Prior to Campaign Launch
Prior to launching your marketing campaign, it’s important to know who your audience is and what your audience wants and needs. Understanding the various methods of sampling – and which option will work best for your campaign – is key to increasing your ROI. There are two main categories of sampling: Probability and Non-probability. As probability sampling is used to determine the outcome of many different scenarios, it isn’t the most cost-effective method for exploring your consumer base. We recommend focusing on non-probability sampling, instead. We’ll lightly explore both kinds of sampling methods, but we’re honing in on two specific methods today, specifically: Stratified and Quota. From there, we’ll talk more about why it’s so important to test your audience prior to launching your campaign.
A Quick Recap: Understanding Your Audience
As we’ve mentioned before, knowing your audience and why you’re targeting them is a great way to avoid frustration when communicating with and advertising to your market. When you properly use your audience data, you can make better choices for your marketing plan. Here are some key areas you’ll want to assess when determining who and where you’ll sample from.
- Consumer Behavior: How are people buying and using your goods and services?
- Demographics: Who exactly is your target customer? Characteristics to narrow down include age, gender, race/ethnicity, household income, education level, marital status, and geographic location.
- Psychographics: Introduced in 2016, psychographics is the study of consumers based on their activities, interest, and opinions.
With these three areas identified, you can identify your market(s). Then, it’s time to select the best method of sampling for your audience.
Probability Sampling
Probability sampling follows two rules. Everyone within the population you’re pulling from must have an equal chance of being selected, and it’s imperative that you know what the chance of any one person being selected is.
With those basics set, here is a brief overview of 4 types of probability sampling you may encounter.
- Simple Random Sampling is as it sounds. It’s a sample where anyone in the population has an equal chance of being selected.
- Systematic Sampling uses a predetermined interval to choose members of a population to represent a sample.
- Cluster Sampling divides the population into smaller portions – clusters – to make a random selection within each.
- Stratified Sampling divides the population into mutually exclusive subgroups – referred to as strata – based on previously acquired data.
Non-Probability Sampling
On the other hand, non–probability sampling uses specific criteria – such as availability or geographic information – to identify a population before narrowing down the population size. Unlike probability sampling, each person within the target population doesn’t have to have an equal chance of being selected. With non-probability sampling, you take a small portion of your target audience and see what they like and dislike based on laid-out parameters.
- Convenience Sampling is done at the convenience of the researcher. Some example factors for identifying your sample group include location, ease of access, and existing contact within the population of interest.
- Snowball Sampling, also known as chain/network sampling, is defined by the way new units are added to the sample by referrals from a base group of participants.
- Purposive (Judgmental) Sampling runs a high risk of running into research biases. The population sampled only includes those characteristics that you are inherently looking for.
- Quota Sampling is, of all the sampling methods we’ve laid out, the one we’d recommend
Quota vs. Stratified
It’s important to define the distinction between stratified sampling and quota sampling because – at face value – the two are extremely similar. Both focus on dividing the population into subgroups and then selecting a certain number of units from each. However, the key difference is that stratified sampling relies on an additional random sampling technique like cluster or simple random. While – put simply – quota sampling involves selecting a predetermined number prior to evaluating your sample population. We advise quota sampling because it’ s more time- and cost-effective. When used, it provides a great deal of insight into how an overall market will perform (and at a fraction of the cost of sampling an entire population).
Why Sample?
With 74% of consumers annoyed by irrelevant marketing, it’s important to make sure your campaigns remain fresh and relevant to your target audience. Analyzing the data you received from sampling allows for creative optimization based on your key demographic. Knowing what your audience is looking for, what they like to see, and where they’re coming from “tells stories about customer intentions and motivations. Consumer insights are key to building creative campaigns that speak to and resonate with your audience and potential customers.” There’s also the element of personalization that allows you to address the specific inquiries or needs of your potential and current customers.
How Does it Work?
