Smart Insights

Do you know what it feels like to be a customer of your brand? Consumers today have more choice than ever before about where, when, and how they connect with brands and make purchases. If we want to keep up with customer wants and needs, we need to continually assess the customer experience we offer across the customer lifecycle, to make sure we are offering the best service possible at all digital touchpoints. A successful customer experience strategy can be the difference between brand growth or being pushed out of market by competitors. But in our experience we find some businesses are still lacking a planned approach to reviewing and optimizing this crucial driver for customer acquisition and retention. Let us know how your business is managing this.. 👇

We were surprised when Dr. Dave Chaffey's poll found 77% of respondents to his LinkedIn poll are already using AI 🤖 to create marketing plans... We'll be doing a wider survey on use of AI in marketing soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that 👀 But, if you want to find out more about how to use AI for marketing strategy and planning (and how not to!) don't miss Dave's new blog: "The best Generative AI tools for writing marketing plans and strategies?" 👉 https://lnkd.in/euA6TfdF "In my latest blog, I recommend 10 plus tools to consider, looking in particular at how marketers can use AI for writing marketing plans, such as annual marketing plans or campaign plans. I'm reviewing how many marketers are using Gen AI for writing plans, and the benefits this can bring, as well as cautioning against being overly dependant on AI for planning. To be the 'devil's advocate', I will ask should we be using these tools at all?!" "The best Generative AI tools for writing marketing plans and strategies?" 👉 https://lnkd.in/euA6TfdF Swipe below for 3 Pros and Cons of using Gen AI to create your next marketing plan 🖊 #GenAI #GenerativeAI #AIForMarketing #MarketingPlan #MarketingStrategy #DigitalMarketingStrategy

Please vote to help us review the most popular Gen AI marketing/campaign planning tools 👇

🔎 Looking to improve your customers' experiences of your brand? Customer journey mapping is a visual technique that shows how your customers interact with your brand. You can use it to review how digital experiences and content influence your customers' decision-making process at every step of their journey. Following feedback from our members, we've updated our popular Customer journey mapping download pack. Previously just one standalone template, we now have 3 dedicated resources for Business Members included in this download, with extra support for onboarding presentations and contact strategy planning. 👉 https://lnkd.in/eQxu_uuv Find out how you can use your Customer journey map to create an actionable improvement plan by swiping through the 5 steps below. Or, book your personalized consultation to start building your first 90-day plan with a member of the team today! 👉 https://lnkd.in/ewgRXWPv #MarketingPlan #DigitalMarketing #CustomerJourney #CustomerExperience #CustomerJourneyMapping

5 blogs/techniques for adapting your marketing strategy for change in light of the budget/other international announcements this month, thanks Gabrielle Wright 📝

Love this #LeapYearInspiration from Claudine! 🗓 If you spend just one hour of these bonus 24 hours upskilling, you'll reap the rewards all the rest of the year... Not sure where to start? Try our most popular download - our free digital marketing plan template 👉 https://lnkd.in/eYAWNZRg

📚 Why use a playbook approach in marketing? Just like in sports, where coaches devise winning strategies for their teams, you too can create a game plan for your brand's successes by defining your Opportunities, Strategies, and Actions. 🔍 Want to find out if you can benefit from a playbook approach? The example structure below demonstrates some elements our members find most useful. This is based on member feedback, but, every business is different... For a personalized plan, why not book a free consultation? -> https://lnkd.in/eE3AK5Sj 📊 Playbooks vs plans? We recommend a strategic approach - playbook tactics can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of your marketing activities to help achieve the goals set out in your marketing plan. Check out our popular digital transformation playbook to see how Business Professional Members are unlocking new digital opportunities for growth -> https://lnkd.in/eYAWNZRg Plus, if you haven't already, download our free digital marketing plan template to get started today -> https://lnkd.in/eVNuqYSU 🚀 Digital marketing is complex, but it doesn't have to be overwhelming. Join our community of 500K+ marketers maximizing RACE to score those big wins - both advancing your professional career and increasing the contribution of digital marketing to your business objectives 👉 Download your free plan today -> https://lnkd.in/eVNuqYSU #DigitalMarketing #DigitalMarketingStrategy #DigitalMarketingPlan #DigitalMarketingTactics #DigitalMarketingTrends

Dr. Dave Chaffey's latest Business Pro Members' Masterclass covers the subject of always-on marketing: "Always-on marketing means a planned approach to scheduling and optimizing continuous marketing activities which support customer acquisition and retention throughout the customer lifecycle." In the pre-digital era, marketing activities were planned in campaign ‘bursts’ around new product launches and promotions. Today, the best marketers are also continuously optimizing their ‘always-on’ activities to maximise visibility and conversion through the customer lifecycle - with activities such as: > Organic search > Paid social > Conversion Rate Optimization > Email automation Read more in his blog, https://lnkd.in/efpXVqq2 Are you practising always-on marketing? Share your tips in the comments below!

💡 Skills development is such a hot topic right now. As last week's webinar prompted so many questions, we thought it would be useful to share Amelia C.'s answers in this wider network too. Swipe for the top 8 questions. In our December 2023 member survey, the top reason given for joining Smart Insights as a paid member was 'To develop my marketing knowledge and skills'. It's great to know so many of you are investing in your Continued Professional Development. 🏆 Now, with 165,000+ members globally, we offer a complete system of 250+ Learning Paths, integrated Guides, Templates, and Quick Wins, integrated across our RACE Growth System. RACE is popular right now: 👉 Our top download of 2023 was our RACE digital strategy Powerpoint template 👉 Our top Learning Path of 2023 was our RACE practical digital strategy Learning Path 👉 Our top blog of 2023 was 10 reasons why you need a digital marketing strategy Find out how you can implement a RACE strategy to achieve your personal and professional goals in 2024, and choose your plan to lock in your January discount before the end of the month -> https://lnkd.in/e5MzWu6F #MarketingStrategy #DigitalMarketingStrategy #DigitalMarketing #MarketingPlan #MarketingSkills #MarketingTraining

📣 There's still time to catch Amelia C.'s webinar 'How to be a standout marketer in 2024' on demand! -> https://lnkd.in/g_hhwVQQ In this free webinar, you'll learn how you can create your own personal SWOT, become a strategic T-shaped marketer, and design a realistic continued professional development plan to grow your skills ✅ Within this webinar, you'll also get an insight into our latest free and paid member marketing resources, specialist and strategist training, and inclusive events, dedicated to helping you upskill yourself and your team... As well as an eye-opening reading list and next steps recommendations. Watch the webinar, download the slides, spread the word, and get ready to prioritize your skills development (and application) in 2024! -> https://lnkd.in/g_hhwVQQ P.S. If you're not already, follow Smart Insights now to keep up to date with everything you need to know to make progress towards your goals in 2024 🏅