New channels and trends get the attention while these marketing fundamentals get the business-critical engagement.
“Success comes from standing out, not fitting in,” said Don Draper on the popular TV series Mad Men. Yes, effective marketing content must be outstanding, but the tactics used by a company to distribute it should adhere to the tried and true formula: know your audience, pick the right time and place, and then deliver value to that audience.
No matter which area of communications, it’s critical to know one’s audience. Otherwise, the goal of connecting with people is very difficult to reach.
Writing in Inc., Amy Balliett relays important stats with regard to marketing content: four out of every five customers expect a personalized experience from brands while nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of them are annoyed with companies that convey generic marketing messaging. Given that 42 percent of marketers still don’t segment their audiences and only 4 percent of those that do rely on more than one data source to inform this important subgrouping tactic, a smart marketing company or team can really achieve some competitive separation on this step alone.
“Rather than jump on the next big trend in content, step back and carefully evaluate your audience,” Balliett advises. “Marketers that deliver the right message to the right consumer see an average five to eight times increase in ROI on marketing spend and a 10 percent increase in sales. It takes insights to see that kind of kickback!”
Right Time & Place
Customers’ attention spans are not getting any longer. In the social media era, there’s so much content out there that 32 percent of folks are feeling overwhelmed. Some marketers have responded with high content volume themselves, which on one hand enables more entry points to their brands, but on the other hand, adds to the swamp effect.
“Great marketers don't simply deliver content based on a preset publishing calendar, they instead identify the times their audience is the most approachable and build from there,” asserts Balliett.
Where to connect with a brand’s audience is just as important as when, but again volume is a challenge. There are so many new channels and trends out there. Is it the best use of your marketing spend to overextend by trying to ride the next wave and capitalize on, as Balliett says, the next Twitter? Marketers should do their homework and figure out where their audience segments spend most of their time.
“You'll see far more success connecting with 100 attentive people than you would trying to get the attention of 1,000 disengaged individuals across disparate venues,” Balliett adds.
Value Creation
It’s not enough for your marketing content to be timely and on target. It also must deliver value to the audience.
Balliett, who shares that 42 percent of marketers view creating content that appeals to different segments of customers to be the biggest challenge, provides an example from LinkedIn. An audience segment that is found to regularly visit a certain LinkedIn Group would find value in the compilation of group quotes made into a handy eBook of tips.
“In a business world where marketers increasingly find it more difficult to capture the attention of their core audience, all the while being asked to do more with less, let’s recommit to the core marketing fundamentals,” said Amy Norton, infinitee’s Director of Strategy & Accounts. “And never forget that you have expert help to rely on — with more than 34 years of branding experience.”