Let’s say, for example, that you’re a grocery in Southeastern Pennsylvania, and you’re seeking to connect with new movers. In theory, you could get the demographic data for your region and make assumptions based on the information provided. The marketing team could then send out two print mailers – a brochure and a postcard, to everyone in the market, and gauge which piece received better feedback through tracking coupons or QR codes. However, not only would that be a large amount of collateral, but the cost could also be exorbitant to get all those pieces in front of customers without really knowing if they’d respond to either at all.
This is where quota sampling comes in handy. Defining your subgroup (for example, moved into the zip code within the last 6 months, age 21-65, median income), and selecting the number of units to mail out before launching your campaign is key. As those groups begin to shop at your stores, you can track how they found you, using coupon redemption or QR codes, and once this data is received, you can determine which mailer had the better ROI. With all of this information, you can begin a more informed rollout for the rest of your campaign.
We highly recommend quota sampling to help better inform your marketing tactics. If you’re not sure where to start, no problem. You can contact us today to get started on your next marketing campaign, and we’ll work with you every step of the way.
To Keep an Eye On
2022 was quite a year – and the changes it had on the marketing industry have not gone unnoticed. We’re finally (at least somewhat) out of the pandemic and back to (mostly) normal life, so some post-pandemic trends have stayed, some have shifted, and some new trends have been on the rise. For 2023, there are quite a few forecasted marketing trends that we’ll be keeping an eye on, and that you should look out for, too. We’ve compiled this shortlist of upcoming print and digital marketing trends so that you don’t have to go searching.
Agile Marketing
As the word sounds, agile marketing is a form of marketing that’s not set in stone. It ebbs and flows as needed – as new things are learned, customers change, and goals adapt. Agile marketing has a lot of benefits. Providing flexibility in your campaign allows for a sharper focus on the customer and what they want and need in real time. With additional breathing room, you can ensure your decisions are data-driven and impactful. Adjustments become a collaborative process with your team(s) to ensure there’s a true understanding of what’s really going on and track the metrics of how your campaign is performing. With the constant increase in competition and the need for customer-focused marketing, this one is sure to not only boost in popularity but become a necessary tactic.
Influencer Relationships
We’ve seen the rise of influencer marketing for quite a few years now —but we’ll see it continue to grow in 2023. 93% of marketing professionals utilize influencer marketing to build trust, increase brand awareness, drive conversions, reach a target audience, generate new leads, set trends, and connect to a wider market. The latest change in influencer marketing is that brands want to make their influencer’s connection to (and their engagement with) the brand more organic, more so now due to regulations on disclaimers, endorsements, and sponsorships. We’re seeing influencer marketing evolve from simple things, like unboxing videos and product placement, to larger scale relationships, part ownership contracts, and brand ambassadorships. However, this also puts heavier weight on the alignment of who that celebrity is and the brand itself. As people get more and more used to seeing celebrities – widely known or on the rise, showcasing their use of particular products, new and more trustworthy ways of influencer marketing will need to be explored.
More Live & Recorded Video Content
Globally, people consume around 84 minutes of video per day. With that in mind, videos, live or recorded — will be even more trend-setting and valuable this year. Videos “…should jump straight into the action. With only 10 to 60 seconds of available ad time, there’s no need to set up a premise or establish a storyline with lots of extra context.” Shorter video means that you don’t have to hire a production team or a marketing agency. You can learn how to utilize a smartphone, some affordable editing software, and give it a go. Research done by Cisco “found that video accounts for 82% of all online traffic. Videos are 53x more likely to generate first page SERP rankings than other SEO tactics. Today, 84% of consumers have been convinced to purchase a product after watching a video.”
Social Responsibility & Inclusivity
More now than ever, consumers are picky about what brands they buy from and work with (for several reasons – some of them being market saturation, an abundance of choice, and the expansion of digital marketing). So, it’s more important than (possibly ever) before and becomes increasingly important to have a voice — from social responsibility to inclusivity, and all that lies between. Ensure that your company has clear and powerful values, a solid mission statement, and isn’t afraid to speak on those that are important to them, because “66% of consumers are willing to pay more for goods from brands that demonstrate social commitment.” Communicating these values and opinions allows customers to connect with not just your product, but your brand and the humans behind it, too.
