5Ss of Digital Marketing - Sell | Serve | Speak | Save | Sizzle.

The 5S of Digital Marketing is a simple framework developed by Chaffey and Smith (2000) to review and define the top-level goals of a digital marketing organisation.

Below are the 5s of the digital marketing strategy to help the business to develop a good digital strategy.

Sell

The ultimate goal of any organisation is to gain profit, and the source of advantage is from sales of the product/service. We are going to digital means taking the products and services online as well. We need to build a strategy with detailed plans on how we are going to sell the product online. A digital marketing strategy to support online sales can increase the total volume of sales, as the leads generated from online presence will turn into potential customers, who will turn into actual customers, whom you will be serving and retaining.

Serve

The website and social channels are the places that people gravitate towards to connect with companies and seek help, so they exist to serve and add value to the audience. For those operating in the commercial space, the website is all about enabling customers to find product/service and relevant information to make their purchase quickly and easily. In the most basic sense membership organisations exist to serve a community by providing a straightforward joining process which provides access to the values of membership. Having a content strategy is really key.

Speak

When we talk about a brand, that term is no longer reserved for its logo or trademark, it encompasses everything that determines the personality of an organisation, it’s how it thinks, how it communicates, how it behaves and how it is perceived. Brand and personality are ‘always on’ entities, especially in the realms of digital marketing. We no longer determine our ‘business hours’. Our digital presence makes our organisation accessible 24/7 to those we exist to serve and seek to connect with. We don’t determine how or when they connect with us, but we can ensure that our brand personality is present in the conversation, however and wherever they want to communicate and interact. Communication is key to the success of any relationship.

Save

Within the ‘Save’ element of the 5Ss, is the notion of being able to reduce organisational overheads through the use of specific technology efficiently. This phase is less attractive compared to other elements such as “sizzle” but is one that is of extreme importance, especially to service or multi-channel retailer websites. There are many ways of using the internet can save on overall company costs. For instance, switching from printed newspapers to online versions, or getting rid of direct mail and opting for email marketing.

Sizzle

Last but not least is the ability as a business to improve the online user experience online. This strengthens the brands and leads to increased business via referrals. Chaffey and Smith’s model of 5s in digital marketing can be a great framework to attract and retain customers online. So we need to listen to the clients' needs and provide an always-on, interactive and easy-to-use service.



References:
Dave Chaffey (2019) 5s Goals of Digital Marketing, Available at: https://www.davechaffey.com/digital-marketing-glossary/5s-goals-of-digital-marketing/ (Accessed: 11th May 2020).

NetXtra (2018) 5Ss of Digital Marketing, Available at: https://www.netxtra.net/insights/5ss-of-digital-marketing (Accessed: 11th May 2020).

James Prideaux (2020) IMPLEMENTING THE 5SS INTO YOUR DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGY, Available at: https://www.mysocialagency.com/implementing-5s-digital-marketing-strategy/ (Accessed: 11th May 2020).