Shift7 Digital, the modern digital agency for manufacturers, is sharing insights on the digital marketing landscape for 2021, coming out of a year when a strong digital footprint has never been more important. According to a recent report from investment firm GP Bullhound, the shift from physical to digital stores has accelerated by four to six years as a result of COVID-19, but many were forced to adapt on-the-fly. The same report found that as of Q4 2019, 41 percent of brands did not have a specialized team for managing e-commerce supply chains. Shift7’s primary customer base, manufacturers, has not always been at the forefront of early adoption in the digital space, but the pandemic has been the push that many needed.
“It simply cannot be overstated how important having the right digital footprint has become for businesses this year,” said Andrew Walker, CEO of Shift7 Digital. “Manufacturers aren’t always known for being leaders in digital marketing the same way, say, the SaaS industry is, but the global pandemic has made Ecommerce channels impossible for them to ignore and we’ve seen real, meaningful change for a number of them over the course of the year.”
To help businesses put their best foot forward going into 2021, Shift7 Digital’s top executives are sharing tips for how to get the most of digital marketing in 2021:
Andrew Walker, Chief Executive Officer, on ROI Value: As with all business decisions, investments in digital can’t be made without clear benefits. And the business case for digital channel expansion is undeniable. Define targets to be sure that your investment in digital is hitting its KPIs and working to drive impact for the brand.
Randy Higgins, Chief Strategy Officer, on Channel Prioritization: It sounds simple, but prioritizing your digital channels matters. It’s not about doing everything on every channel you can find, but finding and prioritizing the ones that are being embraced by your customers and make sense for your business.
Nick Schulte, EVP, Technology, on Product Content: Your product information, and the rich way it’s presented to your customers, is crucial to your digital success. If your products aren’t discoverable in an intuitive, easy-to-use way, your buyers may opt for an alternate brand; those making purchasing decisions must be able to find what they’re looking for and recognize its value quickly.
Derek Van Horne, VP, Executive Creative Director, on Modernizing Marketing: More likely than not, one of the things you’re aiming for is measurable, scalable growth; if you haven’t rethought your digital marketing techniques in the past few years, now is the time to do so. Growth focused manufacturers are taking a page from the consumer marketing playbook, prioritizing customer acquisition tactics and branded experiences in their own B2B way.
Joe Anzalone, VP, Salesforce Technology, on Customer Centrality: One of the most important things to always keep in mind is why you are making all of these changes and decisions: ultimately, to serve your customers. Offering online B2B transactions will not only improve your customer relationships, but will also lower your cost of serving them.
Shift7 Digital collaborates with manufacturers to help educate them about the changing landscape, including analyzing their digital presence, integrating their brand experience across platforms and streamlining their digital properties. For more on how Shift7 Digital is helping some of the biggest names in manufacturing elevate their digital presence, visit https://www.shift7digital.com.
About Shift7 Digital
Shift7 Digital is revolutionizing the digital experience for manufacturers and their customers. Backed by a team of experts with deep industry insights, Shift7 truly understands the challenges and opportunities facing the B2B market today and delivers a customized, yet prescriptive process for partnering with companies as they evolve from a product-centric to a customer-centric approach. Shift7 is modernizing manufacturing to help businesses transform through digital marketing to drive connections, commerce and revenue. For more information, visit https://www.shift7digital.com.