Consumer Privacy
Cyber-crime is on the rise, and many of us are a bit worried about our data and privacy. In 2023 and beyond, companies need to ensure that those they’re working with feel comfortable and secure. Build trust with your customers through increased security measures because “…increased data security allows customers to sign up for services, demos, white papers, etc., without worrying about data leaks or identity theft.” Customers are trusting you to protect the data they provide to you and want to feel comfortable with how it’s being utilized. That being said, this need for security is going to require your business to “…create alternative strategies and pivot plans in case (it) lose(s) access to crucial data points.” But don’t worry — Google won’t be doing away with third-party cookies on Chrome until 2024, so, there’s still time to prepare and explore alternative data and targeting solutions. This year, you can also expect an increase in form building. The goal is to gather “intel through various practices,” and form building is at the top of the list. 43% of those who experience bad privacy management will switch to another brand, so while you may not always associate it with marketing techniques, consumer privacy is something your marketing team or partner, and your team, should plan to stay ahead of.
Partner Approach
Brands will be looking to streamline and consolidate partnerships – so they’ll be more likely to work with just one-two marketing partners rather than a plethora. Along those lines, customers continue to want (maybe now more than ever) real data behind their marketing successes. What does that mean for us here at Strata? We’re expanding our services while ensuring that we’re still honing in on what we do best. We know it’s important that, if you do keep us on or choose to partner with us, we provide value and are a good team to work with. And – as we always have, we’ll continue to provide you with the data and understanding you need to rest assured your marketing budget is being put to good use.
Personalization & Personalized Experiences
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, customers have so many options these days when it comes to brands to choose from. Personalization – which will become increasingly popular in 2023 – may be one of – or the reason a customer selects your product or service. Psychologists have shared that people love to “hear their name and see it in print,” and with today’s technology, digital marketers are able to take customer information provided and identify what messages will help each unique customer find the right solutions. For these reasons and more, we’re really seeing a turn towards personalized marketing messages to connect brands with their target markets.
Wrapping it All Up
Want to make sure you’re meeting the mark and staying ahead of the curve this year when it comes to your marketing practices? Contact us – we’d be happy to make smart happen (and keep smart happening), together, or check out some of our services, here.
A Strata YouTube Channel Original
In our last few blogs (and their corresponding YouTube videos), we’ve gone over the basics of new mover marketing, the best workflows and incentives, and how to choose the right partner – as well as steps to get you started. Finally, as we know not everything always goes smoothly, we’re going over some of the most common issues that arise for new mover marketing campaigns, and how to fix them.
A Brief Review of New Mover Marketing
To give you a brief refresher, new mover marketing is a specific, niche marketing tactic that’s designed to reach new residents in your area. It’s one of the most effective ways to bring in new customers that have just recently entered your specific target market. When it comes to new movers, they’re nobody’s customer, yet – so it’s an effective tactic to make a good first impression at the same time they’re looking for your product or service.
A Quick Note
When you hear that there are issues with your campaign, your first reaction might be to think that your campaign wasn’t a success, but we’re here to tell you that campaign issues aren’t always bad. They’re absolutely normal, and can even be good for the future success of your current and additional campaigns! Even when you research and prepare as much as possible for your new mover campaign, problems can, and likely will, still arise throughout the process. Issues are typically seen as “stepping stones” that help to enhance and optimize your campaign. If you’re able to properly think through them, problems can help you get a better understanding of your audience and make the necessary adjustments for success. Overall, it’s better to know and understand these issues, than to not know about them at all. If you’re working with the wrong partner, not knowing about issues could be the case. You could think it’s just “all going smoothly”, and that “no news is good news” – but be aware that no news could mean no tracking. Be sure to pick a new mover marketing partner or program that can provide quality data and reporting so you can stay on top of your campaign and see how it’s doing, in real time.
