact information, respond to queries, deal with negative feedback, pull in your employees to express their views on your website, show the world that you are a company made up of human beings! A little assurance goes a long way!

Here is a good read on Why Consumers Abandon Online Purchases via @amandakou

Content curation for small businesses

"Content is king", it is one of those terms that has been around the web for a long time and even then it appears, not everyone is aware of the true potential of producing content. This blog post isn't a debate between what holds an upper hand, creation or curation but rather helping you find what will work for you.

You can only create content when you have something to say. It reminds me of a quote by Scott Fitzgerald- "You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say." You can outsource talent to produce material for your brand but it won't hold much weight if it can't create engagement. The reader should be able to take away something from the written piece, more importantly content isn't only for search engine ranking! Makes no point to have a hundred pages with gibberish content that provides no value, people will see through it and stop taking your efforts seriously.

So what can you do when you really have nothing to say?
You curate.

What exactly is curation of content?
Its sifting through a wide array of relevant information and publishing only the best, most informative and reliable knowledge. My twitter stream is filled with some brilliant content curators who continue to provide me with information that expands my knowledge base, information that I wouldn't have been able to find if they hadn't guided me.

Considerations
1. Area of interest: The first thing you have to do as a business that is just starting out with curation is to figure out what kind of information you want to begin curating. Most likely you want to publish industry related content. You can further narrow down the scope if you feel. Play with this one based on your own passion, your business story and what you are trying to sell.

2. Tools to build your database: Subscribing to RSS feeds of blogs that interest you is the first step forward. Google Reader is my friend because I can keep up with the latest updates from websites that interest me.

Secondly, subscribe to updates from influential people on Twitter, Facebook and any other social network. On a daily basis, I come across some mind blowing information on Facebook alone. It might come across as a very unprofessional social network but a little search will help you find people who constantly post very rich content.

Register on stumbleupon or the likes, follow Pinterest boards if that is relevant to your business. The point of doing all this is to keep you in the loop.

Once you have a rich database of people who share high quality information, you are ready to go.

3. Tools to publish: You can choose the old school way of posting information on your company blog but its considered best practice to target the outlets your audiences are spending time on. So if your people are on Facebook, begin curation over there. When it comes to Twitter, apps like Buffer will assist you in automating curation.

Storify.com, Scoop.it and Paper.li are slightly different as they help you build your own story, magazine or paper. On a timely basis you can publish curated information, using these tools.

4. Do it the Legal way: Don't steal! Don't steal! Don't steal! Give credit to the original source.

5. Add your 2 cents: Whether content curation is endorsement or not is debatable but if you are on a platform that allows you to publish more that 140 characters, then the best practice is to add in your 2 cents to the topic. This will show your audience that you haven't blindly copy-pasted something, giving your views on it shows that you have taken the effort to read and understand the information. Furthermore, you can publish your own blog post by writing down your own take on a certain subject. Curation gives you enough material to create your own valuable content, if that is something you are looking to do.


As a content curator, you'll soon realize that curation is just as hard as creation. You have to research, spend most of your time googling facts to be sure of their credibility and only choose the best. In return, you'll end up with archives of brilliant knowledge that will not only keep your readers interested but also prove beneficial for your own business by making you a knowledgeable authority within your industry.

Taking web shopping experience to another level

Ssense.com, a fashion website I just got introduced to 15 minutes back has worked on a really creative campaign with WireWax and the Aussie Iggy Azalea on her new video for "I Think She Ready". (Random useless info: This song has been on my playlist for a while but I always thought it was Azealia Banks who sang on it!)

Back to Iggy Azalea, this video that you can access on Ssense.com's website features her, FKi and Diplo (looking rather hot) wearing a bunch of luxury brands you can actually buy, simply by clicking on the video!




This takes e-commerce experience to another level.  A really creative way to engage the audience and guide them towards taking action.

While you watch the video, you can click on Shop this look and close it to go back to the video. Good publicity for the artist too.

Why small businesses should have a company blog

Back in 2011, Hubspot recorded that amongst the interviewed respondents, 65% of small businesses own a company blog. With buzzing social networking platforms throughout 2009-2011, blogging was rumored to be dead and gone but clearly, that isn't the case. If you are still not blogging, you are in the minority.

So, you have thought about starting a company blog but don't know if establishing a content outlet will add any value to your brand? For small businesses operating on low resources (human and monetary), evaluating the effectiveness of any new marketing venture is essential before proceeding. Blogs have been popular for a long time and many companies have been very good at harnessing their social power. Words cause an impact and if you are genuinely keen on building relationships with the audience, a company blog will help you achieve that. 

