Digital Summit 2023 Learnings

One of the amazing benefits of working at ANDERSON Advertising is having the opportunity to expand your knowledge within the industry whether it’s sitting in on webinars or attending conferences in person. Our Digital Media Manager, Austin Kreitler, Social Media Manager, Samantha Bero, and Account Coordinator, Maddy Mantsch, had the opportunity to attend Digital Summit at the end of March. Digital Summit is a two-day conference that allows marketers to learn more about emerging trends in the digital marketing space as well as other industry-related sessions to improve their skillset. In this blog, the team found a common theme that was discussed across many sessions and how it relates to their role within ANDERSON.

What Is A Customer-First Mindset?
A customer-first mindset is a foundation for any successful business because it means that the business or organization puts the customer at the center of decision-making rather than around the product itself. We listened to some of the best experts in our fields and learned how they achieve this mindset.

What Qualities Make Up A Customer-First Mindset?

• Intention
• Authenticity 
• Trust
• Connection
• Personalization

Using A Customer-First Mindset In Our Roles

Digital Media – Customer-First Mindset
Austin: Targeting. It is all about targeting. If you think about it: When you are creating and launching a campaign for a specific product you don’t want to serve ads to the entire population. Instead, you look at the research to find out who needs that service or product. For example, you wouldn’t want to be serving an ad for steak to someone who identifies as a vegetarian right? That would just be a waste of ad spend.

In addition, personalizing your ads can be tied back to utilizing a customer-first mindset as this allows us, the advertiser, to communicate directly with the consumer in a way that feels more authentic. This can be something as simple as creating an email campaign and leveraging a dynamic opener or utilizing dynamic headlines such as “STORES NEAR YOU.” A recent study from Statista found that 63% of marketers observed that personalization increases customer interactions and creates better conversion rates.

Social Media – Customer First Mindset
Sam: Authenticity and trust go hand-in-hand when it comes to social media marketing. Ninety-one percent of consumers say that they are willing to reward a brand for its authenticity with a purchase, investment, or endorsement. In a post-pandemic world, you are not competing against your competitors—you are competing against the last best experience your customers had whether that be in-person or online. The average person bounces between seven different social networks per month—with an average person spending 151 minutes per day on social media. The digital world is oversaturated. To stand out, it’s imperative to show up authentically and consistently.

Account Services – Customer First Mindset
Maddy: Relationships are the end all be all of Account Services. As we know, if you and your clients don’t connect, providing good quality work is extremely difficult. The key element in building those relationships is TRUST! That’s your ticket to producing amazing work and providing the best outcomes for your client. The way we build those relationships includes being reliable, transparent, proactive, and authentic just to name a few. After listening to numerous leaders of the marketing and advertising industries this holds true.

However, that trust doesn’t start developing during your first client meeting, it starts with having trust and stable relationships within your organization. Prioritizing the work your team puts out is the main way to build that trust from the ground up. The client/consumer feels it when your organization has cross-communication within teams—this increases collaboration, safe spaces for new ideas/creativity, and promotes providing above and beyond customer service. Don’t be fooled, clients can see a well-oiled machine and/or a clogged, broken one from a mile away. The more you focus on making sure your team feels secure and uplifted, the better. How you treat your teammates will translate into the way you handle your clients.

Working from a single source of TRUTH will guarantee your business success.

In Conclusion
Ultimately, a customer-first approach demonstrates a commitment to providing excellent products and services, which not only benefits the customer but also creates a competitive advantage for your business.