As the digital marketplace continues to develop and expand, customer expectations are changing. Businesses need to adapt in order to meet the needs of these customers.

The online experience

Users want a good online experience and they have expectations of what a quality website should look like. They will no longer wait long periods for a website to load. Customers also expect your site to have clear navigation, regardless of the type of device they are using. Social media is now a fact of life and your customers expect to be able to find your firm on platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn in addition to your website.

Smartphones

A vast amount of web traffic now comes via smartphones. Your customers now expect to be able to buy your products or services via their smartphone. Therefore contact pages, “buy now” functions, etc. must now be able to function via smartphones. This presents another challenge to businesses, as some customers use Apple devices while others may use Android, Blackberry or Windows smartphones. In order to have a consistent online experience for your customers, you need to develop your web and social media platforms to function properly on different operating systems across a range of devices.

CRM

Customer relationship management is more important than ever in today’s digital-focused world. Customer data must be captured and kept up to date in order to allow email, social media and digital campaigns to be developed.

Search Engine Optimisation

The aim of the digital game is to make it easy for potential customers to find your business. Customers will search for your type of product or service by using a search engine such as Google. The rules of search engine optimisation (SEO) are always evolving, but the days of stuffing your website with keywords and meta tags are long gone. Instead, your website, blogs and social media updates should contain text which is written with the customer in mind.

The digital marketing space is now more competitive than ever. If you and your firm can master it, you can drive new customers to your business. If you brush it to one side, you stand to lose out to competitors who have embraced the digital space. Your business should try to develop a digital strategy that is appropriate for your customers’ preferences.