There are 5 major reasons why you should go ahead with blogging. 

Publicity 

Blogging is free publicity! All you need is a basic idea, (if possible) someone in your team with good writing skills and passion for the service/product you offer. There is no better way to promote your message than by writing it in a blog post. If you are authentically believable, the enriching content you add to web space will be noted and in return help you build trust.

Build Expertise

Writing a blog post requires in-depth research. Doing so gives you an opportunity to enhance your industry knowledge. Over-time, you will also find yourself getting well versed with the products/services you offer. The more content you produce, the better you will get at explaining someone exactly what you sell. As time passes, customers will start trusting you as the go-to source for information. Moreover, expertise in a subject means you will remain up-to-date on the latest industry developments and ever prepared to answer customer queries. 

Boost Team-work

A well proven method of generating content is to get everyone in the organisation involved. Company blogs are a brilliant platform to showcase your employees' ideas/views. In terms of small businesses, this process is even easier to achieve. Team members can spend time together, brain-storming over ideas. You will have a variety of blog ideas and at the same time give employees an opportunity to shine. 

Search point of view

For small businesses, showing up within Google's local search results is important. By addressing product/service related queries or updates at the local/community level, you will be able to reach the right kind of audience. More content to offer means, more pages will get indexed.

Networking and Engagement

Networking via blogs with other stakeholders is something you should look forward to. Once your blog has considerable authority and you are treated as an expert, you could invite your customers to generate content. You can also connect with other bloggers and invite guest bloggers to write occasionally. Getting your audience involved in some form, generally leads to engagement. Engagement will go a long way in building lasting relationships.

Best Practice for Blogging

1. Quality vs Quantity: Companies focusing on hard-selling will choose the later but for a company truly interested in creating an engaging impact on their audience knows the importance of providing quality content. People are quick to see through the fake. Page-views can't justify your sincerity and that shouldn't be your ultimate goal. Stick to being honest and passionately writing about the values your brand reflects. You don't have to write frequently, don't stick to a schedule. Write whenever you can but make it good!

2. Ideas can be recycled: There are only so many topics within any industry that are popular at any given moment. Your posts can't be unique every single time. Instead, pick up ideas from other sources and build up on those. Do NOT plagiarize! Add your own flavor and contribute to the subject. Read...Read...Read. Inspiration will come to you. Start following influential people and websites, utilize Google Reader, use Google Alerts; the web is full of services you can use, that will help you keep up with what's new in your industry.

3. Don't quit social media: Blogging is just another outlet to get your word out there, it is not a replacement for social networks. Utilize your social network power to share your blog posts. Your fans and your followers are your instant audience. 

4. Promote: Going back to the previous topic, you can't expect people to somehow find your blog. Your blog won't gain authority within search engines unless your content is shared. Sharing won't happen unless you go out and promote your blog. It is a social loop. Integrate RSS feeds to your social networks to remind people about recent updates, use a bold link to the blog on your website, spread the word among employees and other stakeholders, include link in email newsletters, add link to email signatures etc. Furthermore, make contributions to LinkedIn Answers and comment on other industry blogs. 

If you are sure you want to begin blogging, read my post about choosing the right blogging platform.

Is Social Media adding to the collective consciousness or collective chaos?

I have often wondered, can two people truly stay star-crossed in this time and age? Somehow the filter of tragedy that one could apply to romantic stories in the past has vanished. Chances are, if you know this person's first & last name, you will find them somewhere on the world wide web. We are 'everywhere' and we are over-doing it! But, is all this information leading us somewhere?

A while ago, I watched an online talk on how social media is working as a catalyst towards bringing about an evolutionary change in the world (Think Egyptian revolution). Sid Mohasseb, in this talk addresses the clash between virtual and real world. You can no longer separate these two-- local and global have become a huge part of our lives. Not only are we in touch with our communities, networks like Twitter/Pinterest/LinkedIn leave our brains open to grasp the global knowledge. Pre-smartphones era, you had to log onto computers to open your door to the world but now it seems as though we never really shut the door (checking social networks in the middle of the night-that has me written all over it!)

Being a psychological-spiritual pseudoscience geek, I have read quite a bit on collective consciousness.

What is collective consciousness?

"The term collective consciousness refers to the condition of the subject within the whole of society, and how any given individual comes to view herself as a part of any given group...

...the phrase collective consciousness implies an internal knowing known by all, or a consciousness shared by a plurality of persons. The easiest way to think of the phrase (even with its extremely loaded historical content) is to regard it as being an idea or proclivity that we all share, whoever specifically “we” might entail." - 

University of Chicago

There is vast amount of literature on this subject but for this post, I'm only going to consider the standard meaning. For anyone who still finds this concept complicated, the Star Trek geek in me has a brilliant example to offer, -"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated".

