Online marketing and consumer communication is developing at an ever-increasing pace, leaving some of us (in some ways) a bit behind. Are you or your business falling victim to any of these 10 business communication errors?

1. Brought to you by Wishpond
10 Communication
Strategies You’re
Still Not Getting
Right

2. You’re not paying attention
to how your target
demographic wants to
learn and communicate.

3. “There aren’t any icons to click. It’s a chalk board...”
Both Millennials and
Generation Z
(talk) in
(images) as much
as they do
in (text).

4. How to Communicate with Millennials and
Generation Z (born between 1976 and 1995)
Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/pulse/introducing-generation-z-youngest-generation-now-
outnumbers-millennials-infographic-1661412
Communicate visually across multiple screens
Feed curiosity and tap into a hungry and ambitious spirit
Empower your target audience with control over privacy
Keep it short with snackable, bite-sized content
Connect viewers with collaboration and and sharing technology
Focus on education and building knowledge

5. Generation Z
5 Screens (mobile, tablet, desktop,
TV and music device)
Communicate with Images
Create Things
Future-Focused
Realists
Want to Work for Success
Millennials
2 Screens
Communicate with Text
Share Things
Present-Focused
Optimists
Want to be Discovered
VS
How Generation Z and Millennials are Different

6. Nearly one out of every five millennials are
mobile-only users, compared to 5% of 35-54
year olds and 3% of 55+.
Age 18-34
Desktop Only Mobile OnlyDesktop + Mobile
67%
75%
42%
55%
Age 55+Age 35-54
18%
3%
5%
16%
20%

7. You’re still not using visuals
like you should be.

8. 67% of consumers consider clear, detailed images to carry more
weight than product information or customer ratings
Blog content with visuals receives 94% more page visits
and engagement than content without.
Sources: Heidi Cohen and Jeff Bullas
Page-views increase 14% when press releases contain a photograph.
(The increase climbs to 48% when both photographs
and videos are included.)

9. Visual content shows your product; it doesn’t tell about it.
Visual content is social media friendly.
Visual content supports search optimization.

10. You’re still not socializing
well.

11. Facebook:
While not the best platform for sales generation (in my opinion Pinterest has
that honor, as long as your brand fits its niche) it is definitely the best
platform for increasing awareness of your brand. The sheer reach of your
brand’s content on Facebook makes it a must-use.
Twitter:
We recommend Twitter to all SaaS companies, marketing companies,
sports-related businesses, and all news organizations. Here’s why: Twitter,
more than any other platform, is inextricably tied to in-the-moment
developments. If your sector or business is based around things that are
happening now, you need to be on Twitter.
Which platform should you be on?
Source: http://blog.wishpond.com/post/72672192941/social-media-marketing-which-platform-is-right-for

12. LinkedIn:
All professionals should be on LinkedIn, as individuals. We also
recommend all professional businesses to be on LinkedIn, though the
effort you need to maintain your presence there is significantly less than
other platforms. Check in periodically to ensure your profile is stable - but
focus your valuable time and energy on the more revenue-generating or
awareness-increasing platforms.
Google+:
Tech and engineering companies as well as marketing individuals.
The top three brands on Google+ are Android, Mashable and
Chrome, with Android leading the pack by a significant margin.
Which platform should you be on?

13. Instagram:
Image-friendly businesses like restaurants, clothes and fashion, food,
architecture, technology, designers, etc.
Because of the dominance of the 18-29 age group on Instagram,
businesses with that target market should also be on the site.
Pinterest:
Fashion, photographers, jewellers, home-hardware stores (DIY).
The female-dominated, image-dominated facts of Pinterest make
it easy for those brands which naturally lend-themselves in that
direction, and very difficult for those brands which don’t.
Which platform should you be on?

14. Posts with photos get, on average, 39% more engagement.
Posts with the word “Congratulations” show a
significant boost over others.
Most Facebook users check the platform on their lunch
breaks and after dinner, but it's worth testing to
see if that's a time when your audience is looking for content.
Source: https://blog.bufferapp.com/7-facebook-stats-you-should-know-for-a-more-engaging-page

15. When to remove user content:
● advertorial content
● harassment and abuse
● derogatory or offensive language
● threatening posts
● posts that contain sensitive information
When to address the content instead:
● customer complaints
● negative commentary
● and critical statements.
You may not like what people always have to say, but in social, you
always have to listen.
Source: http://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-social-media/facebook

16. You’re still not testing like
you could be.

17. 66% of companies test multiple
landing pages on their websites…
13% think they're doing it well
Data protection company Veeam Software A/B tested
changing their CTA button copy from “Request a Quote” to
“Request Pricing”...
Doing so increased their click-through-rate by
161%.
Souces: http://blog.wishpond.com/post/66587383809/15-a-b-testing-stats-that-will-blow-your-mind
http://www.adpushup.com/blog/stats-conversion-rate-optimization-ab-testing/
More than 20% of businesses have
reported that they do not have an
effective strategy for landing page
testing.

