Listen to this articleVertic is currently helping leading B2B brands such as GE, ROCKWOOL, SAP and others in their digital transition, and one thing they have noticed is making an enormous difference on their digital properties, and that is the search functionality. They might spend a lot of time on social channels consuming content, but their decision or information journey always starts on google, in fact 70% of B2B decision makers start their journey on google. From this stand point, they have developed a methodology on how the .com can lead the way for the digital transformation journey.
Below is our interview with Sebastian Jespersen, CEO at Vertic:
Q: Digital Transformation is a hot topic today, especially in the B2B world. What would you say are the requirements for a company’s digital transformation?
A: At Vertic we believe that digital transformation should not be viewed as a destination, but rather a path. In fact, we don’t talk much about Digital Transformation, but rather discuss digital transition with our clients. One of the largest, and properly most important, digitally marcom digital projects is the dot.com environment. It’s imperative for any digital transition to get this project right. At Vertic we believe that the dot COM should be the spine of a company / brand’s digital presence. This is where your customers, potentially employees, investors and other important stakeholders most likely will find and research you.
Recommended: Q: Tell us a little more about that methodology, or your secret recipe for a world class .com, knowing you have created websites for the world’s largest companies, most recently the new GE.com and Ariba.com?
A: There are fundamental differences that are shaping today’s. COMs. We see five key parameters that are shaping this transformation of the corporate website; it starts with search as mentioned before, the alignment to the customer decision journey, the content ensuring it is relevant to the user, brand storytelling explaining the purpose and mission of the brand, and finally personalization of the .com. Vertic has applied these parameters to all the .coms we have created and the ones in the works, through three main proprietary frameworks from strategy to design and technology.
In general, our methodology for a successful .com, especially in the B2B landscape is to ensure the user reaches their desired information in the shortest time possible to shorten the decision journey and ultimately sales cycle.
This is achieved through two methods first inserting an intelligent search functionality allowing the user to start their journey on the site just like we all do on google. Customers don’t always know the solution or the product but they always know their need or pain, and by giving them an intelligent search functionality that understands their intent and semantic, you have higher probably of retaining them. The second part is transforming the site from a linear experience to a circular one that keeps relevant content on-going throughout the decision journey.
An example that applies this strategy is Amazon, where you never reach a dead end but are always presented with relevant content pieces. We have applied this approach with GE and SAP Ariba, and it has proven to significantly reduce bounce rates and increase conversion. Without relevant content to show to users, bounce rates will only increase and cause customers to use other outlets for information, products and services. A .com needs to have a role in meaningful experiences and position the brand within zero degrees of separation to its customers. This will demonstrate the brand’s need to have a one-with-one customer relationship and help both sides mutually benefit from their willingness to work together.
Too many marketers today are focusing on the short-term gains, on a temporary and transactional relationship with the customer, but that does not last. If a customer does not understand the who the brand really is, or what is their purpose for existence, they will only perceive the brand as disposable fulfilling an immediate need only. In fact, a recent study by Havas showed that most people don’t care if 74% of brands no longer existed, showing that customers are not finding meaning in most brands.
Q: We know that Vertic is in the mid of a digital transformation initiative with ROCKWOOL; the world leader in sustainable insulation. Could you tell us something more about this partnership and what it entails?
A: Vertic’s vision is to empower ROCKWOOL and help it manifest its ambition as an industry leader through digitally transforming how ROCKWOOL engages with its customers. This is done through several phases, with the first one creating a digital universe that enables the ROCKWOOL to be positioned as a premium brand. This optimizes how the company interacts with customers and key stakeholders through digital properties, given that these properties are the most efficient and measurable way to drive business.
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Q: So, you are kicking of the initiative with a new .com for ROCKWOOL, tell us a little about it and what will differentiate it from other websites?
A: The ambition for the new digital ROCKWOOL presence is to create zero degrees of separation between ROCKWOOL and its customers while showcasing the ability to utilize a holistic digital ecosystem in the decision journey. This is achieved by featuring highly customized, relevant and contextualized content at the right place and time based on a deep understanding of ROCKWOOL’s customer needs. Combined with an intuitive, simple, and modern design, this will enable ROCKWOOL to communicate a compelling brand story of its own heritage. Through the integration of cutting-edge technology including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, intelligent search, pattern recognition and natural language processing, ROCKWOOL will transform into the platform necessary for a best-in-class digital infrastructure.
This new digital universe will consist of multiple web properties. The first one will be ROCKWOOL group, which is where ROCKWOOL will engage with its surrounding world of customers, prospects and stakeholders by providing them relevant personalized information across their digital journey. Vertic leverages a proprietary strategy framework called ‘Digital IQ’, where we inform the entire digital experience across the ROCKWOOL digital ecosystem with relevant content that corresponds with key insights and needs per the customer decision journey. The core differentiator for the new digital ROCKWOOL group is the hyper personalization and providing a highly relevant experience based on a deep understanding of customer insights, informing the platform’s intelligence powered by AI and machine learning.
Key features will include Intelligent Search and a Chatbot, that will be powered by AI and machine learning and designed to learn and improve over time. Through this advanced technology, the search feature will be able to present highly relevant and contextualized content inciting the users to the next phase of their journey while proactively recommending relevant content based on needs and key questions. To compliment the search experience, a Chatbot will determine users’ search intent and provide them with relevant and engaging content specific to where they are in their decision journey. When married, these two technologies will dramatically improve user experience, and create a strategic business asset to ensure customers’ needs are met with the right content, at the right place and time while creating tangible business impact.
Q: What can we expect from you in the next four months?
A: We have one objective at Vertic, to make marketing relevant again, and be the driving force for the growth of any business. Vertic will soon be launching a dot com index where we have evaluated leading dot.com sites. Building on this, we have a new book coming out, titled ‘Share of Life™’, as an extension of Entangled Marketing, co-authored with Stan Rapp. The Battle for Share of Life™ rethinks the very nature of business activity in an entirely new post-digital environment. The concept presents a new set of imperatives for dealing with this life-changing moment and guides brands on how to embed themselves into the customer’s new mode of existence. You can visit Shareoflife.com and download an exhibit of the book.
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