So is social media causing this assimilation of human minds? Are we really moving forward towards a new spiritual awakening? Sounds rather extreme but I personally think that on some level, our consciousness is moving from individual to universal. Now this "universal" consciousness is further divided based on the "community" or rather the "school of thought" we belong to but when we embrace social networks, on some level we do lose our individuality. Whether as a simple user or as a marketer. This is a nice read on the topic of losing our individuality to social networks. 

Our user layouts look the same, our timeline cover photo might express our individuality but we all have the same 840 X 310 dimension allotted by Facebook! 

As a collective consciousness, most of us spend everyday trying to chime in our 2 cents to add to our ever growing community online. We share and tag and like and share some-more only to end up re-tweeting/re-pinning even more. If you spend even a couple days with no internet contact, you've quite a bit of catching up to do when you go back online!

Just like in the real world, we are trying to fit in by doing and saying what is considered acceptable and what entertains people within our social circles. Nothing wrong in that really, as a people lover, I strongly feel we need to say the right things to connect with others, else we'll be left alone. I doubt that most of us were designed to survive alone. 

When it comes to Marketers relying on social networks to spread their messages, the same applies. A little competitive research and we are trying to do what the other guy does but hope we do it better. Fitting in has somehow been equated with presence on every social network known to mankind! Its all well and good but the problem arises when we start using online marketing channels only so we can tick off "digital marketing" on the Marketing plan. The same monotonous statements are fed across all social networks and people on the other end are expected to have gained something from it! Where is your individuality and customised effort? I personally am of the opinion that you cannot Market without Research! 

Venting aside, back to the topic at hand. The fight between collective consciousness and collective chaos seems like a war between wisdom and stupidity. As a brand, what do you aim to spread?

Do you see your fans/followers as a breathing mass or humans with the capability to think?

Social media can't be effective if you are spending resources targeting the wrong audience. This is why experts suggest investing in market research to figure out what segments make up your audience. If there's something to learn from Pinterest's success, it is that Pinterest targets categorizing. Recently, I read an Oglivy article on what we can learn from the Sh*t We Say meme. The author Blake Bowyer, talks about the importance of targeting based on segmentation. Segmentation would mean using unique/individual approaches to market. You can't leave one segment out in the favour of targeting another. Each and every one of your followers/fans is an individual who is a part of a local collective which then is a part of the global collective. Obviously one cannot shape marketing based on every individual's likes/dislikes but you can definitely target the local collective. By engineering a marketing environment that uses a customised approach to target smaller collective communities, you have a better chance of winning their hearts and in turn making enriching additions to the collective at large. 

The picture social media paints cannot be black or white. Those shades of gray leave me unsure and I can't make a definite conclusion on whether the overload of information is adding to the collective consciousness or collective chaos. 

The reality as I see it is,

For true collective consciousness to occur, there would have to be a much greater percentage of people involved. Furthermore, any information shared would have to be accessible by everyone in the network and this information will have to be honest. 

Another issue is that the sense of community is stronger in some countries as opposed to others. Collective consciousness is community based and therefore it is more likely to work in developing nations than developed where individuality finds itself placed on a higher rank than community. Born and raised in India where community ranks higher than individuality but having spent years living in UK, I have friends on Facebook (the ones in India) who are quick to think as a community and friends from UK, who would much rather express their individuality than be a part of the local community. I suppose this is where segmentation plays a key role in any marketing plan. 

If not collective consciousness, then is the over load of information on social media causing collective chaos? 

From my point of view, our brains are wired in ways we will never understand. We can grasp and rationalize bits and pieces of information thrown at us to create a collective story. Makes me think of the chaos theory. In simple terms, chaos theory is about finding predictable information within chaotic random data. It appears that our brains are still extremely efficient at making sense of the 'chaotic'. Somehow it makes me want to believe that we are evolving and adapting to the chaos around us. 

There is no way to determine if our brains will someday burn out like an overheated electronic appliance. Between collective consciousness and collective chaos, I'm inclined to believe that we are somewhere in between. Our brains have smartly adapted to the chaos and we are building collective stories but for the sake of mankind, I sincerely hope it will lead to a positive collective consciousness. 

