For more than 50 years, Danish toymaker Lego A/S has been producing the same exact toys, made from the same exact materials, that kids (and adults!) all over the world will recognize. While there have been some notable developments in Lego sets over the years to reflect pop culture trends, the fundamental style of the classic Lego hasn’t changed since 1963.
The Wall Street Journal has recently reported in its July 12, 2015 article “Lego Tries to Build a Better Brick” that the company has decided to revamp and redesign this beloved toy in order to reduce the company’s carbon footprint; the plastic currently used in the bricks is petroleum-based.
The catch here is that Lego wants to create new bricks that look and feel so much like the original Lego bricks that consumers won’t be able to tell the difference. The entire development process is estimated to take a whopping 15 years, but Lego says that the time and energy invested into new bricks will be worth it.
So how does any of this relate to digital marketing and search engine optimization? Actually, there are a few interesting lessons that any small business — or even a big internet marketing company — can learn from Lego’s plan:
Be patient. One of the biggest concerns that businesses have with SEO digital marketing is that it doesn’t produce immediate results. Remember that it typically takes at least three months to see results with SEO, and this time is worth it in the long run.
Create a brand, and use it to your advantage. Consistency isn’t synonymous with confining. Just like Lego used the same blueprints for each Lego brick while it developed a multitude of new playsets and new themes, your digital marketing campaign should hold onto your business’s brand but be flexible enough to represent your interests and concerns in a way that appeals to your target audience.
Listen to your customers. Lego didn’t bother changing its bricks because people liked the affordability, but when consumers started expressing concerns over environmental issues, Lego listened and responded. The same goes with your digital marketing campaign — and with mobile optimization in particular. Surveys show that four out of five smartphone users shop on their phones, 48% of internet users will leave a website if it isn’t optimized for mobile devices, and content videos garner about 50 billion views per week because consumers like visual information. Moral of the story? Work with a team of experienced web designers and create a good website that’s mobile-optimized.
And perhaps the most important lesson of all is this: your digital marketing optimization is supposed to be fun and engaging — so make sure you have some fun while creating it!