Stephen Wind-Mozley, Digital Director of Virgin Media Business goes through the 7Cs of effective digital marketing: customer, content, conversion, context, community, convenience, cohesion and how they can help SMEs succeed. This deck was originally presented on an FSB webinar in September 2016

1. ARE YOU READY TO #VOOM?
A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING

2. A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING
W H Y D O T H E 7 C s
AND WILL THEY HELP ME #VOOM?
According to a recent report by Oxford Economics*
(full disclosure – we sponsored it), digital capabilities
contributed £123bn to the UK economy last year.
Perhaps even more interestingly, OE concluded that
the UK has a £92bn-a-year opportunity every year,
if it becomes even more digital.
And this super-size potential is an opportunity for
all of us – whatever our relative size. The Lloyds Bank
UK Digital Index of 2015 found that digitally ambitious
businesses are 30% more likely to grow.**
Thanks to the proliferation of digital channels, we all
have more ways (and places) to market ourselves.
And help our businesses #VOOM.
But deciding how to market yourself digitally – especially
with a modest budget and limited resources – can be difficult.
Daunting even.
While social media marketing is usually free, it can be time-
consuming, and the same goes for blogging. Meanwhile,
digital advertising can be expensive.
And that’s why I’d like to share my theory for making the most
of digital. I call it The 7 Cs of Digital Marketing. And I hope
you’ll find a few things within it that will help you #VOOM.
Stephen Wind-Mozley, Digital Director.
Special thanks to Bernadette Kelly, Director of Business
Development, ActiveWin Media, for her insightful contributions.
*Digital Opportunity report, Oxford Economics, 2015
**Lloyds Bank UK Business Digital Index, 2015

3. C U STO M E R
A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING

4. A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING
C U STO M E R
Of course, you’re aware that knowing your customer - and
getting to know them better – is a big part of any marketing
activity. The same is absolutely true in the digital space.
But remember, ‘Rome ain’t built in a day’ – getting to know
your target audience is a never-ending process of discovery.
It can start small and be nurtured over time. Or, to put it
another way - draw the sketch first, then colour it in.
So where to start? Well, ask yourself:
Who’s in your audience?
If you’re targeting consumers, think demographics. If you’re selling
to companies, the equivalent buzzword is ‘firmographics’.
What’s their ‘history’ with you?
Have they bought anything? If so, what’s in their purchase history?
Have you made contact with them via marketing? What about
customer service? And what conclusions can we draw from all this?
How do these behaviours help group them together?
What customer life stage are they at? Are they…
• Utterly unaware you exist?
• Actively considering your brand and its products?
• A brand new customer?
• A stable/happy customer?
• A potential leaver/lapsed customer?
• A customer who has lapsed/stopped buying?
What are they worth to your business -
now and in the future?
Do they have products they’re using? Does this give you a stream
of income? What services do they take? What else could they buy?
And what is their potential lifetime value?

5. A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING
What do they think of you?
You can take the temperature of your audience via customer
satisfaction surveys, Net Promoter Scores - or just plain old
ratings and reviews. But it’s vital to know what they think.
What drives their behaviours?
If you can work out their wants, needs and desires, then use that
to drive your messages. If you can go further and uncover their
intent, their motivations behind that intent and the likelihood of
them buying as a result, you’re well on your way to understanding
them. You should be able to get to the point of saying: ‘people
with these characteristics are likely to do ‘x’ next’. And then you
can work out – and this is key – how to delight them, every time
your brand’s in the room.
At some point, sketching portraits of your audience probably
means capturing some data. It’s absolutely necessary. But as
you build and store the data, make sure security is a priority.
You have legal duties to fulfil so make sure you know what they
are. Also be aware that identity theft is becoming more of an
issue among SMEs.
So, make sure your online security is robust and deters hacking.
But it’s not just your legal obligations. If you have a database and
use email for marketing, don’t fall foul of things like spam filters -
you could end up with more ‘unsubscribes’ than subscribers. It’s a
bit of a minefield. But there are lots of online guides to help.
And then, once you’re doing the basics well, our next tip is to
be brave and reach out to unhappy customers. If you can solve
their issues, you’ll take away big insights into your business.
And probably be able to improve it for everyone.
C U STO M E R

6. C O N T E N T
A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING

7. A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING
C O N T E N T
What is content?
It’s a big topic. Because really, it’s anything and everything
you use to communicate with that audience of yours.
So, we’re talking words, pictures, videos, polls, links, audio
and, indeed, many things you’ll think of that we’ve never
conceived of.
It’s vital stuff because it’s the content that creates the story.
And it’s the story that connects your customers to your
brand - and the desire to buy its goods and services.
And, we reckon, the smartest content plans combine all
of the following:
Original content.
This is the primary stuff you make. It needs to be engaging and
enjoyable - stories that are well structured with a strong narrative
flow. There’s lots of advice for how to do this online.
Atomised content.
Remember that everyone’s really busy. And no-one’s as interested in
your content as you are. So, be ‘word-smart’ – break that brilliantly
crafted narrative into smaller, easy-to-digest chunks. For instance,
if you’ve written a press release, cut it up into some tweets and
then rewrite it into a couple of short blogs. This also means you get
double (or even triple) use out of that lovely original stuff you’ve just
made. And if they like the tidbits, some of your audience will decide
to read the whole thing.
Curated content.
It’s not just you who’s writing about – and are interested in – your
general subject matter. If it’s cameras, homes - or even professional
services – there are people out there reading and writing about it
all the time. And, as you’re an expert on this subject matter, make
the most of it. It’s time to piggyback off of other people’s hard work.
How? Pick out all the interesting bits and pieces elsewhere that your
audience might enjoy. Then tweet, email or blog the links out.
This will help you tell more complex stories and get you greater
customer engagement.

