As a professional or future marketing professional, you should know the 4Fs of Digital Marketing, but don't worry if you are not familiar with them, because in this post we explain them to you.
We live in an era of constant change, and in the internet world this evolution is very noticeable. That is why it is important, and necessary, to redefine the bases of a digital marketing strategy to meet the new objectives that are appearing.
It is all these changes that have made us move from the 4Ps of traditional marketing (product, price, point of sale and promotion), because in the digital environment they were no longer sufficient, to give way to the 4Fs of digital marketing (Flow, functionality, feedback, loyalty). Read on to go in depth into each of them.
But first, what is digital marketing?
Surely if you are here you already have a slight idea, or you know it perfectly, but it never hurts to do a little review. Digital marketing, or online, are all those actions and advertising and commercial strategies that are carried out on the internet. Since the emergence of the internet, new techniques have been applied to move the offline marketing to the digital universe.
Thanks to new technologies it is possible to create more personalised products and services for the customer. Nowadays, user experience is a fundamental part of your marketing strategy, because if your customer does not get a positive response from you, they will not come back. You have to differentiate yourself from the rest and offer value to your customers.
All these technologies, not only the internet, but also smartphones, social networks, new ways of communicating, etc., mean that you have to look for new formulas and redefine marketing techniques.
The 4Fs of digital marketing
Now that we have the context of what digital marketing is and why it has evolved, it is time to focus on the main topic, what are the 4Fs of digital marketing and what does each one of them mean?
- Flow: This would be the first step to take into account in this marketing strategy, it is about the added value that your website offers to any user that visits you to get their attention and make them decide to stay on it.
Here it is very important to know your ideal customer, buyer persona, as this is the audience you want to attract and keep. But how do we do this? In this phase it is very important creativity, the quality of your website and content. Remember that your content should always be relevant, include the right keywords, be consistent and orderly, so that your users like it. In short, give a good multiplatform experience with an interactive and simple website while a message that brings them value. The consequence of doing this step well is the increase in traffic and conversions.
- Functionality: In this phase we focus on the design of your website, where we look for the easy, intuitive and pleasant navigation that your user will experience.
It is clear that nobody likes to navigate through a page that is messy and complicated to understand. This is something that frustrates us and makes us abandon the website in just a few minutes. In this step is where we apply the normal KISS, "Keep it simple, stupid", that is, keep your page simple and clear, eliminate what is not necessary and avoid overloading it.
Don't forget your buyer persona, as you are targeting them, don't think about how you like them, always keep them in mind, because it is not the same to have a millennial target, than a page aimed at people between 40-50 years old.
- Feedback: We enter the phase where you connect with your audience. This is the moment for your brand to connect with your customer through dialogue and interactions. In short, the conversation that is generated between the brand and the customer.
There are different techniques and tools to talk and interact with your audience. The most common are the use of chatbots, where we have previously thought of the most frequently asked questions and answered them, providing contact forms, adding an email or contact phone number, and even a direct link for a direct conversation via whatsapp or telegram.
Feedback is fundamental within the digital marketing strategy because the relationship with your customer is the key to success. Nowadays, building a loyal community to your brand is essential, you have to make them feel heard and important. This step will help you to improve your brand image and reputation.
- Loyalty: The last step of the 4F's of digital marketing. Here there is no doubt, the aim is to get the loyalty of your users to turn them into loyal customers to your brand.
You have done everything up to this point, creating an attractive website for your customer, you have a good relationship with them, your content has value, now you just need to translate this into more visits and revenue.
Once your users become customers after having made a purchase or action, do not let them go, it is time to act. It is in this last part where our actions come in to retain them. An easy example would be an email marketing campaign, where you send a welcome email, send them unique promotions with their tastes or with exclusive material to show them that they are special. It is key that you maintain a good relationship, do not lose their trust, and do this through interesting content for them. Also, do not forget that maintaining a contact is cheaper than trying to win new ones.
You have been able to see throughout this post that the 4Fs of digital marketing are fundamental factors for the creation of your perfect marketing strategies. Following the 4 steps, and applying them correctly, will make your strategy come out perfectly. As always we remind you that at the beginning so much information can saturate, but patience, if your content is of quality, you update it, optimise it correctly (do not forget SEO) and your website is designed for your client, you will do well. We hope you have enjoyed reading this post and it has helped you in your digital marketing strategy.
