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How To Incorporate Smart Goals Into Marketing Plan Development

November 28, 2023/in Articles, Directors, Inbound Marketing /by Dan Gartlan

Now, most of us have heard about how to develop SMART goals. But, how do you incorporate them into your marketing plan development?

A quick recap: SMART goals are those that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound. This format makes it easier to see where you need to go and how to measure your progress. That’s why it’s perfect for your marketing plan development.

Making Your Marketing Plan SMART

Every plan must have at least one objective. In the world of marketing plans, the objectives usually include building demand for a product or service, maintaining current demand or shortening the sales cycle. The actual plan you put together works towards obtaining those objectives.

Setting high objectives sounds great on paper. But, when they are not specific, measurable, attainable, relevant or time bound, they become nothing more than marks on a page.

To avoid making paper goals, your marketing objectives themselves must be SMART. For example, let’s say your objective is to gain a 50% increase in market share in the next 12 months. That is definitely specific and measurable, but may not be attainable due to lack of resources or stiff competition. Relevancy depends on the size of the available market and how fast it is growing or not. Being able to grow that much in 12 months may or may not be possible depending on the market.

5 Smart Goal Examples For Business Development

Incorporate Smart Goals Into Marketing Plan

All of your objectives should be stated in SMART terms. Let’s say you want to increase the number of visitors to the Thingamajig product page on your website.

Specific: To increase the number of visitors to the Thingamajig web page by 25% over last quarter’s total.
Measurable: The total visitors last quarter was 2000, so the goal this quarter is to achieve a total of 2500 or more visitors.
Attainable: Increasing the number of visitors is definitely doable with increased spending in PPC ads and referral incentives for existing customers.
Relevant: The Thingamajig is our most profitable product. Ten percent of visitors to the website ultimately end up placing an order. Increasing the number of visitors to the Thingamajig web page has the potential of increasing the number of orders by 25% or more.
Time-Bound: The goal is to have this achieved by September 30th, so that we are ready to enter the Christmas season with a larger share of the Thingamajig market.

Also Read: SMART Goal Examples That Will Make You a Better Marketer

Going from a general objective to a detailed one is a major change. Here is what just happened:

General objective: “Increasing the number of visitors to the Thingamajig web page”
Detailed objective: “Increasing the number of visitors to the Thingamajig web page by 25%, or 500 more visitors, in the 3rd quarter, in order to generate 25% more orders and to obtain a larger share of the market during the upcoming Christmas season”

Applying SMART goal thinking to our marketing plan development will make all the difference in moving things forward. How can you incorporate it into your next campaign?

DOWNLOAD OUR GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL TRADE SHOW MARKETING

Introducing the 4C Marketing Model and why you should follow it

November 24, 2023/in Articles, Blog, Directors, Marketing Strategy /by Mark Beebe

When it comes to marketing models, the 4P marketing model is the most traditional, business-oriented one — and the one you’re most likely familiar with. The 4Ps represent product, price, promotion, and place. For a more customer-oriented model, you may want to follow the 4C marketing model. The 4C marketing model was first proposed by Bob Lauterborn in an article published in Advertising Age in 1990. He saw it as a possible effective alternative. The following is a brief breakdown of the 4C marketing model, which consists of consumer, cost, convenience, and communication.

4Cs of Marketing

Consumer

First, you have to know who your target customers are and what their needs and wants are. The consumer should drive all of your marketing efforts from here on out. Having knowledge about your target audience makes it easier to create a product that fulfills a need in the market. This is where your buyer personas come in. Buyer personas represent your ideal customer and once you understand them, you better understand your target audience. This leads to improved communication with your consumers and gives them the sense that you understand them as well, leading to improved sales. Of course, the product is an important focus in any marketing model, but always remember the value of the consumer.

Cost

In the 4C marketing model, the cost evaluates the cost considerations from the buyer’s perspective. Determining the cost involves performing detailed research into what customers are able and willing to pay. Additionally, do research into the cost of competing products. The research will aid you in figuring out whether selling your product at a cost that customers are willing to pay will be profitable or not. You will also need to take into account the added costs of purchasing your product outside its sticker price. For example, how much customers will need to pay in taxes, shipping costs or transportation costs.