8. A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING
C O N T E N T
Content also has a big role to play in your search strategy. If you can
keep on top of what people are searching for – the hot keywords –
and then provide great content around them, you’ll be doing good
things for your Google rankings too.
So, make sure your content is sprinkled with those keywords. But
remember: Google algorithms are constantly in flux, which forces
sites to adapt and refresh their content. To the content marketer this
isn’t, in fact, a nuisance. It really is an opportunity to provide new,
relevant content to your potential customers. If you get in before
your competitors do.
But, on the flipside, don’t get carried away or think about taking
shortcuts.
Over-zealous use of keywords to promote content could be
misinterpreted as ‘Black Hat’ tactics.
This is what search engine professionals call strategies that focus on
‘tricking’ search engines. Black Hats try to do this by paying for links
on sites that are only there for that purpose – link farms. Or they
post spam comments, duplicate content and engage in keyword
‘stuffing’.
These are banned from Google and will quickly earn you a penalty,
which might include your site being excluded from search results.
And these bans can last for a significant time.
So make great content. Repurpose it. Promote it.
But don’t over-promote.

9. C O N V E R S I O N
A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING

10. A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING
C O N V E R S I O N
This is a very important measure of digital success. It’s the
rate at which you turn the people who come to your website
into paying customers.
By making sure your sales function is tuned to your
marketing, you’ll maximise the ROI. How? Well, get straight
to the point. And be ruthless in making that sale. Here are
some thoughts that could help guide you to improve your
conversion rate:
Set Goals.
Be clear on your sales volumes, visitor numbers and conversion objectives.
Then make sure you have the ability to measure progress against
them. It’s not only fine – it’s very necessary – to obsess over your ROI.
Be Clear.
Ensure that calls to action, the things you want people to do next, are
utterly unambiguous. If your audience doesn’t know what the next
step is, they simply can’t progress down your nicely-constructed sales
path. A wise man of website usability, Steve Krug, had a mantra:
“Don’t make me think”. It’s still as valid as ever, 16 years later.
Test, test, test. Then test some more.
A/B and multivariate testing are great tools to help to optimise a
conversion path. Once you’ve run some initial tests, don’t stop there.
Create a full Conversion Rate Optimisation programme. But the main
thing is to get into the habit of frequent (if not constant) testing.
Prioritise.
Focus on the highest value or most impactful elements first. That’s
where the best returns lie. Not everything about your digital presence is
going to be “great” – sometimes “good enough” is fine. Not even Amazon
is perfect. So they still test and prioritise their optimisation programme.
There are also some common bloopers that can be avoided. For
instance, resist the temptation to over-egg the pudding. Lots of
businesses want to provide as much information about their products as
possible. But all those words get in the way of your users taking actions
– the very things that earn you cash. So, stick to the main benefits of
your products – especially the things that make them special.
And don’t sit on your laurels. Like everything else in digital, what
works today may be obsolete in a year’s time. So there’s no
substitute for keeping up with what’s going on.

11. C O N T E X T
A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING

12. A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING
C O N T E X T
This is about following and appreciating what’s going on
in your customers’ world. If you understand them, you can
keep your messages relevant. Without the right context, the
most well-crafted story can quickly become meaningless.
How do you stay relevant?
Think about the whole package.
Is your subject matter something that concerns or interests them?
Don’t forget that the way you format your content - and channels
you use to deliver it – also affects how relevant it is. The medium
is indeed the message. Or, put another way, there’s no point
Snapchatting people in retirement homes (although, of course,
there’s always exceptions).
Personalise your content.
Target and tailor your content based on what you know about
someone and how they behave. If you make things personal, your
customer will be glad you’ve recognised them and it’ll feel like you’re
tuned in to their personality. So, as they would be with a human
being, they’ll be more likely to engage. Just don’t be overly familiar.
Be empathetic.
Seek to understand the customer’s world, their emotional needs and
their task goals. If you can deliver against these, you’ve cracked it.