18. You still don’t have a
consistent brand tone.

19. Persona
Friendly Professional
Warm Authoritative
Inspiring Professorial
Tone
Personal Honest
Humble Direct
Clinical Scientific
Language
Complex Simple
Savvy Jargon-filled
Insider Fun
Serious Whimsical
Purpose
Engage Entertain
Educate Delight
Inform Sell
Enable Amplify
Source: http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/finding-your-brand-voice/

20. You’re still not blogging
right.

21. what you
know about
what your
audience
cares about
what you
should
actually
write about

22. Set a tone (fun, professional, education, etc) and keep it.
Schedule posts ahead of time.
Meet regularly to discuss content topics and guidelines
If you must promote, follow the 411 rule (four non-promotional
pieces, one soft-sell and one hard-sell)
Actively comment and respond to comments
Stay on top of your sector and share what you know without holding back
Continually re-calibrate and re-assess your content strategy
Focus on KPI’s like leads, links and citations more than vanity
metrics like readership or social shares

23. Companies with active blogs receive 97% more leads
Source: http://contendercontent.com/50-content-marketing-statistics-2014/#ixzz3B3AxLRJP
And remember...
B2B companies that blog generate 67% more leads
per month than those who don’t.
Blogs and social media sites account for 23% of all time spent
online
Blogs give websites 434% more indexed pages.
Blog give websites 97% more indexed links.

24. You’re still not personalizing
or segmenting your email
campaigns.

25. Personalized emails improve click-through
rates by 14% and conversion rates by 10%.
The top reasons for U.S. email users to unsubscribe from their
email subscription are too many emails (69%) and
content that is no longer relevant (56%).
Leads who are nurtured with targeted
content produce a 20% increase in
sales opportunities.
Source: http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/data-personalize-marketing-li

26. Segment by
Signup Date
Such as "those who
signed up within the last x
days" or "those who
signed up since I sent my
last campaign."
Overall Results
Segmented campaigns vs
non-segmented
campaigns
Opens: 11.841% better
than list average
Clicks: 10.501% better
than the list average
Bounces: .492% worse
than the list average
Opens: 18.852% better
than list average
Clicks: 21.976% better
than the list average
Bounces: 1.429% better
than the list average
Opens: 14.444% better
than list average
Clicks: 14.994% better
than the list average
Bounces: .803% better
than the list average
Segment by
Merge Field
Such as"customer_type",
"ZIP code" or "job_title"
Source: http://mailchimp.com/resources/research/effects-of-list-segmentation-on-email-marketing-stats/

27. You’re still not being
completely genuine.

28. If a customer
perceives that your
business is
indifferent to them,
68% will leave.
93% of adult Americans say that a company’s reputation for honesty and
fairness is extremely important to them.

29. Source: http://www.slideshare.net/custthermometer/22-customer-retention-stats
A commitment to customer
experience results in up to 25%
more customer retention and
revenue than sales or marketing
initiatives.
80% of companies believe they deliver a superior customer experience…
Only 8% of their customers agree.

30. You’re still talking too
much.

31. 72% Of Consumers Trust Online Reviews As Much As Personal
Recommendations
Let your customers and regular employees talk
for you.
Source: http://searchengineland.com/study-72-of-consumers-trust-online-reviews-as-
much-as-personal-recommendations-114152
67%
66%
62%
53%
52%
52%
43%
Growth since 2009
+5
+0
+15
+4
+9
+20
+12 (+0 since 2013)
Academic or Expert
Technical Expert
A Person Like You
Industry Analyst
NGO Representative
Regular Employee
CEO

32. Familiarity Lift
Affinity Lift
Purchase Intent Lift
Content Impact on Low-Priced Items ($399 or less)
142
155
105
200
100
0
Expert
Content
User
Reviews
Branded
Content

33. You’re still not as
transparent as you could
be.

34. Consumer Reactions at Different Levels
of Firm Transparency
Skepticism
Low
High
Trust
Low
High
Purchase Intent
Low
High
Attitude Toward the Firm
Unfavorable
Favorable
16.67%
83.33%
87.50%
12.50%
100.00%
0.00%
96.3%
3.70%
71.84%
28.16%
3.85%
96.15%
6.94%
93.06%
6.71%
93.29%
Low Transparency High TransparencyConsumer Reaction

35. How do you go transparent?
Make it easy for customers
to learn about you:
● Be clear in your communications (little
fine print or jargon).
● Make your information easy accessible
and easy to find.
● Make it easy to disengage - which will
decrease the chance of it happening.
Share the good and the bad:
● Share numbers and results
● Provide both pros and cons during a sales pitch or in
marketing communications
Allow for dialogue
● Provide the opportunity for
two-way communication
● Allow for conversation
between all levels of your
business
● Make it easy to reach you and
be approachable

36. Thank you for viewing!
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