Two Common Issues & Their Solutions
The first common issue you may run into with your new mover campaign is a radius that’s too small or in an ineffective area. Depending on where you’re located, your immediate area may not be actively adding new residents. This can make having a successful campaign difficult because, if there arn’t enough new movers in your target area, you won’t have a substantial audience to send your marketing piece(s) to. In addition, double check your lists and data. You may be accidentally targeting someone who recently moved but within the same area (we call these “same zip movers”). Since they’re already set in their routine, these residents won’t be on the hunt for a new place to visit or try out.
Another issue you could run into? Accuracy and reliability of your list(s). With an inaccurate list, you may be targeting the wrong people. These could be people who don’t want and/or need your service, so sending them your campaign would not only be a waste of their time, but also yours. As long as you have the right new mover marketing partner, there’s a good chance you won’t run into this problem. Remember, new mover marketing’s all about quality (data) over quantity, so pick a company who has access to the best data, not the most.
What’s Next?
Now that we’ve provided you with knowledge on two of the most common issues that may arise when it comes to your new mover marketing campaigns, feel free to head on over to our YouTube channel and check out the full-length video where Caitlin, Strata’s Marketing Manager, will go over additional issues and solutions. If you’re ready to start your next new mover marketing campaign with Strata, contact us today.
A Strata YouTube Channel Original
Creating a personally relevant multichannel campaign can be difficult without proper preparation and guidance. Luckily, in this blog, featuring our most recent YouTube video of our Multichannel Marketing series, we go over some marketing personalization statistics, how to create a personalized, cohesive, and seamlessly relevant journey across multiple channels, and ways to better know who your buyers are.
The key to starting is to understand who your audience is and their specific buyer journey. Once you collect this data, it’s time to personalize and make sure the content you’re putting in front of them is relevant.
Map Out Your Customer Journey
When creating the perfect multichannel campaign for your audience, take a look at who your buyers really are and then work backwards to figure out how they became a customer. What high-value acquisition channels did these customers use? Which customers have strong LTV (lifetime value)? Talk to your customer service team and your customers. Once you organize and map that out, you’ll have a much easier time figuring out where the problems are, and where objections are coming from. And finally, discover where customers dropped off in the funnel. Put all of this together, and you’ll have a clear look at the journey your customers take and how you can improve your connections with them.
Establish Your Data
When we say establish your data, we’re talking way more than first names and company names. While those are important – that’s not the personalization customers are looking for these days. You’ll want to start partnering with a company (or using software) that can help you gather info like real-time, on-site behavior, online and offline conversion history, geographic location, product affinities, and device activity. All of this will help you develop a strategy that’s consistent and relevant from one channel to the next.
Ultimately, there’s no one-size-fits-all personalized experience – that’s why customers crave it so much. To see what steps are next in establishing your personalized approach, click on the video below. You’ll hear our Marketing and Social Media Coordinator, Bridget, go through best practices. Or, if you’d like to discuss this concept with one of our multichannel experts, contact us today to get your next (or maybe even your first) multichannel campaign started.
To Keep an Eye on
As a marketing solutions company with lots of interest in innovation and change – we’re big on knowing what’s trending and what’s to come. 2021 was filled with a ton of new trends, some – because of changing times and innovation – others, because of big events and worldly occurrences. To stay ahead and prepare for the new year, we’ve looked into the top marketing trends – within design, print, and digital, to keep an eye out for in 2022.
2022 Design Trends
Visual Inclusion
Recent movements around the nation, and even the world, have sparked a broader portrayal of diversity and inclusion in visuals. When crafting your marketing, think about how you can show diverse people in a variety of ways – in your photography, graphics, and iconography. And, even more, think about including imagery of people that your target audience(s) can relate to.“The default for people icons and images are no longer white, male, and able-bodied. There is more representation from marginalized groups in marketing visuals.” The more open, inclusive, and inviting your marketing is, the more likely you’ll bring in a diverse range of interested (and trusting) customers.