I like to believe that people are inherently good or at-least want to be on some sub-conscious level (if they haven't yet turned complete sociopaths). As brands, it is important to consider the effect you have on your audience. Corporate social responsibility can't end offline, it has to continue through your online efforts, after all the virtual and real have become one world! Sharing a bulk of information without consideration is crap marketing. On the other hand, I don't believe any brand can aim to create a spiritual experience like collective consciousness! You would be in a happier place if you were smoking a blunt and dreaming that can happen. What I believe is that by using the right tone of voice, actually investing in understanding your market segments, taking time to be considerate and then providing enriching individual content can help you go a long way in creating a collective story.

Importance of the 'visual' in online marketing

Visual distraction is what the internet specializes in, whether at work or writing a paper, one little click can pull you down the "just one more page and I'll get back to work" avenue. But, this same concept of visual distraction or even visual capture (because distraction is a rather negative term) when applied, can make your brand stand out from the crowd.

My last post covered the unexpected/lovable introduction of Pinterest into our social networks. Only a few weeks after I published the post, I'm noticing many people integrating their Pinterest feeds on Facebook and websites that are incorporating the Pin It buttons, with the aim to simplify the process of social share.

This time around, I've stumbled upon Mobli.com. Conceptually this platform is designed to be quite similar to Pinterest, you can follow different categories according to your interests. The one cool feature about Mobli is that it supports sharing photos/videos in real time.

Growth in social platforms that are focusing on the visual only means one thing-- one can't deny the need to make your web presence appear aesthetic.

An image speaks louder than words there by ensuring your message has a better chance of lingering around in the viewer's mind. While focusing on content, many companies over look the 'image' aspect. Lets face facts, some brands aren't as glamorous as other brands but a DIY brand like HGTV on Pinterest is a great example of segmenting and diversifying your outreach using images that can be of interest to your audience.

Benefits of image incorporation within your web content

Source: Ventiq.com

1. Improving social experience: Looking at some brands, I get a feeling that companies seem to forget that their web presence isn't just about providing their audience with the right content, it is also about providing an experience. Using images as part of your content is a smart way to practice experiential marketing in the virtual world.

Source: Pocobor.com

2. Brand presentation: Images are the core of eloquent visual rhetorics. Harnessing on the power of images, you can build a desirable brand image.

Source: Moon Games by Laurent Laveder

3. Speak better than words: Brands can build stories that transcend the language barrier. Visuals speak for themselves and can help you send out subtle messages. At times visuals can be used to simplify a message that can appear complicated when explained with the use of text.

Source: Haacked.com

3. Search/Social media optimisation: Appropriate use of tags on images will ensure a rise in web traffic. Not all these people who land on your page will be interested in what you offer but there is always a good percentage of viewers who will click on the 'Website for this image' link to read more. In terms of social media optimisation, good descriptions below images can get the audience to click on your link,  presented with the image.

Things to consider when using visuals

Source: TheCoolHunter.net

1. Use high quality, beautiful images! Poor images will have an opposite effect on the audience and turn them away.

2. Make images clickable. Nothing is more annoying on the website than having an image that cannot be clicked.

3. Concentrate on tagging. It is important to have tags that are not misleading.

4. Credit image source.

5. Insert spaces when required. Quite often I've noticed web pages where images and textual content appears congested. Good designing practice requires empty space to be left between images and text.

6. Use creative inspiration from digital design websites like Beautiful Life.

Some of the world's most popular brands have attractive and pleasant visuals accompanying their content. Investing a bit more in acquiring high quality images from stock websites or hiring a professional photographer will always have a good return. Furthermore, you can use Pinterest, Flickr, Google+ and now Mobli to share your photos online!

Talking about visual experience, just yesterday I found this http://timetravel.sandvik.com/ website for Sandvik (An Engineering Group). One might consider their brand to be uncool but the brilliant visual experience the site has to offer has something else to say! This is a great example of how you can take some of the most unglamorous brand related imagery over 125 years of manufacturing and produce something so engaging.

Interest in Pinterest-How brands can benefit from Pinterest

For the past few months I have been a passive user on Pinterest, enjoying all the amazing visuals this network has to offer, but the recent hype that Pinterest has garnered made me want to register and sample it out.

At first glance you will find Pinterest very aesthetic and by the time you have scrolled down the page, you realise its power of addiction. Although Pinterest has been online since 2010, it is only recently that the social network has found itself landing in the top 10 social sites, as measured by Hitwise. The trend is further confirmed by the numbers, showing there has been a 40% rise in the number of visits in December '11 alone!

Extremely simple to use, Pinterest works on a format where in users can pin images from the web and stick them on boards, based on image categories. Pinterest represents the 2012 way of sharing information. Social media has been through a series of evolutionary phases starting with large form information shared across blogs, from there on moving onto short form micro-blogging and now this brilliant new way of sharing information via ‘push button curation’ as termed by Elad Gil. 

