As technology has evolved, so have consumer expectations.
Today, consumers expect to have everything at their fingertips. Whether they’re looking for a restaurant menu, the location of a new tech store or info about a retailer’s return policy, they want answers, and they want them quickly.
This is precisely what on-demand marketing aims to do: provide consumers with 24/7 engagement, in order to meet their needs and expectations.
In this blog, we’ll explain the need for marketing on demand, explore the advantages of this relatively new digital marketing term and detail how you can prepare your brand to meet rising consumer demands.
Table of Contents
What Is On-Demand Marketing?
On-demand marketing is a marketing trend that provides 24/7 engagement with consumers, in line with their needs and expectations, i.e. based on their demand.
On-demand marketing uses technology to track every digital interaction your consumers have with your brand. This allows you to create digital portraits of your consumers, understand their needs and study the process they follow to eventually make a purchase.
Unlike blogs, press releases and other traditional forms of advertising, on-demand marketing focuses on what your audiences are looking for or are concerned about at a given moment, then uses this moment to provide a solution.
Examples of on-demand marketing include:
- Using a phone camera to try on sunglasses from home
- Using an app to take a photo of a house for sale, and receiving information about the price
- Using visual recognition technology to scan receipts, bills and statements into an integrated calendar and cash management system
- Using a restaurant's beer coasters with near-field communication (NFC) technology to receive information about the beer brand
The Growing Need For On-Demand Marketing
So why exactly is on-demand marketing gaining so much traction as of late?
As technology has evolved, so have consumer expectations.
Over the last decade, we’ve witnessed:
- The growth of mobile connectivity that makes information instantly accessible
- The development of social media, where consumers constantly compare and share products and rate their experiences
- The activation of Internet of Things (IoT) on devices, via affordable microtransmitters and communication tags
- The development of augmented reality
- The development of voice, image and gesture search
Along with these changes, consumers:
- Crave interaction 24/7 from any location and any device
- Expect an easy interaction with your brand
- Are willing to try new experiences that bring them value
- Expect personalized interactions with brands
On-demand marketing allows you to meet these expectations.
The evolution of technology allows you to build digital portraits of your consumers based on online behavior and interactions with your brand.
With on-demand marketing, you can:
- Collect data about your consumers’ decision journey, to determine their buying process
- Identify ways to influence them at every point of their decision journey
- Shape your consumers’ experiences using the insights received
- Focus your efforts on delivering a high-quality consumer experience 24/7 across various channels and platforms
The technical evolution has also been instrumental for other types of marketing as well, such as contextual marketing and blockchain marketing. Check our newly published blogs to explore more.
The Advantages Of On-Demand Marketing
Still wondering if on-demand marketing is right for your brand? Check out some of the top benefits it offers.
On-demand marketing provides:
Customer Loyalty
On-demand marketing listens to and acts upon a customer problem to provide a solution.
This two-way communication engages your customer as part of the solution, and builds a personal bond with your brand.
Relevance
On-demand marketing answers your consumers’ pain points by serving the right content at the right time, across various sales and distribution channels.
Targeted Delivery
On-demand marketing allows you to craft content and present it to your consumers when they are ready to act.
When content is personalized to solve your consumers’ unique problems, the chances of your consumers interacting with this content is higher, compared to them acting on an email that is sent to a large group of other recipients.
In a 2019 survey, 62% of U.S. consumers shared they are willing to provide their email address to receive personalized offers, showing that personalization is indeed part of today’s consumer demand.
Flexibility
On-demand marketing uses various digital technology tools to analyze consumer behavior, when they interact with different content across distribution platforms. This allows you to focus on areas in which you may be lacking, target overlooked markets and increase your reach.
How To Prepare Your Brand For On-Demand Marketing
Of course, on-demand marketing cannot be implemented without some prior preparation.
So what can you do to guarantee your consumers have a timely and valuable interaction with your brand?
Know Your Customers
To keep pace with the changes in your consumers’ behavior, analyze data related to their behavior to:
- Understand how and why your consumers decide to buy your products or services
- Define and contextualize current trends
- Measure the effectiveness of your investment and activities
For example, let's say you a run a cosmetics company and come across hundreds of online conversations about the lack of natural ingredients in the skin care products you are offering.