One thing that’s important to keep in mind is that the price point of your product isn’t what necessarily convinces consumers to purchase your product. A low price point won’t always drive sales, after all. In the end, it’s the benefit of your product that will help support its costs.

Communication

Communication refers to how you will engage with your customers. You will want to find ways to engage with your target customers to build confidence in your brand and your product. Customers want to know how buying your product will benefit them and that’s what you need to focus on communicating. You should focus on providing relevant information to customers in order to help them figure out what their problems, needs, or challenges are. This will then allow you to position your product as a potential solution. This requires that you ask your customers questions and listen to what they have to say. Communication is a two-way street after all.

Promoting products is all about saying what you have to say and hoping the customer buys it. Communication is about strengthening your understanding of your customers and building trust in your brand. One of the best ways to do this is through social media.

Convenience

Convenience focuses on how easy it is for customers to purchase your product. You’ll want to identify potential barriers and figure out ways to remove those barriers in order to improve customer convenience. For example, maybe a poor user interface is preventing potential customers from using your e-commerce site. Providing quality customer support to help make the purchasing process easier is also an important facet of improving convenience.

In today’s world, the consumer has more power than ever. As such, your marketing efforts will be more successful if you take a more customer-oriented approach. By understanding the importance and using the 4C marketing model, you’ll have more success targeting customers who are actually interested in what you have to offer. Not to mention that such an approach will help you build long-lasting relationships with your customers.

Optimizing Your Advertising Budget: 5 Essential Factors for Success

November 22, 2023/in Advertising Agency, Articles, Directors, Media /by Dan Gartlan

The media landscape is constantly changing. New technologies and trends are emerging rapidly and existing platforms continue to evolve, providing more ways to spend your advertising budget. Today’s media plan looks far different than even last year, with more media channels, more devices, and even more opportunities to connect with shoppers. How do you find the most effective balance with an advertising budget and media plan that make sense now? Read more

The Brand Loyalty Of Generation X

November 17, 2023/in Articles, Brand Development, Directors /by Nicole Wagner

When customers buy products or services from the same brand every time, it is called Brand Loyalty. Even though there are other brand options available, customers prefer the same brand for their purchase. It is counted as a strong connection between a customer and a brand. Consumers like certain brands. They develop a trust that the brand’s products are of the right quality and a good value. That trust, along with other positive emotions, causes consumers to develop brand loyalty, where they tend to buy certain products from particular brands now and into the future. How brand loyalty works depends on many factors, age and status in life being two.

It is critical to understand how a particular generation develops brand loyalty. The insights gained by this understanding make marketing to the generation in question much easier. Let’s look at Generation X for example.

What Makes Generation X (Gen X) Unique?

Generation X is usually defined as those born between 1965 and 1980. This generation sits between the much larger Baby Boomer and Millennial generations. Because they are smaller than those two generations, many marketers forget they exist.

Members of Generation X straddle a critical divide. They remember times when Internet access wasn’t the norm. They grew up with a more traditional business model. However, they also came of age at the beginning of the Internet revolution. They have adapted quite well, using the Internet in many of the same ways their younger Millennial siblings do. By straddling this critical divide, Gen X feels comfortable in both traditional and digital marketing.

How To Develop Content To Build Customer Loyalty

Opinions of Gen X vary greatly. As Gen X came of age, they were called slackers, loners, and apathetic. However, as Gen X emerged into adulthood, the descriptions changed. They are often called independent, dedicated, savvy, and innovative. Many of this generation grew up as “latchkey” kids, coming home to an empty house because both parents worked.

Because they came of age during a time of high unemployment and a stagnant economy, Generation X tends to be skeptical and cautious, with a bit of cynicism thrown in. They also look for lower price, high-value options that are convenient.

Generation X and Brand Loyalty

In June 2015, CrowdTwist conducted an online survey of just over 1200 North American consumers between the ages of 18 and 69. Approximately 1/3 of the people who participated in the survey were part of Generation X. The results of this survey provided critical insights into how Generation X develops brand loyalty and how brands can retain that loyalty.

