Digital transformation requires a shift in traditional marketing. Karen Roby interviews the founder of a company that successfully uses data analytics to reach specific customers on social media.
Digital transformation requires a shift in traditional marketing. Karen Roby interviews the founder of a company that successfully uses data analytics to reach specific customers on social media.
Marketing and marketing-related initiatives are being shaped by digital technology that is changing every day. Getting noticed in this noisy world requires a very different approach from what worked years ago. More and more companies are shifting from a traditional marketing strategy to a more digital-focused model. A recent Cowen study revealed Instagram has completely replaced TV as the most important way to reach young buyers.
Wicked Sheets, a Kentucky based company that sells moisture wicking bed sheets, is seeing real success through social media marketing. Alli Truttmann, President and CEO, said they are realizing great results through organic content, targeted messaging and solid research.
“As our customer demographic increased from just solely menopausal women to pregnant women, it was ripe for the time when Instagram got really popular for adding Instagram ads and talking to this younger demographic.”
SEE: Vendor relationship management checklist (Tech Pro Research)
Mike Froggatt, a director on the Intelligence Team for Gartner L2, agrees that Instagram and other social media platforms are effective in helping companies reach a target audience.
“Instagram is an interesting component because it’s been so wildly successful. They can target down to individual segments, locations, and interests.”
For Wicked Sheets, the ability to reach such a specific audience is critical. The data provided on the backend is making it easier for Truttmann and her team to decide where to focus their efforts. “These social media companies are really getting good at analytics reporting which really makes brand people and business owners like myself gravitate towards them because I can see real live action data analytics”.
Wicked Sheets also relies heavily on Google Adwords and search engine optimization (SEO) to drive customers to its website. Truttman said they are always fine-tuning their strategy to drive sales. “The way social media allows us to communicate with our customers in a visual way, on a platform they want to be engaged on, at a price that small businesses can afford…it’s just the name of the game right now.”