Abandon Traditional Marketing and Embrace Digital to Fast-Track Your Success - The European Business Review

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Digital influencer Vladimer Botsvadze gives his assessment of the emerging trends in the sphere of marketing, notably AI, blockchain and low-code, and offers advice to marketers on how best to grasp the opportunities that these trends represent. He also shares some inspiring quotations!

It’s always a pleasure to have you onboard, Mr Botsvadze. Your expertise in digital marketing, social media, branding, content marketing, and product launch consulting has led you to work with huge brands and companies. How do you develop an exceptional and creative strategy to ensure the uniqueness of each brand company?

I have established a powerful reputation in the world of brand building. I have a real passion for technology, having consistently built my Twitter for 10 years and accumulated a strong track record of performing at global events, such as Digital Talk Forum, Asia Retail Summit, Global Marketing Summit, etc. I’m a highly in-demand keynote speaker, inspiring audiences with the latest trends in technology. My dedication to building Twitter has put me at the forefront of innovation as to how social media plays a key role in building businesses worldwide.

I have played an instrumental role in the market domination of my personal brand and established a world-class reputation for always bringing innovation to the table with every project. Having been named the No. 1 Global Marketing Influencer by Thinkers360, I’m well positioned to speak on marketing and digital transformation. I’m guaranteed to hold the attention of all those fortunate enough to hear my voice. I influence to strive towards building a side hustle and abandon the stereotypical 9-5 day job. A motivational figure, I’ve gone from 0 followers to 130,000 in 6 years by consistently working 16 hours a day. I help high performers to achieve business goals. I’m sought after by high-profile clients across the globe, offering advice on various aspects of marketing and the future of digital transformation.

I’m a highly experienced thought leader whose advice is highly regarded. I’ve worked across four continents showing top brands how to change their approach to marketing. As an extensively experienced marketing thought leader, I’ve led a number of top businesses to success. With a CV full of roles from global keynote speaker to advisory board member, I possess game-changing experience that transforms brands and builds businesses. I have helped a myriad of CEOs and business leaders to achieve their full potential. Reaching 40 million people throughout my career as an influencer, my expertise is unparalleled to industry professionals. Recognised as “a social media expert” by Forbes, I’ve had a tremendous impact on the business and technology sector, always driven to offer game-changing strategies which transform brands for long-term success. Having been named among the Top 25 Digital Transformation Influencers by Sparity, I’m now booked as a speaker for conferences. When looking for a speaker with the best expertise in top-level technology, I’m a remarkable choice.

I’m a bona fide audience-centric marketing storyteller and my strategies depend on creativity in sending the right message to the right audience at the right time. I believe in social media, because you can build powerful brand awareness at no cost and reach billions of people. I’m always focused on driving business results for enterprises. I’m cognisant of social media channels where consumers are spending most of their time and building future-proof strategies that delight consumers. I approach marketing with practicality. Continuing my dominance in the marketing world, I’ve joined the judging panel of Digital Revolution Awards and judged the nominations Tech Star of the Year and Outstanding Contribution to the Microsoft Ecosystem. I’ve driven the growth of numerous start-ups and inspired the business leaders of tomorrow.

With my first-hand experience in the entire spectrum of marketing development, my keynotes have been delivered to business schools, corporations, global summits, and accelerators. Recognised for my defining career in social media, continually providing my expertise is relevant, I have acted as an Advisory Board Member for RETHINK Retail. My name is one of the biggest names in global marketing. A self-made success, I’ve devoted my life to inspiring others to build strong brands through practical strategies. Responsible for brands’ continued success, I’ve implemented a future-proof strategy with decades spent on building my brand.

What are the emerging trends marketers should watch out for in the coming year and how they can establish an appropriate framework for this development?

The technology trends allow marketers to stay ahead of the competition, meet customer needs more efficiently, boost profits, achieve greater transparency and build customer loyalty. Enterprises depend on digital solutions. Businesses will look to benefit from technology as more consumers purchase online. It’s predicted that 65 per cent of application development will be low-code by 2024. AI will accelerate further with the rise of automation and an increase in businesses’ digital adoption. AI is due to have a lot more applicability beyond gaming and is implemented more than virtual reality. Hyper-automation will cut operational costs by 30 per cent by 2024. Blockchain is at the heart of digital transformation, driving innovative solutions for cryptocurrencies and several aspects of secure online transactions. RPA provides automation solutions.

What is your view on the role of the traditional marketing industry? Do you think that traditional marketing industry should be worried about digital marketing trends?

Nowadays, a digital marketing plan is the best way for businesses interested in reaching a large audience and growing the bottom line. Digital provides value to the client, creating loyalty to the brand. Blogging educates the client, so they can buy in the future. Traditional marketing holds attention for a short time, and tends to be expensive. We live in a digitally dominated world, so traditional marketing can often be overlooked, whereas digital marketing is an online strategy that uses digital channels to promote a product or service. Engaging with the target audience is done via the internet. Digital marketing promotes two-way communication and helps to satisfy the customer and makes the customer feel that they are being listened to and served. Marketing is a constantly changing industry. Technology is changing faster than most brands can incorporate it into their marketing strategy. The best way to succeed is to abandon traditional marketing and embrace digital marketing to fast-track your success for the best-possible results.

How do you decide which type of marketing is the best fit for specific brands and companies and how could this “make or break” a campaign?

Before I take action, I consider the followings the buyer persona for a product or service, market niche, trends in my area of expertise, what competitors have been doing, the results to expect, the investment I’m willing to make, and the metric and results of each strategy. I keep my customers by offering personalised customer experiences, recognising them, assisting them across various channels, asking customers to leave feedback, choosing the right customer service tools, introducing loyalty programmes, reminding myself that quality is more important than speed, and taking advantage of social proof. The majority of clients would recommend a company to others after a positive experience and customers are retained through robust, omnichannel customer engagement.

What are some of your favourite marketing campaigns and favourite quotes about marketing?

“Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” – Nike

“Is this thing on?” – Twitter on digital billboards throughout Times Square

“The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well, the product or service fits them and sells itself.” – Peter Drucker

“The best advertising is done by satisfied customers.” – Philip Kotler

“If you double experiments you do per year, you are going to double your inventiveness.” – Jeff Bezos

As a globally renowned, award-winning digital marketing influencer, leading social media strategist, keynote speaker, professor, consultant, trainer, coach and mentor, what tips can you give established and aspiring marketers to navigate the ongoing digital transformation?

Never stop learning, keep on exploring different areas of marketing, tweet actively, practise because it’s true that practice makes perfect, and always look for ways to stand out.

What is your advice for start-up businesses to pivot the post-pandemic world from a marketing perspective?

Research your target market from stem to stern, getting your first customer loyalty is imperative, create content at scale across 8-10 social media networks, network with your colleagues online and offline, and focus on customer experience. Last but not least, find a mentor to help put you on a path to success. Go to top

Vladimer Botsvadze is a globally-renowned, multi-award-winning, digital transformation and social media influencer, Fortune 500 consultant, thought leader, futurist, professor, keynote speaker, startup advisor, C-suite mentor, and media personality, who has always been at the forefront of fast-paced industries. He has more than 15 years of international experience in marketing and innovation with a proven track record guiding executives and top brands worldwide to initiate change, drive growth, and position brands as market leaders in their industries. Vladimer has enjoyed an outstanding career at the top of the technology industry and is recognized as one of the brightest minds in digital transformation. With such a world-class career, he continues to play a pivotal role in maximizing top brands’ success. He has been described as ”the world’s best digital marketing consultant and speaker” and ”one step ahead of the rest of the world” by his global clients.