Identifying increased increase and possible negative backlash, your response might be to quickly create and launch a new line of skin care products formulate with natural ingredients, answering the demand of your consumers, maintaining a positive brand image, and being quick to the market before your customers turn to a competitor for what they need.
Design Interactions Across Your Consumer’s Journey
Before you implement on-demand marketing, design a complete road map to show how your consumers will get to know your brand, evaluate it, relate to it and make a purchase.
This includes identifying triggers that convince your consumers to decide on a purchase.
For example, let’s say you run a retail store and find out that your customers want to see outfits put together in advance, because these pairings will help them see how the items can work together, which will in turn influence a purchase.
Your response might be to come up with triggers throughout the buyer’s journey to help influence the purchasing decision.
For example, when a customer clicks on an item in your eCommerce store, three full outfit choices incorporating the item show below. Or, a video with a play button appears, where an influencer or fashion blogger explains how to wear the item and what to pair it with.
Reorganize Your Marketing Skills And Processes
Collect information about every contact your consumers have with your brand to determine their pain points and expectations.
This information in turn will help you map decision journey patterns and define new opportunities to connect with your target customers.
Let’s say you manage a bank and based on data analysis, you realize that weaknesses in the new customer process is sabotaging your major marketing programs.
You can work with your marketing department, branches and call centers to find the right solution to engage your customers, make sure they stay informed about your bank and the programs it offers, and in turn boost your customer satisfaction.
Top 5 Digital Marketing Agencies For On-Demand Marketing
On-demand marketing is still a relatively new concept, and working with marketing experts can help you identify the needs of your target audiences and implement methods to keep them engaged at all times.
Here’s our list of the top digital marketing firms to consider in 2022:
1. SmartSites
Headquartered in Paramus, New Jersey, SmartSites is one of America’s fastest growing companies with 100+ 5-star reviews.
SmartSites offers:
- Digital marketing
- Inbound marketing
- eCommerce marketing
- SEO
- PPC
SmartSites’ clients include B2B and B2C clients from the hospitality, entertainment and media and healthcare industries.
2. OpenMoves
Headquartered in Huntington, New York, OpenMoves is a certified Google Premier Partner, Bing and Amazon Partner and Facebook Marketing Partner.
OpenMoves offers:
- Digital marketing
- eCommerce marketing
- Digital advertising
- Social media marketing
- Search engine marketing
OpenMoves’ clients include Shutterstock, Northwell Health, Netsmart and ADP.
3. WANDR
Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, WANDR has been ranked #1 as the Best UX Agency in Los Angeles by Clutch and #1 as the top Product Design Company by DesignRush.
WANDR offers:
- Product design
- Business consulting
- Market research
- Software development
- Mobile app development
WANDR has partnered with brands such as WWF, US Air Force, Samsung and IBM.
4. UPQODE
Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, UPQODE has worked with well-known brands including Lafarge, Samsung, Travod and Autotrip.
UPQODE’s services include:
- Digital marketing
- eCommerce Development
- Law Firm Web Design
- B2B Website Design
- Small Business Website Design
UPQODE has been distinguished for its performance by Accredited Business awards, CSS Design Awards and Nashville Top Digital Agencies by Clutch.
5. The Bureau Of Small Projects
Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, The Bureau Of Small Projects caters for the digital marketing needs of small to midsized businesses, startups and nonprofits.
The Bureau Of Small Projects offers:
- Digital marketing
- eCommerce marketing
- Branding
- Creative agency services
- Advertising agency services
The Bureau Of Small Projects has worked with clients such as Parachute Tech, Monolith, Zepl and Shop-Ware.
Wrapping Up On Marketing On Demand
On-demand marketing allows you to answer your consumers’ demands and serve them with the information they are looking for at the exact moment they need it.
The advantages of on-demand marketing include:
- Customer loyalty
- Relevance
- Targeted delivery
- Flexibility
To prepare your brand for on-demand marketing:
- Know your customers
- Design interactions across your consumer’s journey
- Reorganize your marketing skills and processes
Working with a digital agency with a proven track record will help you identify the opportunities for on-demand marketing and use them to engage in relevant and timely communication with your consumers.