“More than 60% of customers interact through multiple channels, and irrespective of time, place, device, or medium, they expect consistency” (Deloitte Digital). There are two types of brand engagement: internal and external. External is what we will be talking about here between the brand and customers. Brands can engage with their audience in a variety of ways today more than ever. Social media, email marketing, digital advertising, live events, etc. That being said, there is a difference between brand engagement and customer engagement. Brand engagement is focused on pulling consumers to the business whereas customer engagement pushes people toward actions towards a purchase. Brand engagement tends to be on a larger scale than customer engagement as well. Here are strategies to increase customer engagement for your brand.
Good CTA’s That Will Increase Clicks
CTA’s are an amazing way to get your audience engaged. Whether on your website, social media, or email marketing, your brand will want to use blunt, relatable, bold, subtle but efficient CTA's that use psychology, funny, and/or are different. Which type you choose will depend on the marketing campaign's goal. CTA’s can take a few different forms. They can be buttons, submission forms, banners, links, pop-ups, and/or slide-ins. When you’re creating your CTA marketing it’s important to know the goals. Think about these questions:
Ben Franklin Effect on Advertising
Locomotive is now based out of Philadelphia, so what more appropriate topic than the Ben Franklin effect in our home city of the founding father? Otherwise known as the cognitive dissonance theory, the Ben Franklin effect is a phenomenon when asking someone to do you a favor can make them like you more. The idea is that because that person does you a favor they are more likely to be convinced that the person is likable. Here’s how the process works inside our brains:
Foot in the Door Method
This method seems a little scary because it was used in brainwashing techniques in 1940s Nazi Germany propaganda. The idea is that if someone will comply with a small request then they are likely to comply with a larger request later. Obviously, not all foot-in-the-door methods are unethical. The famous test was conducted by Jonathan Freedman and Scott Fraser when they went to homeowners in Palo Alto asking them if they would put up a large sign in their yards that said, “Drive Carefully.” Only 17% said yes. The second group was asked to place a small 3” sign in their windows advocating safe driving. They almost all agreed. Then, after two weeks that second group was asked to put up a large sign advocating safe driving and 76% of them said yes. This was proof that this method does, in fact, work. At the core of this method is the principle of commitment and consistency which serves as the customer’s first action. This sets the precedent for their behavior and attitude toward the brand. They almost feel obligated to complete a second task asked of them by the brand since they’ve already committed to them. In order for this to work in marketing the first action must bevoluntary! If the first action is public, personal, or expensive, the more likely they will commit to a second action. Here are some ways to invest in the foot-in-the-door method.
The Endowment Effect on Marketing/Advertising
The endowment effect is a byproduct of loss aversion. It states that once people own something they have established the property right that they now own it. Now that they feel it is there it automatically has more value to that person. Think about when stocks fall and shareholders hold on to their shares for too long because they’re afraid of losing money. They inevitably lose in the end in this situation. The point here is that it’s the cognitive bias that creates the endowment effect, making them value their shares and hold them for too long when the smart thing to do would be to sell them off as soon as possible to minimize loss. An example of the endowment effect in marketing and advertising would be in the way of coupons or discounts. The shopper already feels that they own a part of the product and it increases their willingness to pay. Here are some other ways to use the endowment effect in your marketing strategy.
Technical Marketing
The devil is in the details…. That’s exactly what technical marketing is all about. It focuses on the specifications features of a product and/or service. It comes in useful for a number of industries but especially software, manufacturing, healthcare, and electronics. They can be marketing efforts in the way of instruction manuals, help articles, user manuals, etc. Technical marketing appeals to new customers who may not know about a certain product or service that you offer. Typically, advertising stays away from being overly explicit to appeal to people but technical marketing is the opposite so people will become interested and develop and interest in the product.
Creating a Marketing Strategy That Stands Out
We all know how to create a marketing strategy but with every brand out there doing the same things, how do you make your marketing stand out from all the rest? With advertising overload, it is very important to make your brand stand out. Every brand will start out with the same with usual 7 step guide to create their marketing strategy: 1. Build a marketing plan. 2. Create buyer personas. 3. Identify goals. 4. Select the right tools. 5. Review media. 6. Audit and plan. 7. Create it. Great! Now, you’ve got that same start as every other company out there. So now, let’s talk about some extra things that will help give you that extra push to be different in a sea of similarities.
Let’s Get Visual: Importance of Visual Hierarchy in Advertising
The eyes are the window into the soul! But, how do you reach your audience on a deep level through visual mastery? Well, you can achieve this through using the selective arrangements of particular visual elements in a specific order of their importance. This is otherwise known as visual hierarchy. Elements are laid out logically and strategically to guide the viewer through their visual journey. Users tend to act very quickly to decide whether or not they want to stay and read or watch something or not. Their eyes will follow predictable reading paths that are culturally influenced. For example, westerners read left to right whereas Asian cultures will not. These patterns can be followed or broken in order to bring the reader’s attention to certain points on advertisements. You will want to put the most visual things first to make it stand out so they won't miss it. Here are the particular components that can be manipulated to grab the user’s attention:
Corporate Cannibalization
Hello Clarice…. Wait wrong type of cannibalism. Well, now that we have your attention let’s talk about the cannibalization effect in marketing. What is it? How does it work? Cannibalization is a loss in sales that is caused by an intro of a new product that in turn, displaces older ones. This can be done by one’s own company or a competitor. There are a few types of cannibalization: planned, through discounts, and through e-commerce.
Native Advertising
How do you know a native ad when you see one? There are a couple of tell-tale signs, such as a small icon in the top right corner, it’s marked as “suggested post,” or recommended for you. Native ads are paid advertisements that fit “natively” on the web page you’re on. They don’t look like traditional ads and typically don’t disrupt the user’s interaction on the page. They can also be in feed, search and promoted listing as well as content recommendations. There are some good benefits to using native ads instead of traditional.
