Developing a Digital Mind Map

A summary of WBN’s recently concluded #iEmPOWER that discussed on how to develop a digital mind map that will better your marketing strategy and increase sales online. It was attended by 56 participants from eight countries.

On 25 March 2021, WBN’s #iEmPOWER session on Developing a Digital Mind Map had three aims and they were: to identify buying behaviour styles that drive results, use mind map as the perfect tool for generating business ideas and apply strategies by using various digital as well as marketing platforms to connect better while increasing sales. The session was helmed by Andrea Chow, trainer, coach and founder of Global Circles Academy.

Chewing on Bite-sized Highlights
Here’s a thought: a study shows that ambient cues such as colour, smell, lighting, music and temperature contribute to sales increase. The question is, how do you bring all these elements onto the digital platform?

The digital mind map for selling on online platform has changed the whole sales process. Today, digital mind map for selling begins with education-based selling that involves advertising, promotion, PR, branding and communications. Way back when, these five aspects were an expensive exercise. However, with the advent of social media, they are now almost zero cost.

Charting a digital mind map for selling:

Brand awareness starts with content marketing: what value can you give to the customers in terms of educating them on what they need. In marketing jargon, it’s called ‘trigger marketing’ where we trigger the purchase or need for the customer, and shape their buying behaviour. Now, one of the things is that these days on social selling platform people would want to have short and crisp content. So, cut all your content into bite-sized pieces so it’s easy to digest.

Customer service is no longer only dealing with inquiries or complaints from customers. How do you turn customer service into dollars and cents as well? Here’s where the beauty of upsell and cross-sell come along very far in the area of customer service. Also, stick to the 80-20 rule: 20 per cent of the marketing budget to continuously engage existing customers and 80 per cent to acquire new customers. Sensory marketing where you talk about what soothes the eyes, ears, touch, smell and taste. In this context, you’re dealing with customers’ emotions, whether you can provide solutions to their problems or fulfil their needs through your products and services.

Sensory marketing example: blue or green background appeals to you?

Furthermore, it’s how you place products in photos. For instance, would a blue background work better than a green one or would placing a product on the left of the frame be better than it being on the right of it? In this instance, understanding and exploiting the psychology of colour will sell your product more effectively.

Psychology of colour:

Let’s talk about authenticity. Basically, walk the talk. In other words, give your honest view from your end. Another thing to remember is, building an [online] community isn’t going to make a difference overnight for your business. As you spend time building the community, you’ll grow together with them and see that your whole business will grow along too.

Andrea Answers Some Questions
How to get started with virtual selling?
Start by creating small little nuggets of content to educate customers about your products and services. Then, choose the e-platform on which you want to sell such as Facebook.

How do you get customers to buy without seeming to be pushing your products?
Through education-based selling that communicates to customers on what your products can do for them and make their life better.

How to target the right market through posts on social media?
Understand your customer segmentation and that includes their habits, what they like, income level, marital status, rural or city folk. Only then will you be able to predict what they want and where they congregate online, to be able to exploit the platform to sell your product at optimum level.

Is it effective to use an influencer on social media to market your product or stick to direct message such as email?
There are not many people checking emails constantly. It’s best to have multiple ways of connecting to customers.

How to keep up to date on the changing algorithms of social media such as hashtags?
It’s constant work. There are no shortcuts. Which means, you need to be on your toes and keep checking on what’s happening on social media in terms of hashtags, trends and more. So, while online platforms save quote a bit of marketing cost, it requires a lot of investment in terms of time.

What is the selling strategy of the bias market during this pandemic?
It’s a dialogue and conversation of two different parties in one particular process. It’s where someone is going to give away your money in exchange for a solution when you talk about bias market.

How to market products to a country facing an economic downfall?
Find that niche market that’s able to afford you.

Main photo by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.