Canadian Music Trade - February / March 2020

How to Turn Website Visitors into Sales Opportunities Frank Cowell, Online Marketing Expert & CEO of Digitopia When it comes to MI retailers’ digital programs – the summation of your online presence and activities, from your website to social me- dia properties to ad- vertising, etc. – Frank Cowell says that many have adopted a “shotgun marketing” approach. As the name implies, it’s the idea of firing out un- focused, generalized FRANK COWELL content in hopes of hitting as wide a swath of one’s customer base as possible. According to Cowell, it’s rarely effective. In his NAMM U session on converting website visitors into buy- ers, Cowell presents a digital growth formula developed over 20 years of sales and marketing experience. One of the keys to that formula and achieving its desired results is the concept of “hyper-specificity” – narrowing in on one specific buyer persona relevant to your store and then creating experiences where all assets and activities exist to either solve a pain point or enhance a pleasure point for that group. “I think there’s huge opportunity here for small retailers,” he shares. “Small retailers go beyond just the SKUs. The product is less about what’s on the receipt and more about what they’ve wrapped around it to tailor to their chosen buyer persona. There are so many ways to round out that buyer’s experience with the thing they’re in love with, and the physical product is only one aspect.” The first step is choosing the ideal persona to focus on. It could be one you’re successfully catering to already but where you still see opportunity for growth, or it could be one you know you’re equipped to serve but haven’t yet attracted in a significant way. “It’s important to start with the end goal in mind, so start with your buyer persona and then define the world they live in and how you can be a part of it,” Cowell continues. Once that’s established, the goal is to focus your digital program on that specific segment and the relevant pleasure or pain points. Then, you get to things like content creation and SEO to bring those targeted potential buyers to your website, where you drive home the value you can provide them. “Post about it, blog about it, make videos about it…” Cowell advises. And while the engagement starts in the digital domain, your progression should continue into the physical store. “So hold events on it, do lessons on it, cater your inventory to it… Go all-in on that combination and it will snowball. You’re creating a plan of progres- sion to get that person from, ‘I’m engaged but not ready to buy’ to ‘I’m ready to buy, and ready to buy from you.’” Cowell strongly recommends starting with one persona. “And we’re not suggesting you’re going to forever ignore the others,” he tacks on, “but what we see is people afraid to ignore any one buyer persona, so they end up doing a weak job of marketing to any one of them, and that means their resources aren’t being used very effectively. “Hyper-focusing and going really deep on one group will be the best marketing you’ve ever done, and it’ll bear more fruit for your or- ganization than the general shotgun approach that you think is work- ing,” he says in closing. “If there are things that are working, keep at it, but if you’re looking to grow and take it to another level, you’ll see the best results in focusing on one hyper-specific audience and one particular pleasure point or pain point, and then going all-in.” How to Create Effective Videos for Social Media Jenn Herman, Online Marketing Expert & Founder of Jenn’s Trends JENN HERMAN These days, videos are an integral component to online promo- tion – especially for MI retailers, considering the audio-visual nature of the trade. In one of her two sessions at the 2020 show, online marketing expert and perennial NAMM U presenter Jenn Herman shared tips on how to create effective video content while minimizing costs and hassle. “Retailers should consider creating videos for any message they want to convey to their customers or audience,” she begins. “They could cover frequently asked questions like business hours, how to enroll in a class, how to reserve something online… Or it could be simple tips and training videos like how to string or tune an instrument or recognize an authentic instrument from a knockoff. If it’s something you can answer for someone in your store or show someone how to do, it makes a great video!” She identifies four general categories for videos: • Brand Awareness, where you’re establishing and sharing info about your brand • Relationship-Building, where you’re partnering with other brands or accounts to widen your network and build loyalty • Educational/Informational, where you’re establishing credibility and expertise • Promotional, where you’re focusing on a product or service, discounts or promotions, and ultimately driving conversions and sales. CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE 21

Canadian Music Trade - February / March 2020 | Page 21