Due to this generation’s built in skepticism, brands have to work to gain their loyalty. High quality products and excellent customer services are two components that members of Generation X value. They also want brands that are authentic and trustworthy. They must be relevant and stay relevant. Brands must prove they have value. Marketing pitches and overt salesy advertising are two things that turn members of Gen X against certain products.

The good news is that Gen X tends to stick with the brands they love. Almost 50% of Gen X survey participants indicated they are extremely loyal or quite loyal to their favorite brands. Only 14.6% said they are quite willing or moderately willing to try new brands.

Also Read: Customer Engagement Strategy

Takeaways

If you are targeting Generation X, you need to understand what it values if you want to develop brand loyalty with this age group. They can be cynical, skeptical and cautious. That requires a company to prove their authenticity and relevance. Gen X wants high value, cost effective options. They expect good quality products at affordable prices. They also love it when these deals are easy to find and easy to purchase.

Once your brand earns the loyalty of a Gen X member, that person is likely to remain a loyal customer for years to come.

5 Ways To Improve Your Relationship Marketing Strategy

November 15, 2023/in Articles, Blog, Directors, Marketing Strategy /by Dan Gartlan

It may seem obvious, but building a business is a long-term effort. As such, it requires a long-term strategy. You can’t succeed by only making quick sales. You need to build a customer base — it’s the only way to not only grow, but to survive. Unfortunately, a lot of businesses assume that once someone has made a purchase, that customer is part of their “customer base.” This is not how it works — they usually do not become loyal to your brand after one purchase. You need to nurture them past the point of the sale, which is why you need to implement a strong relationship marketing strategy.

What is Relationship Marketing?

What is Relationship Marketing? Relationship marketing is a marketing strategy that focuses on building long-term relationships with customers, rather than simply making individual sales.

The Importance of Customer Retention

Keeping your existing customers is essential to your company’s success. As such, it’s important that you continue to build the customer relationships that you’ve established. If you don’t, they’re less likely to feel a sense of loyalty to your brand and will be more likely to jump to a competitor. If that’s not enough of a reason to put some effort into keeping existing customers, consider the following:

Repeat customers spend an average of 67 percent more per purchase than first-time customers.
It can cost up to 25 times as much to close a new customer than to keep an existing customer.
Increasing your customer retention by as little as 5 percent can boost your revenue by as much as 25 to 95 percent.
Existing customers will refer other leads to your business.

As you can see, customer retention is important. The best way to increase customer retention is by implementing an effective relationship marketing strategy.

Similar Article: Improve Your Marketing Strategy By Asking These 4 Questions

How To Improve Your Customer Relationship Marketing Strategy?

The following are a few tips to help you strengthen your relationship marketing strategy for increased customer retention.

1. Improve Your Customer Service

Poor customer service is going to result in a poor customer experience, making customer retention more challenging. Providing good customer service should be the foundation for any relationship marketing strategy. If your customers have questions, concerns, or even complaints, your customer service should be able to engage with them immediately to provide a solution or to provide helpful advice.

Besides making sure your customer service reps are friendly, respectful, and know how to handle every kind of situation, they also need to be easy to reach. There’s nothing more frustrating for a customer than being unable to reach customer service. Make it easy for customers to reach out through multiple channels, including phone, email, text, social media, and a live chat feature on your website. You want to be able to help your customers no matter where they are.

2. Listen To Feedback

Listening to feedback from existing customers can help you improve the customer experience. Doing so will help improve your ability to nurture customer relationships in the future. Not to mention that by showing existing customers that you care about what they think and actually do something with the feedback you collect, you help build trust in your brand. Don’t just listen to complaints when customers have them either — go out of your way to ask for feedback. You can do this by asking for specific feedback on social media or by emailing surveys to customers after they’ve made a purchase.

3. Create Content Targeting Existing Customers

As far as content marketing strategies go, a lot of companies focus solely on attracting and nurturing new leads. Don’t forget about your existing customers! The content you create can still be useful to them if you actually target them. Create content that better informs them about the problems you know they have. Use it to educate them about their purchases so that they can get the most out of them.