Bold Backgrounds
Bold and bright backgrounds and backgrounds with patterns are on the rise. These types of backgrounds attract attention and stand out from the pack, among otherwise modern – and primarily dull, gray, or white – busy feeds and mailboxes. Try using a brighter, bolder background to stand out among other marketing materials. This tactic can be “quite stunning when paired with more simple typography or other design elements,”but, to make this trend work for you and your brand, “ensure that everything has a place and there’s good eye flow between elements.”
Unique & Fun Typography
The year 2022 will be all about typography that “breaks standards”, such as “one single letter…upside down, bigger or smaller, in a different font, or completely missing.” Forecasters expect “lettering that pushes the bounds of easy legibility, creating forms that are expressive in and of themselves.” This unique and rising design tactic can also make for more internationally understandable text and imagery that can be read from culture to culture.
Authentic Imagery
Authentic, realistic imagery that your audience can connect with is always important – but will be increasingly popular in 2022. People don’t want to see fake stock families and disingenuous product photos. They want to see real. “Even commercial photography is shifting to look more like snapshots for these projects” instead of planned, posed imagery. This tactic may be a little less polished and intentional, but it works, because it’s relatable. “More authentic imagery is not amateurish; it’s just a different style.” Yet, this doesn’t mean taking blurry or “thrown together” photos. It means shooting high-quality photography that’s just a bit more casual and realistic to real, day-to-day life.
2022 Digital Marketing Trends
Conversational Marketing
This will be a big one for 2022, as it’s already been on the rise for quite a few years. Why? People want to connect with, and relate to, real people. And, they want fairly immediate responses from those real people. Customers feel more connected with and trusting of companies that tell their story, as well as the stories of their products. They want to hear and see real life examples of what the product has and does, and what sets it apart.
A recent study found that 41.3% of consumers use conversational marketing tools before making purchases. “Unlike traditional strategies, this form of marketing is now available across multiple channels, allowing brands to meet customers on their terms: on the devices, platforms and time schedules that suit the customer best.”
Read more about customer communication and relatability, here.
Video Marketing
This trend isn’t new, and is likely to continue in popularity for the next 5-10 years. It’s no surprise to us (and likely not a surprise to you) that 61% of marketers see video as a “very important or extremely important” part of their marketing strategy. It’s a useful tactic not only because of its visual appeal and high rate of easily digestible content, but because it can be republished on several platforms, and cut and manipulated for repurposing. A recent study recorded that “84% of consumers have been convinced to purchase a product after watching a video.”
To read more on video marketing, click here.
Interactive Content
This year, there will be a noticeable marketing shift from “traditional text-based content toward dynamic, engaging content” like quizzes, augmented reality, polls, 360-degree videos, and more. These tools give customers a more memorable connection with both the product and the company, and get them involved with the brand – not just get them to see it. In fact, 91% of customers are interested in seeing more content they can interact with.
First-Party and Zero-Party Data
We’ve talked a bit about this topic before in a fairly recent blog post, and this trend is sure to skyrocket into 2022. This year, “first-party cookies will force marketers to be mindful of the data they collect and how they use it,” primarily because companies can now only use their own collected data. This also means that companies will need to be much more authentic and transparent with their customers. Along with first-party data, zero-party data – data given to a brand or company directly from the consumer, will also be a key focus. Some examples of ways to acquire this data are through surveys, forms, or email.
2022 Print Marketing Trends
Combining Print & Digital
This particular trend – we’re very well-versed in. Combining print and digital can do wonders for your campaigns, meeting your customers with mulitple touches on and offline. A great example of this combination is using a personalized URL and QR code on a printed piece. QR codes on print marketing not only give customers an easy way to get to know your company better, but can be vehicles to get customers to purchase or sign up for a program – immediately. These types of combination tactics are flexible, dynamic, and cater to many differing age groups.
