We all have heard this mantra before- right time, right person, right place and right message- but what exactly does “right message” in this statement mean? Well, with the ad industry increasingly shifting its focus to the more scientific capabilities of techniques such as audience segmenting, precise targeting and ad buying, the main casualty in the equation is certainly the ad creative aspect. But is it really possible for advertising campaigns to achieve maximum output where a particular brand has millions of prospects yet inadequate creative to match each of these prospects?
It’s time for real marketers to focus on building better relationships with consumers. In this digital age, users switch between their screens and devices and use smartphones both for communication and consumption. Besides, these users are increasingly viewing more videos with each passing day. The extended exposure to all these platforms and devices has forced a majority of them to selectively decide what to view and what not to see. For this reason, more users are using ad blockers to block ads, skipping the typical pre-roll videos or even hitting that “close” button.
So, why are they resorting to this? It’s simple. Most of these ads are irrelevant, uninteresting or not personal. On a smart counterattack, though, the industry has attempted to increase viewability by using tactics such as integrating native ads that are not easy to block.
However, consider this other alternative. Our proposal for an ideal digital strategy is that marketers ought to rely more on the data on the users available to them, which they can then use to evolve their approach with creative. This way, it’s possible to understand more about what these users like and what they don’t like.
Personalized Experiences to Get Real Results
What can help to make your marketing pursuits stand out when a majority of industries are pushing bulk ads? Well, personalization is your surest bet here. At 92 West for example, we utilize personalized messaging to ensure that our experience, that of our clients, in-house, digital and even in-store experiences are all in one sync. This helps to improve our interactions with all contacts involved thereby making the process more appealing to them on an individual level.
Creating personalized experiences is becoming increasingly important by the day especially now the world is rapidly turning digital. This has been prompted by the growing consumer’s dissatisfaction with generic marketing messages or canned email campaigns. Instead, a lot of these users want to connect with the particular brands on a more personal level.
It is now upon the marketers to provide unique personalized messages by using consumer intelligence that’s readily available to them. In a study conducted by McKinsey, it was found that a company’s digital marketing and sales initiative is capable of improving its ROI by more than 20% if only it puts more emphasis on data-driven personalization.
For a brand to enjoy more loyalty and awareness, it has to concentrate more on meeting its consumers’ expectations such as authenticity, contextual relevance, and reliability. It is, therefore, easy to tell why advertisers don’t seem to give them the attention they deserve- because typical digital advertising focuses more on delivery and little on creating meaningful moments.
The following are some of the tips that every marketer should use to get a more personal creative.
1. Creative is Crucial: Don’t let it be an Afterthought
It is imperative that marketers reach consumers at the right time and place, but having the right message is also crucial. It is only after these three concepts are aligned together that a particular ad can perform.
This means timing everything out and following up with the contacts when they take certain actions. For example, when a customer abandons his shopping cart, you need to make a follow up by sending them a friendly reminder within 24 hours. Besides, ensure that you monitor all your customers’ actions and their interaction with you. For example, the number of customers that open your emails or visit your twitter page, etc. Most importantly, maintain a humanized brand voice while communicating to/with them. Do not hesitate to ditch that soulless corporate act for a more authentic creative messaging.
2. Focus on the Small (Niche) Data
This could involve collecting data using methods such as self-report surveys that help you understand their preferences. Besides, you can also use progressive profiling where you only ask your customers a few questions every time they interact with your brand. You can then use the collected information to shape your media plans and for creative executions.
3. Personalize on Several Channels
As digital marketers, you can maximize your media exposure by utilizing segmentation with storytelling visuals and by keeping the copy light in the campaign creative. For instance, taking advantage of mobile location and the distance (proximity) as your target demographics are generally on the go. Layer that with unique messaging in the videos which in turn will engage the consumers.
As of right now (2015 for those of you who might stumble upon this later), consumers live in an on-demand world. Every aspect of life is a only a tap away. The most successful marketers are removing barriers (steps) that are required for customers to get what they want (your products / services) quickly. Advertising should remove mass messages and create personalized experiences that change in real time; causing a shift in they way digital marketers plan your strategy as well as how the data and audience segmentation is crafted as well.
Create impactful, meaningful messaging that will cause your demographic to act…. and most important… care.
Conclusion
In today’s on-demand world where customers can get anything done with a tap on their devices, a successful marketer is the one capable of removing deterrents that may be hindering the customer from getting that which they want more speedily. It is, therefore, important that advertisers eliminate the friction caused by mass messaging as well as remove irrelevance. They should consider using more dynamic creative tools that help to change their targeted messages in real time. This way, they can force media strategists to change how they plan their marketing campaigns, utilize data and segment their audiences for more personalized and impact full creative messaging.
At 92 West, we keep each of these items in mind while crafting a message that will impact your consumers. More important, we take all three of the elements mentioned above and create a compelling CTA (Call to Action) that also incorporates an offer that entices the consumer to act…and most importantly… care.
Call us today for a consultation on your branding, digital marketing and web design needs at 402.620.2633.