How To Develop Content To Build Customer Loyalty

4. Embrace Email Marketing

You should have information about existing customers that you can use to improve how you segment your email lists. This should allow you to email existing customers content that is more relevant to them and to potentially identify relevant cross-selling or up-selling opportunities that you can email to them. Email is a great way to nurture your customers and to keep your brand at the top of their minds.

5. Implement A Loyalty Program

A loyalty program rewards repeat customers. This provides them with an incentive to continue doing business with your company. With a loyalty program, customers are more likely to make additional purchases and are less likely to jump ship to a competitor.

A good relationship marketing strategy is vital when it comes to customer retention. Use these tips to strengthen your relationship marketing strategy so that you can nurture existing customers, increase brand loyalty, and generate more sales as a result.

The Importance of Having a Mobile Optimized Website

November 8, 2023/in Articles, Digital Media, Directors, Marketing Strategy, Website Design /by Terry Becker

More and more people are using mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to surf the web. At this point in time, more people are using their mobile devices to perform searches than they’re using computers. Roughly 60 percent of organic search engine visits occur on mobile devices in the U.S., according to Statista. This means that if you have a website, then you should consider optimizing it for mobile use. In fact, not having a mobile could actually be detrimental to your marketing efforts.

What is a Mobile Optimized Website?

You need to understand the differences between a mobile friendly site and a mobile optimized site. A mobile friendly website accurately displays on smaller screens. It usually appears as a smaller version, although it may not always work perfectly on touchscreen tablets. It should, however, still be functional. Mobile friendly websites also have features such as text-based phone numbers or email addresses that can trigger direct calls or email messages via mobile devices or slideshows and image rotators that function without Flash support.

While a mobile friendly site helps ensure your site functions on mobile devices, mobile optimization goes a step further. A mobile optimized site reformats itself for mobile devices. It not only makes sure to properly display on smaller screens, but also makes the site much easier to navigate. It reformats content, displays larger navigation buttons and optimizes images according to screen size.

The Benefits of a Mobile Optimized Website

Responsive design helps ensure the mobile optimization of your website. This tends to cost more to develop, but it ensures the mobile optimization of every aspect of your website. This will provide significant benefits over the long run. The following benefits result from a mobile optimized website:

Improve your user experience

User experience is essential. If you don’t provide a good user experience, visitors will leave and they won’t return. The mobile experience is much different from the computer experience. Visitors need to be able to read your web pages with ease, click links without zooming in, and navigate your site on a smaller screen. Without mobile optimization, users often struggle to read or navigate websites on mobile devices.

Improve website speed

When you optimize your website to meet mobile standards, then your website should load quickly. Websites that aren’t properly optimized for mobile often take a while to load, especially when they use Flash elements. Mobile users simply aren’t going to spend time on your site if they can’t get your pages to load. By improving the speed of your site, you’re more likely to keep visitors on your site for longer periods.

Increase user engagement

A mobile optimized website increases the likelihood of engaging your visitors. This is because visitors will spend more time on your site navigating through content. They will also be able to interact with your site, whether it be by liking content, clicking on CTAs, or even contributing to your comment sections.

Learn more about mobile with these Mobile Marketing Strategy

Increase average time on site

When you provide a good user experience to mobile users, they will end up spending more time on your website. The longer they spend on your site, the more likely they are to convert or return again later.

Improve your mobile SEO

A few years ago, your mobile SEO wouldn’t affect your regular SEO. However, due to how many mobile users there are now, Google has begun factoring a website’s mobile SEO into their regular SEO. This means that if you don’t have a website that’s optimized for mobile use, it will actually hurt your SEO.

Attract more local customers

Mobile SEO is extremely important to local SEO. Many people will perform search queries on the go when they are looking for a specific business. These people want to buy. If they are near your physical location and they find your website while doing a mobile search, they’re more likely to drop in and make a purchase. Poor mobile SEO will translate to poor local SEO, thereby potentially hurting your ability to attract local customers.

Grow Your Business With Mobile Optimization

Considering how many people use mobile devices to perform search queries and explore the web, the importance of a mobile optimized website can’t be overstated. If you do not optimize your website design for mobile use, you risk losing a significant part of your target audience.