Creative Customer Personalization
Also, a great online or offline tool? Personalization. When your company caters to a specific type of audience, or even specific customers rather than a blanketed group, you’re more likely to meet customer’s needs and turn them into loyal ones. Additionally, personalization can be cost effective. Why’s this? In order to personalize, you can’t target everyone – just the right ones.
Direct Mail
Lastly, not a new or surprising trend to us, direct mail will continue to grow in popularity in 2022. “With the content marketing boom and remote working becoming the new normal, many consumers have become ‘numb’ to digital marketing campaigns.” So, if you haven’t, why not give direct mail marketing a go? Trying out this re-emerging marketing trend could bring a ton of new customers to your site, as 70% of people engage with a brand online after receiving their direct mail.
Read more on why direct mail is so impactful, here.
Interested in ramping up your marketing in 2022 using one or more of these solutions? We can help! Contact the experts at Strata, today.
Cheers to Us – We‘re Certified!
Strata’s thrilled to announce that we’ve become Great Place to Work-Certified™. We consider employee experience a top priority, and owe our continued success to our team of dedicated employees here at Strata. We celebrate and thank them all for helping us earn this incredible recognition.
Why a Certification?
At Strata, our vision’s clear. We want to not only help our clients and provide them the best solutions, but to also foster a great work environment and company culture. We pride ourselves on this mission, and even as we announce this certification, we are always looking for ways to improve. Good company culture not only brings in top talent, but motivates our employees to go above and beyond for our company, our customers, and each other. In fact, we’ve learned that 94% of entrepreneurs and 88% of job seekers say that a healthy culture at work is vital for success. Along with that, 69% of employees would work harder if they received more recognition.
We believed that our people deserved to be celebrated for their positive attitudes, unity, and the impact they have on our culture, so we opened the floor to our employees and had them share their feelings towards and experiences of Strata through the Great Place to Work’s survey. We were pleased to see that 96% of our employees said that when you join Strata, you’re made to feel welcome. Plus, 94% of employees said that they take pride in working for Strata, and are always willing to give extra to get the job done (but we weren’t surprised by that)! We’re so glad that our employees feel this way, and we wouldn’t be who we are today (and where we are today) without them.
“At Strata, our brand is more than a logo, a color palette, and a tagline. Our brand is our people, and because of them we help our clients Make Smart Happen. That’s why over the years we’ve made it our top priority to invest in them and our culture – because at the end of the day that’s what defines our company – real solutions, powered by real (happy and passionate) people.” – Caitlin Lally, Marketing Manager
About the Certification
Great Place to Work® Certification™ is the most “definitive ’employer-of-choice’ recognition that companies aspire to achieve”. It’s the only recognition based entirely on what employees report about their workplace experience. Great Place to Work Certification is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike, and is the global benchmark for identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience. Every year, more than 10,000 companies across 60 countries apply to get Great Place to Work-Certified. We’re so proud to have applied and been selected.
What’s to Come
To celebrate, we’ll be promoting our Great Place to Work Certification all over our channels and platforms. This certification is all about our employees, so we want them to be part of the celebration and promotion today and every day. Strata also plans to take the feedback we received from our employees, and review it. We hope that this will help us continue to improve our work environment and employee satisfaction. We don’t just want to be a Great Place to Work this year, we want to be a Great Place to Work every year.
As a company who puts our employees first, we want to tell you that this type of accomplishment can take time. If you find that you aren’t sure how your employees feel at your company, let their voices be heard. Conduct a survey and allow them to share their thoughts so you can get a better understanding of your team’s pain points, wants, and needs. Who knows, maybe you’ll be next to be named Great Place to Work certified! Questions? Feel free to contact us.
A Strata YouTube Channel Original
Choosing the right multichannel campaign mediums can be difficult if you don’t have a good starting foundation and the right tools. That’s why, in our most recent YouTube video, we walk you through the key things to keep in mind when making this decision, and how to pick channels that best fit your company’s marketing needs.