On one hand Pinterest can be classed as a lovely invention even though networks operating with a similar format have been around (Snip.it). As opposed to sharing of textual information, Pinterest functions on the fact that human beings are extremely visual, there by explaining its recently catapulted state as a network holding great potential. We love images, its as plain and simple as that. Moving forward from this point, you will notice that a lot of small businesses are already working their way through promoting products on Pinterest.

In this post, I will outline the best practice for using Pinterest for business. Currently there aren’t many businesses who have established themselves on this network but with the rise in funding and popularity, that is sure to change.

Understand the concept

You can’t understand how this social site operates unless you try it out.

My first suggestion is to create a personal account on Pinterest and give it a try. 

• 1.     Request an invite to register.
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• 2.     Integrate Facebook and Twitter to follow people who are already registered.
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• 3.     Install the Pin It button as a browser bookmark. This button is essential to pin images from other websites.
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• 4.     Create boards according to different themes that you believe will attract potential customers. Now this is the tricky bit as not every business can be considered glamorous. You could be a B2B firm that is not necessarily glam. In a situation like that you have to think outside the box. As an alternative you can start by pinning images within themes your potential customers could be interested in, may be some DIY products, celebrities, scenery, movie posters, music albums, funny images etc. The introduction of a platform like Pinterest does emphasize the importance of having attractive visuals on your website regardless of the services you offer. 
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• 5.      Re-pin, Like and Follow. As you would with Facebook and Twitter, you can like pins and follow other users. You can also comment on their pins. The re-pin feature allows you to re-pin an image to your own board.
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• 6.      Descriptions are important on Pinterest. Add keywords that flow naturally and make these unique. Even if you re-pin an image, you are given the option of writing your own description. I suggest taking full advantage of this box as growth in Pinterest visits means better integration within Google SERPs, hopefully in the near future.
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• 7.     Grab some goodies from Pinterest that you can integrate with your own website. These buttons will allow people to follow you on Pinterest or Pin your products easily.

Secondly, Pinterest is a hub for creativity. If you are going to hard sell, you should look elsewhere. It will be fairly easy for users to see through direct shameless promotion. You should definitely get attention by following influencing people within categories of interest to you. It is a slow process but getting followers is a positive step forward in establishing business credibility.

Lastly, Pinterest is not a substitute for other promotional options. It is only an addition to your current social media plan.

Images! Images!

Pinterest is built on visuals alone. Ensure the images you pin are of high quality and extremely aesthetic. These images can’t be boring images from company conferences/training and development workshops! They HAVE to be creative and beautiful. If not these two things, then your images have to be images of products people are interested in buying/gifting!

Understand the uniqueness of the platform and user profiles

Pinterest is unique because it is a quick service, probably something one is likely to use within their free time like when they are standing in a queue or waiting for the bus. It has no emotional involvement as opposed to Facebook where sharing with friends is the motive. On Pinterest, people want to share information with absolutely random strangers. Furthermore, you will notice that new images are uploaded every moment, which means your image can disappear fairly quickly. Whether your image gets re-pins or not will decide its popularity!

User profiles should be given high consideration. For now, Hitwise explains that the most amount of users on Pinterest are women from US, who are between the age of 22-44. The pattern also shows that these aren’t necessarily people who are also highly active on social networks like Facebook or Twitter. Made up of baby boomers or boomerang kids, the average user can be considered very technologically savvy.

What beneficial value will Pinterest add to your online marketing?

SEO value:

The links you add on Pinterest are do-follow links (for now), which means they will add to your SEO value. This means that search engines will get the message to count this link as a backlink, there by increasing your position within search.

Another advantage of having presence on Pinterest in terms of SERPs is that, if you have used appropriate titles and categories for your boards, your profile will show up in search. 


Travel Channel's Pinterest presence is a good example to follow. 

Social media expansion:

Not only will you be the business that is trendy, Pinterest will help you build content. Attractive images are an essential aspect of your social media profile, integration with Facebook means that your fans can view your Pinterest activity on the Facebook ticker.

Integration of Pinterest on your website also means that people can quickly pin images from your website and share them across Pinterest. Check out the e-commerce website Etsy.com who have added a Pin It button to their listing.

Whats not cool


Don't create a Pinterest profile for the sake of creating one! Spamming will do you no good. Some business sectors will find other social networks like Linkedin or Twitter more beneficial. Pinterest is strictly for businesses that have some kind of visual creativity to offer. I personally feel, small businesses can profit the most by reaching their local market through Pinterest.


Check out the Pin-Etiquettes