What’s Trending in Marketing For October 2023

October 31, 2023/in Articles, Brand Positioning, Directors, Trending /by Stevens and Tate

Welcome to our October 2023 edition of “What’s Trending,” where we bring you the most relevant marketing news and insights. Stay informed and ahead of the game with our curated collection of marketing trends and reports in fall 2023.

Noteworthy Marketing News

Booking.com Is Striking a New Balance Between Brand and Performance

In 2022, Booking.com showed up at the Super Bowl for the first time with a spot starring Idris Elba. It booked a second ticket to the Big Game in 2023, making a comeback with actress and producer Melissa McCarthy. For Natalie Wills, vp of brand at Booking.com, these star-studded multi-channel campaigns are emblematic of how the travel giant is increasingly walking the line between brand building and performance marketing. “Historically, we’ve been quite a performance-led organization, but in the last couple of years, we’ve really been delving into brands,” she explained. Read more here.

What Marketers Are Saying About Their Marketing Misalignment Woes

Modern marketing organizations are truly impressive, creative powerhouses that drive impact through their content, and backed by refined analytics and business intelligence. The one thing they often miss, however, is organizational alignment. Executives lack insight into the work being done – independent contributors don’t understand how their daily work connects to the plan and managers are stuck in the middle without enough information to communicate up or down effectively. Read more here.

How NIL deals and brand sponsorships are helping college athletes make money

Student-athlete influencers have become key parts of marketing strategies for companies and capitalized on their athletic performance to bring in previously unattainable levels of fame and fortune. The NIL market is worth an estimated $1 billion annually. The industry’s growth has been driven in large part by collectives. These donor-backed groups facilitate NIL opportunities like autograph signings and appearances at fundraisers and account for 80% of the money flowing to student-athletes. Read more here.

Find these articles interesting? You may like: How to Leverage Influencer Marketing for Your Brand’s Success

Improving Your Marketing Program

5 SMART Goal Example For Business Development

A smart goal is basically what the acronyms from the name suggest. It is specific, measurable, attainable, and relevant and time bound. The Smart Goal process provides a frame where you can create a long term goal. It also provides a time limit for you to work on the same goal. By doing this business’ are 70% more successful in achieving their goals thanks to regular check-ins, updates and group accountability. Check out some smart goal examples for business development that will help you understand the system better and enhance your business. Continue to read here.

Emotional Advertising: How Brands Use Feelings to Get People to Buy

emotional advertising marketing trends 2023 Emotional advertising uses emotions to connect with consumers and encourage them to buy a product or service. This type of advertising appeals to the heart rather than the head, and it can be quite effective in leaving a lasting impact on customers. Informing your audience is important. You want potential buyers to understand what their problem is, and how your products or services can solve that problem. Unfortunately, people don’t generally make purchases based on information alone. It turns out that people are more prone to making emotional purchases than informed purchases. It’s why commercials consist of much more than an explanation of a product’s use. Instead they use emotional advertising to target the viewer. Continue to read here.

4 Essential Brand Component

There’s a common misconception that many people have that a “brand” is basically just the name of the company and the logo that they use. While these elements contribute to the overall brand of a business, the term “brand” is actually much more comprehensive than that. It involves many different components, which is why it takes a lot of thought in order to successfully develop your brand. The following are the four main brand components that you will need to address when building your brand and what kinds of strategies you can put into place to further develop those components. Continue to read here.

Recent Marketing Reports, Updates, and Trends

Marketing Briefing: Here are 5 marketing trends you have missed from 2023 Advertising Week

Another Advertising Week New York has come and gone. And while the event last week, in its nineteenth iteration, was hybrid in-person and online, it covered topics that have dominated marketers’ minds this year. Here are the 5 top takeaways you might’ve missed if you weren’t able to attend. Read the full article.

Adapt Or Persist? Analyzing 5 B2B Marketing Trends In 2023

B2B Marketing trends 2023 The marketing landscape is undergoing a significant shake-up—from a laser focus on data privacy to widespread layoffs in tech to the game-changing impact of generative AI. When it comes to marketing strategies, it’s crucial to understand what’s shifted and what’s remained constant. Forbes surveyed more than 300 B2B marketing professionals with the goal of understanding their priorities and budgets, as well as how they’re using AI. Forbes identified five trends and strategies for business leaders and marketers as we venture further into the back half of 2023. Read the full article.