Pros:
· Resonates without being intrusive
· Optimize targeting capabilities
· Captures audience’s attention
· They perform better: 5-10x higher CTR (Outbrain & CMI)
· High credibility
Native advertising can help build trust and drive more traffic to your website while fighting ad fatigue. Native ads increase purchase intent by 18%, according to Outbrain. However, that all being said, there are some cons to native ads. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
Cons:
· Hard to measure metrics
· Carries and element of deception if done improperly
· It’s labor intensive and time consuming
Digital spaces are a great place to find new audiences and reach the ones you may already have. Native advertising works great because they fit with the content that users are already interested in. This means that it is highly likely that they will be interested in reading about your product/service when they see the ad on the page. It’s a more organic interaction that takes place where they won’t feel like they’re being sold something. They’ll be more apt to engage if it doesn’t feel like a sale.
The Halo Effect
Marketing Mix Modeling
The purpose of marketing mix modeling is to understand how various marketing inputs are driving the business metrics of a product or service. A simple way to put this is what is working and what’s not? Otherwise known as MMM, it will determine how each marketing input is contributing to a sale. In turn, you will determine how much to spend on each aspect. There are incremental drivers and base drivers that promote marketing techniques.
Incremental: generated by marketing activities like TV, print ads, digital spends, discounts, social, etc.
ATL (above the line) marketing: non-targeted with a wide reach
BTL (below the line) marketing: specific, direct ads on targeted audience
TTL (through the line) marketing: mix of both
Competition
Halo effect
Cannibalization effect
**more on these last two in future articles**
Base drivers: reached without any ads. Equity over years being the driving factor
Price
Distribution
Seasonality
Macro-econ variables
There are a few reasons to implement MMM, some of which we mentioned already,
Efficient spending
Efficient execution of campaigns
Scenario tests
You can really go down the mix marketing rabbit hole online. There is a vast amount of knowledge out there on the topic that includes words like regression analysis and mathematical equations. We only wanted to touch the surface of the MMM waters in order to hopefully inform someone who didn’t know about it. Now it’s your turn to dive in.
Co-Branding
We’ve all heard of branding so what is co-branding? It’s just as it sounds really. It’s a marketing strategy in which two (or more) parties work together in order to increase visibility and profits while reducing costs. It has mutual benefits to both parties and typically between two brands that have interests that align. There is one difference here that makes it co-branding and not co-marketing and that is that the partnership is created in order to promote a new product or service. Co-marketing is a partnership between two parties where they promote existing services/products or a one off. So, why use co-branding? The benefits include those listed above as well as increasing customer base, perceived value, loyalty and creation of higher quality products/services. There are some distinct co-branding strategies.
No Mow May
What is “No Mow May?” This new monthly trend for the month of May this year is for the planet health. Although it started in 2019 in the UK, we’ve really only been hearing the term thrown around a lot this year. The idea is that people are allowing their lawns to grow without mowing, watering or fertilizing. Yes, your lawn may look a mess but it’s for a good cause. It helps bees get an early boost with flower growth. It’s estimated that roughly 80% of lawns taking part support about 400 bees per day.
Ways to Support AAPI Heritage Month 2023
Every May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Bet you didn’t know that it was originally a week and President Jimmy Carter was the one who designated it into law in 1978. In 1990 George Bush extended it to an entire month and in 2009 Obama changed the name to its current one. AAPI are the fastest growing group in the United States according to the Pew Research Center. Here are some ways to support the AAPI communities not just this month but all year long.
Content Intelligence
This is a new term being thrown around in the digital space but what is it exactly? It’s a technique that uses AI and software to measure the impact of content in order to give insights on what content should be used the most according to effectiveness. I mean, we do it all the time when we check the insights on Instagram from our posts. This is a human example of creating content intelligence. The beauty of using software & AI is that it streamlines the process for you. Typically, software includes metrics/reporting, analysis, automation and management tools for your brand content. Some benefits include:
The Sum of Averages: Become the Best Professional Version of Yourself
“You are the average of the top 5 people you spend time with”
-Jim Rohn
We’ve all heard this quote from motivational speaker, Jim Rohn, but how true is it really? We were curious about this so we did a dive into the research and this is what we found. As it turns out your social circle does directly affect you and the kind of life you have, professional and personally. However, it is not limited to the top five people that you spend the most time with. It extends further than that.
Mental Health Awareness Month 2023
Did you know that 21% of U.S. adults experienced a mental health condition in 2020? (Forbes) May is Mental Health Awareness Month so we thought it appropriate to support through writing on some ways to support mental health. First, and most importantly, talk openly about mental health issues. People who are suffering should not be afraid of speaking up or hiding their conditions. Make sure to educate yourself and your staff on mental health conditions that are common and the warning signs. You want to create an inclusive work culture that promotes openness about mental health. This is why empathy in the workplace is crucial. You do not know what someone may be going through behind the scenes. Creating an environment that does not support your employees will only hurt the success of your business in the long run anyway. Don’t wait for trouble to act against mental health issues at work either. Here are some other ways you can create a better work culture that supports mental health.
Occam’s Razor of Advertising
Direct Mail Marketing
We’ve become so accustomed to email marketing that we sometimes forget that the postal service is still running. Direct mail marketing can be just as effective as email if done correctly. Actually, studies show that it can be more effective and you will probably have less competition. It can help improve brand awareness and memorability, boost engagement and inspire people to act. The ROI is also trackable. Who doesn’t like to see how their marketing efforts are doing? So, how does one go about direct mail marketing? Here are a few tips to get your brand started.