13. C O M M U N I T Y
A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING

14. A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING
C O M M U N I T Y
Harness the power of your customers by creating advocates
– brand fans that really like what you do. And are prepared
to tell others. Encourage them to reach out to each other
and their own networks.
Great businesses do this all the time. But it’s not easy.
Community has a number of facets.
Social marketing.
Being present in digital spaces that feel personal and are trusted
by your audience, like Facebook, can be very powerful. It can
do wonders for building awareness and consideration. However
tolerance levels for errors are very low. And you need to be there
with consent.
Advocacy.
People buy from people, especially people they know, so it’s
worth investing in word of mouth. Simple mechanics like referrals,
customer ratings, reviews, and customer success stories can add to
a business’s sense of community. It’s very reassuring to know others
have bought from you and had a great experience.
Personality.
Being part of a community means that other members of the
community will judge your organisation or brand. If your brand was
a person, how would you want it to be perceived? What attributes
would it have? Why would the community want to hang out with it?
You need to bring personality to the table. But your persona must
reflect the type of business you’re in. Find topics that are trending
and incorporate them into your posts, but remember who you are.
If Great British Bake Off is trending and you’re a law firm, can you
really say anything relevant? Bandwagon-hopping isn’t going to win
you many fans.
Know when to be responsive.
Respond to people as quickly as possible and recognise those who
give you good reviews. When you get negative feedback, respond
quickly to remedy the situation. Except when dealing with trolls.
Ignore anyone who goes beyond what’s relevant and reasonable.
Because they’ll do almost anything to keep insulting you. Here’s a
key maxim to remember: Don’t feed the trolls.

15. C O N V E N I E N C E
A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING

16. A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING
C O N V E N I E N C E
Whatever it is you do, convenience needs to be a big part of it. Especially
online - you’re not there to explain something when someone gets the
wrong idea.
So, back to Steve Krug – don’t make me think! Don’t make your audience
work to understand your messages, or find what is needed to make a
purchase. We’d go as far as saying that convenience is the secret sauce of
digital. Designing stuff from the ground-up to be easy - and even enjoyable -
always pays big dividends. Just ask investors in Apple.
If you’re bought into the idea of convenience, then try and keep
these things in mind:
Keep it simple.
It’s easy to make something complex. Making the complex simple is often, very,
very hard. But that’s a big part of why customers choose you. You offer them a
simple way of meeting their needs.
Don’t make them come to you.
Create services that take your propositions to where the customers already are.
If that means being part of someone else’s website - or a networking platform
– be present right there.
Be channel agnostic.
Allow customers to choose which channels and devices they use to interact with
you. If you don’t make the effort, they certainly won’t.
Find friction, then remove it.
Why do customers leave the website journey or sales path you’re trying to create?
Find out and then test solutions that remove the friction. You might be surprised at
how little friction needs to be present to turn people off.
Convenience lies behind so much in digital it’s difficult to overstate. For instance,
the online phenomenon that is Black Friday is a story about convenience.
For the first time in 2015, Black Friday online sales rivalled those of brick and mortar
retailers. This was mostly because US consumers didn’t want to fight for deals. It’s
far more convenient to shop from the comfort and warmth of your own home.

17. C O H E S I O N
A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING

18. A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING
C O H E S I O N
You may be using lots of channels, but you must always
appear to be having just one conversation.
Many organisations communicate as though they’ve
forgotten what they just said. You may be talking about
A via email, while promoting B on Twitter. Meanwhile,
the customer really wants to talk about C.
Cohesion, having a holistic and joined-up approach,
prevents poor performance in delivering a customer
experience.
Build a joined-up view of your customers.
Achieving a single view of the customer is difficult, especially when
customers are changing their device of choice all the time. But a joined-
up view is less rigid and can be overlaid across multiple data silos.
Create a hierarchy.
Organise your stories and desired outcomes and then present them in an
order that supports value for your business and customer needs. Do this
across all channels and touchpoints so you have one conversation with
every customer.
Be consistent.
Choose a style and approach and stick to it. That’s the only way you’ll
ever become famous for what you do.
Find a way to plot the journeys.
Attribution models are all the rage, for a reason. They connect the dots
between how your emails, social, blogs, display ads and Adwords have all
contributed to digital success. And by doing so provide valuable insight on
the path that a customer has taken to get to the point of conversion. The
last touchpoint is no longer considered the point of sale.

19. A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING
T H E L AST WO R D
So that’s it! I hope there’s something in there you’ve picked
out that might help you today. But also that it’s given you
a way of holding the big picture of digital marketing in
your head.
Each of the 7 Cs we’ve covered has entire bodies of science – and
artistic interpretation of it – standing behind it. So this could be no
more than a basic introduction. But you don’t need to be an expert,
or understand it all, to get started.
If this paper makes sense to you – and you think you can work
with some of the ideas – you’re ready to get going. Just add more
expertise - by researching it yourself, recruiting others into your
business or employing experts from outside – to expand your digital
marketing and improve your effectiveness.
There really is an annual £92bn uplift available from better
deployment of digital technologies. Far from all of it is marketing-
related. But it’s a great place to start and I wish you all the very
best on your journey.
Here’s to more #VOOM for all of us. So, do feel free to distribute
this paper to anyone else you think might like it.

20. T H A N K YO U
A GUIDE TO THE 7 Cs
OF DIGITAL MARKETING