75 Branding Statistics for 2024: Top Insights and Marketing Trends

The rise of the internet and digital marketing has unleashed new possibilities for brand marketers. Before the internet, brands were built in boardrooms and involved mass advertising to reach the public. If you’re looking to master the art of building a great brand, then understanding how customers perceive brands is crucial. Let’s look into some of the most important branding statistics. Read the full article.

Micro Moments: A New Consumer Behavior in Marketing

October 27, 2023/in Directors, Marketing Strategy /by Dan Gartlan

Successful businesses understand that consumer behavior in marketing does not stay the same. Consumer behavior changes based on a variety of factors, including new tools and ways of using those tools. The smartphone drastically changed consumer behavior in marketing. This happened somewhat recently, yet people already spend roughly 3.5 hours a day on their phones. The way that a person interacts with their phone is much different than how they interact with TV, magazine ads, or their computer. As a result, marketers must expand the ways in which they engage with consumers in order to continue capturing their attention.

For example, smartphone usage has resulted in a new consumer behavior in marketing termed “micro-moments.” If you want to capture the attention of your mobile audience, you must find a way to take advantage of these micro-moments.

What are Micro-Moments?

People regularly pull out their phones to look something up, but only spend a few seconds doing so. For example, maybe they’re talking to a friend about a movie and they can’t remember the name of the main actor. A quick Google search on their phone will give them their answer. Or if they’re trying to decide where to eat, they can do a quick mobile search for restaurants in their area. These interactions with their phones are called micro-moments because of their brevity.

Why Are Micro-Moments Important?

Although consumers may only use their smartphones for a few seconds in such micro-moments, they have a purpose that they are trying to fulfill. The buyer’s journey, which many businesses have carefully planned for in a linear fashion, is no longer linear. It’s fractured in hundreds of micro-moments that are intent-driven. They are an opportunity to shape the preferences and decisions of your target audience. As such, you need to position yourself in a manner allows you to address the needs of your audience during these micro-moments. The following are the main reasons why you need to do this:

Find new customers – It’s estimated that around 90 percent of customers are not committed to any brand. This means that if they find you during these micro-moments, they may choose your product or service as a result.
Beat the competition – A third of all smartphone users make a purchasing decision based only on the information provided to them in the moment that they needed it. This means you could steal customers from your competitors as a result.
Boost awareness – Over 50 percent of smartphone users discover new brands during micro-moments.

How Can You Leverage Micro-Moments To Your Advantage?

The following are a few tips on how to position your brand to meet the needs of your audience during micro-moments:

Know their purchasing triggers – Find out how, when, and where your audience is researching and making purchasing decisions. This allows you to create an engaging strategy for consumers during micro-moments across all channels
Make purchasing easy – You want it to be easy for consumers to make a purchase the moment they’ve made a decision. If it’s not easy for them to buy right away, they may change their minds.
Provide relevant content – Figure out what keywords consumers are using to create content that provides helpful answers during micro-moments.

Using the Buyer’s Journey to Create Great Content

Increasing smartphone usage has changed the way consumers behave. The new consumer behavior in marketing you must address is the micro-moment. Micro-moments have quickly become an important part of the buyer’s journey

A GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE MOBILE MARKETING TECHNIQUES

The Power of Story Branding: What We Can Learn from Successful Brand Stories

October 26, 2023/in Articles, Brand Story Telling, Directors, Storybranding /by Mark Beebe

In today’s competitive marketplace, establishing a strong brand identity is essential for businesses looking to stand out and connect with their target audience. One powerful tool that can help achieve this is story branding. By weaving narratives into their brand strategies, companies can create emotional connections, engage customers, and leave a lasting impression. In this article, we will explore inspiring examples of successful brand stories from renowned brands. Additionally, we will uncover valuable lessons you can apply to your own brand strategy.

The Elements of a Compelling Story Branding

Before diving into specific examples, let’s first understand the key elements that make up a compelling brand story. A well-crafted brand narrative typically includes a relatable protagonist, a clearly defined problem or challenge, and a resolution that showcases the brand as the hero. Successful brand stories also incorporate emotional appeals, authenticity, and a sense of purpose. These elements provide a framework for creating stories that resonate with audiences.