Evaluate Your Brand & Customers, First
Before you even look at where your audience is and what they want, look at your own brand, brand voice, offerings, and then your target audience. Once you have these nailed down, then you can think about your customers – because if you understand your customers, you can understand where it’s best to communicate with them. Get to know your customers on a deeper level through data and tracking so you can develop personas and demographics, and fully recognize their pain points, wants, and needs. Test and measure tactics, update and reaudit your customer experience, ask for customer feedback – whatever you need to do to truly know your audience and therefore get the most out of your multichannel campaign. After all, 86% of customers are willing to pay up to 25% more for products and services just to have a better customer experience. Once you know your audience, then, and only then, can you figure out exactly where to meet them on their multichannel journey.
If you want to know what comes next in choosing the right mediums of communication for your multichannel marketing campaign, click on the video below and hear more from our Marketing and Social Media Coordinator Bridget. Or, if you’d like to discuss this concept with one of our multichannel experts, contact us today to get your next (or maybe even your first) multichannel campaign started.
A Look at Some of Our Favorite Customer-Focused Campaigns
Although we could write several blogs about all the great marketing campaigns that inspire and motivate us to be the best marketers possible and make the most effective material – in this blog, we’re looking at a few that we really admire because of how relatable and real they are. We’ll be breaking them down, thinking through what made them so successful, and in turn – helping you brainstorm your next campaign. Follow along as we dive into these customer-centric campaign leaders.
Apple’s #ShotoniPhone Campaign
No matter where you’re located – you’ve likely seen this one around town. On billboards, buses, signs, or online. iPhone and Apple’s popularity is pretty known, but what we didn’t know when the iPhone first became popular was that it would eventually completely replace the digital camera. And that’s what this campaign shows; that you can take photos with your iPhone that are as beautiful as a camera that would cost you thousands. That’s great and all, but that alone would not convince people of today. So, why’s this campaign so successful? It gets real people involved. It’s relatable. The photos are not only from real Apple customers – but include their names. If someone wanted to, they could look up the name of the person in the bottom corner associated with taking the photo and learn more about who that person is. The best part? Not all of these people are photographers, showing that anyone could use the iPhone to take great photos. This tactic is pretty genius and builds trust – as no one would really care if it was simply a generic photo that easily could have been taken on a Canon. “According to various studies, over half (51%) of Americans trust user-generated content more than other information on a company website and claim that it influences what they buy and where they buy it from.”
Coors Light’s #CouldUseABeer Campaign
Another campaign that spoke to the general public and got them involved during a difficult time? Coors Light’s #CouldUseABeer. After a photo of a quarantined, 93-year-old woman asking for a beer went viral, Coors Light engaged with its audience by offering free six packs to anyone who was tweeted about (who – you guessed it, could use a beer). This tactic of giving away free items may seem pretty crazy, but it can go a long way. Although Coors Light gave away over 500,000 beers, their name was tweeted about again and again, which led them to trend, and boosted their reputation in a time of need.
American Apparel’s Direct Email Marketing
Known for being trendy and modern, American Apparel is no stranger to effective, up-to-date, customer-centric marketing. We’re specifically impressed with their to-the-point email marketing. No frills, no fluff – just what the customer wants (sales, discounts, and freebies). American Apparel always ensures that there’s no guesswork for their customers. Simple and sleek, their emails are call-to-action forward without being in-your-face.
Mercedes’ “Like You” Campaign
How do you relate a high-end brand to a broader audience of customers? Relate it to them, literally. Mercedes’ “Like You” campaign did just that. Called to several different types of audiences with phrases like, “Detail-obsessed, like you”, “Groundbreaking, like you”, “Original, like you” and “Curious, like you”. And not only was this phrasing compelling, but consistent. For the span of the campaign, potential customers could find the phrasing on billboards, signs, online ads, and on tv. The consistency was key, in that potential customers began to associate themselves with the brand and possibly even buy a Mercedes.
