It can be difficult to navigate modern marketing technology and take advantage of all the good things it brings to your business.

Don’t underestimate the importance of staying current and knowledgeable.

You need to know how to overcome the complications to your marketing process that new channels and tech can bring.

New technology like marketing automation helped Dropbox to increase its signups by 60 percent. This took old marketing strategy, customer referrals, and did it in a new way for the era of the millennial.

Do you want to know how to navigate these new waters and ramp up your digital marketing strategy?

Let’s get into it.

Blogging as Part of the Marketing Process

Starting a successful blog isn’t easy, but it’s worth it for the results.

Companies that blog more often get four times more traffic as those who blog less frequently, so it’s a marketing tool that can’t be ignored.

Companies don’t know what subjects to blog about, often misunderstanding what customers find interesting. A customer-centred approach is key here.

Avoid narcissism by doing topics that don’t just promote your products, but add value to readers. And don’t forget to blog more regularly so your customers always have new topics to peruse on your site.

Chatbots Are the Future

Chatbots are a new and exciting game-changer. They mean real-time consumer engagement and are a great tool for your business to be accessible and responsive.

The problem here is that not many people understand how to take advantage of them.

The vital tool to use your chatbot effectively is more information. Common customer queries should be the building blocks for scripts that you feed the bot.

For example, if you own an e-commerce site, lots of inquiries will be about shipping times and rates. This is all simple information that you already have.

Creating Interesting Content

The challenge with content is to continually create it in such a way that seems fresh and original to readers.

Common mistakes include repeating topics, especially if there is staff turnover and the employee who created the content leaves, or is guilty of publishing content that isn’t relevant or current.

This can be solved in a few ways, but the top method is to tune into social media.

Investigate what your customers are saying and mould your content around that. Create a conversation and interact with them by asking questions on posts to find out about their wants and needs.

Automate Your Marketing Process

There are a few hacks (or tips) when it comes to automation in marketing, but use the method Dropbox did if you want to imitate their success.

Use automation to reduce your cost per acquisition by providing a strong incentive and making it as easy as clicking a button to send a referral.

Bonus: the bond between your brand and your customer is made stronger with every referral and reward given.

Steve McNeill is a partner and marketing strategist with Q4 Communications, which has an innovative lead generation process called WebInsight.

This story was written by Steve McNeill and featured in Service Providers magazine.