Let's Get Digital
From shifts in shopping behaviors to media consumption, consumers are anything but traditional and brands are taking notice. Spending up to 11 hours a day watching, reading, listening to or interacting with media, more and more people are turning to their smartphones for every area of their lives. People also want instant and gratifying experiences they can talk about and share. This shift has transformed the way brands and organizations interact and engage with their target audiences. Consumers are no longer turning to traditional outlets such as commercial television spots, radio spots, and magazine ads, brands are relying heavily on non-traditional marketing tactics to reach people in new and exciting ways.
Influencers:
People love reviews and recommendations, especially from trusted sources like their friends. Social media has created an entirely new definition of friendship and trusted sources – influencers. Users are more likely to follow several people they don’t personally know but feel a connection to, and that’s who influencers are. By definition, there are four types of social media influencers, Mega – more than a million followers, Macro – between 100,000 – 1 million followers, Micro – between 1,000 – 100,000 followers and Nano – less than 1,000 followers but has influence in their community or neighborhood.
Brands are using influencers to convey their brand’s message and showcase their products and services. Through the use of influencers, brands have the ability to tap into their network of followers which is likely to be a group of people that aren’t following the brand. While the number of followers might sound enticing, brands should really be focusing on the quality of followers and influence. That is why when done strategically, the influencer-brand relationship works so well because they are able to review and use their products while exposing their followers to it.
Chatbots:
“I need a response, like now!” – How many times have you or a colleague received that message from an information-seeking or unsatisfied customer? More than half of consumers expect a response within 20 minutes of submitting an inquiry of any kind, positive or negative, to a brand. This expectation is not humanly possible for brands to adhere by. The solution: Chatbots. This artificial intelligence technology is powered by a computer program that automates functions like chatting with a user through a conversational interface. Bots are both able to personalize responses and understand and respond to complex inquiries giving users the immediate attention they are seeking. As exciting and useful as this technology is, Bot fails are real and to avoid failing you need to have a set strategy in place. First off, be transparent with your users. Let them know they are interacting with a bot and not a human. You must also make sure that the tone and personality of your bot are aligned with your brand, because well they are representing your brand.
Streaming:
With the fire rapid rise of on-demand streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Spotify, people are cutting the cord and connecting online. It is estimated that in 2019, six people will ditch their cable service every minute. (https://www.broadcastingcable.com) As these services increase their subscriptions, so does the opportunity for advertisers to share their brand stories using these mediums. As many of these subscriptions offer users free account options in exchange for ad time, brands can take advantage of this opportunity to target a wide variety of people through a medium they know will serve their message. We know how to reach the cord-cutters with our multifaceted, video solutions.
Experiences:
As people crave unique experiences and the chance to show them off on their social media accounts, brands have started to turn to the use of experiential marketing. Experiential marketing or “engagement marketing,” is a strategy that invites an audience to interact with a business in a physical, real-world environment. Experiential marketing can be focused around an event or provide people with an opportunity to interact and engage with the brand in a tangible way. Why does this work so well? Because it creates a memory-based around an experience. As long as the sentiment around the experience was positive, people will talk about it and possibly return or create buzz among their friends. Carrying that positive sentiment and memory will be tied back to the brand that provided it.
People are ever-changing, they evolve and adapt to new trends and technology quickly. Marketing is one of the industries that needs to be at the forefront, leading and adapting just as swiftly to meet consumers where they are. A social media presence is no longer enough, you need quality, engaging content. A website will only take you so far, you need it to be mobile and user-friendly. To keep your brand and company relevant you must be willing to incorporate non-traditional tactics into your marketing mix. The 11 hours a day people are spending interacting online are 11 hours of opportunity that cannot be missed. Are you ready to take your marketing to the next level? Work with our team, we are experts that specialize in non-traditional marketing. Email us to find out more: info@thecolibricollective.com.