Airbnb’s Use of User Generated Content
Similar to Apple’s tactic, Airbnb uses the photos, videos, and feedback of its customers in its campaigns to promote beautifully classic or uniquely interesting places to stay. “Millennials spend 30% of their media time (5 hours/day) engaged with user-generated content (UGC). Coincidently, this is the same generation that drives Airbnb’s success in the sharing economy.” Airbnb keeps things personal and personalized by including its audience, which facilitates a happy and loyal community of customers.
Coca Cola’s Share a Coke Multichannel Campaign
We all know this one. There’s nothing more personal than having your own name on a Coke bottle – which is exactly what Coca Cola did for its ongoing “Share a Coke” campaign. Whether you customize your bottle or simply find your name in store, you’re likely to share it with the world through text, email, on social, you name it (no pun intended)! And its rollout in 2011 sure worked in building brand awareness, boosting sales, and creating positive brand recognition, as “Young adult consumption increased significantly during the campaign, up by 7%, making 2011 the most successful summer ever. The campaign earned a total of 18,300,000-plus media impressions.”
Spotify’s #2020Wrapped Campaign
If you have any form of social media, you’ll likely remember this campaign flooding your feed, and maybe you even took part in it. At the end of 2020, Spotify allowed its customers to see their year of music with “2020 Wrapped”, which compiled their listening into a lovely array of photos and stats. Viewers loved seeing their personal data compiled into a nicely packaged marketing piece – and loved sharing their interests with others. Smart on Spotify’s end, because it not only gave them free marketing, but boosted their recognition.
So, What Have We Learned?
If you haven’t noticed, most of these campaigns share one key factor; relatability. How can you use relatability to create effective campaigns, too? Know your audience. Before even starting to brainstorm a campaign, make sure you’re fully aware of who, where, and when you’re targeting. And when you do start your campaign based off your findings, use that data and understanding to carefully craft consistent messaging that includes clear call-to-actions and personalized, catered content. Use hashtags, giveaways, QR codes, PURLs, BRCs, and more to engage with your audience and include them in your campaign. And, when and if appropriate, sprinkle in some humor.
Interested in making an impactful, relatable campaign that can help boost your company’s marketing efforts? Not sure exactly where to start? Look no further. Strata’s here to help. Contact us today to get the brainstorming started.
A Strata YouTube Channel Original
We’ve all heard the saying “know your audience” before, but what does it really mean, and how will it help you plan your next multichannel marketing campaign? In our most recent YouTube video, we dive into some tips & tricks for targeting your perfect multichannel campaign audience.
Really Know Your Audience
Before you even start your campaign, you need to nail down who your audience is and why you’re targeting them. Recent surveys show that 74% of consumers get frustrated when they receive content that has absolutely nothing to do with their interests, which is the main reason companies are quickly switching to multichannel marketing campaigns – designed to be customer-centric, provide a top-tier experience, and drive high ROI. But success still comes down to how well you know your audience, which is why it’s so important to create accurate customer personas. A persona is simply a fictional character that represents the ideals and motives of your target audience. Some common (and extremely useful) research tactics to create correct customer personas are researching buying habits, consumer preferences, search behaviors, and communication methods. Don’t limit yourself to just one persona if it’s useful to create more! You can utilize several different personas depending on how diverse your target market is. It’s important to think beyond your “classic customer,” and diversify your buyer profiles.
The Buyer Journey
Outlining and creating a framework for your buyer’s journey will dramatically affect your sales. Some key questions to ask yourself to understand their journey are:
- “What purchases are being made?”
- “Where are the purchases coming from?”
- “How are they making purchases?”
These questions will help you build a premium customer experience from campaign start to finish. The more data you’re able to acquire on their buying habits/decisions, the better you’ll be at mapping out their customer journey. After narrowing down your audience, you can better source all imagery, content, and workflows they’ll come across throughout the campaign.
Want to learn more about perfecting your multichannel marketing audience? Click on the video below to hear more on this topic from our Marketing and Social Media Coordinator, Bridget. Or, if you’d like to discuss this concept with one of our multichannel experts, contact us today to get your next (or maybe your first) multichannel campaign started.
