Digital marketing has already proven to be an important partner for integrators that want to sustain and grow their businesses. Social media, for example, offers the chance to reach incredibly targeted audiences for incredibly reasonable prices. Email marketing allows you to personalize and engage with customers on regular, automated terms. SEO/GoogleAds can help even the smallest integrators bump up higher in search engine rankings.
As we get closer to 2020, one question remains: What else does technology have to offer? The following tools stand out as the most promising when it comes to risk, ease of use, and ROI for the integration market.
Be a Beacon for Your Industry
Smart beacons use Bluetooth technology to broadcast data from a mobile device outward to the physical environment, similar to the way a lighthouse shines light into the darkness. They use physical proximity to allow stores, restaurants, and other businesses to connect in real time with customers near them. For instance, you could automatically text a message to a customer’s phone as he or she walks past your showroom or physical establishment, and then see in real time whether you were effective at drawing the person inside.
Beacons are also ideal for automating loyalty programs. Rather than worrying about punching or swiping loyalty cards, beacons can track customer visits virtually and automatically reward customers for number of visits, total spending, or other milestones.
Get Virtual
Another exciting technology with the potential of being utilized by integrators is virtual reality (VR). Some may still associate VR with the gaming industry, but it’s come a long way toward becoming an important marketing tool worldwide. With VR, you can build virtual tours of hotel, restaurant, resort, or office projects you’ve done, allowing potential customers to experience a preview of your services.
Give Your Customers a Sign
As you likely know, digital signage is a great alternative to traditional billboards, posters, and email, especially when connecting with customers in a set geographic space. Digital signage could be sharing messages about anything from a new product to industry news.
In one study, video was used to record the number of people who noticed static and digital signage at numerous places. For the static sign, the number of people paying attention to the sign peaked on its first day; however, for the digital sign, the number remained consistently high every day – almost as high as the very first day of the study.
It was also shown that, of those who saw digital billboards, 55% of participants remembered the exact message they displayed every time they passed by one. While it might seem less exciting than smart beacons and VR, the case remains for digital signage to communicate with customers and employees.
Diversify Your Approach
No matter how promising digital marketing is for integrators, the truth remains: Diversification is key. Multi-channel marketing has become the name of the game in creating brand awareness. Print, web, and live events and promotions all hold a place in your overall marketing plan. Neglecting those audiences, or failing to add fresh content to your website to focus on other new, sexier technology options, is simply not a good decision. Integrators need a strong presence across all channels to hold a strong presence in today’s world.
No single technology will make or break your business. But utilizing relevant technologies in ways that are exciting and relevant will go a long way toward building brand awareness, engagement, and buzz.