Nike – Empowering Athletes around the World

The global sportswear giant, Nike has built its brand around empowering athletes. Through their “Just Do It” campaign, Nike taps into the universal human desire for personal achievement and overcoming obstacles. Their advertisements often feature real-life athletes, showcasing their struggles, determination, and triumphs. By positioning themselves as the supporter and ally of these athletes, Nike establishes a powerful emotional connection with their audience, inspiring them to push beyond their limits and embrace the spirit of victory.

Key Takeaway: By aligning your brand with a higher purpose and leveraging relatable stories of individuals who embody that purpose, you can inspire and motivate your audience.

Coca-Cola – Spreading Happiness and Connection

Coca-Cola is known for its ability to evoke emotions and create a sense of nostalgia. Their branding focuses on the idea of bringing people together, celebrating moments of joy, and fostering connections. Through heartwarming commercials, Coca-Cola tells stories that revolve around love, friendship, and shared experiences. These narratives tap into the universal desire for happiness and leave a lasting positive impression on consumers.

Key Takeaway: Highlighting shared values and emotions can forge a deep connection with your audience, making your brand memorable and relatable.

Apple – Empowering Creativity and Thinking Differently

Apple’s brand story centers around innovation, creativity, and thinking differently. They have effectively established themselves as advocates for those who question conventional norms and surpass limits.

Apple’s advertisements frequently highlight artists, musicians, and visionaries who have used their products to forge extraordinary masterpieces. By associating their brand with groundbreaking individuals and their stories, Apple cultivates an image of cutting-edge technology that empowers people to unleash their creative potential.

Key Takeaway: Align your brand with a specific mindset or ideology to attract like-minded individuals and differentiate yourself in the market.

Patagonia – Advocating for Environmental Conservation

Patagonia, an outdoor clothing and gear company, has built a brand story around environmental activism and sustainability. Their messaging highlights the importance of protecting the planet and living in harmony with nature.

Patagonia actively engages in social and environmental initiatives, and its campaigns often feature real stories of individuals fighting for conservation. By embodying its values and walking the talk, Patagonia has created a passionate community of environmentally conscious customers who align with its mission.

Key Takeaway: Authenticity and commitment to shared values can attract a loyal customer base and elevate your brand’s impact beyond just products or services.

Airbnb – Building a Global Community of Hospitality

Airbnb, the online marketplace for accommodations, has successfully leveraged the power of story branding to create a global community of hospitality. Their brand story revolves around the idea of belonging, cultural exchange and connecting people from different backgrounds.

Through their marketing campaigns and user-generated content, Airbnb showcases real stories of hosts and guests who have formed meaningful connections and shared transformative experiences. Airbnb highlights personal stories, tapping into the desire for authentic travel experiences. This creates a sense of trust and belonging within their community.

Key Takeaway: Shifting the spotlight onto the experiences and tales of your clientele can aid in cultivating a close-knit community around your story branding while nurturing a profound sense of belonging and confidence.

Dove – Promoting Self-Acceptance and Beauty Diversity

Dove, a personal care brand, has embraced a powerful brand story centered around promoting self-acceptance and embracing beauty diversity. Through their “Real Beauty” campaign, Dove challenges societal beauty standards and celebrates the uniqueness and individuality of women.

Their advertisements and initiatives aim to empower women by highlighting their natural beauty and encouraging self-confidence. Dove addresses a common struggle and champions a more inclusive definition of beauty. This approach has led to immense brand loyalty and sparked meaningful conversations.

Key Takeaway: By addressing societal issues and promoting values that resonate with your target audience, you can build a brand story that inspires and empowers, creating a lasting impact.

Kamik – Embracing Nature and Sustainability

Kamik, a footwear brand specializing in outdoor and winter footwear, has crafted a brand story that embraces nature and sustainability. Their messaging revolves around enjoying the outdoors while protecting the environment.

Kamik showcases its commitment to sustainability through the use of recycled materials, eco-friendly production processes, and partnerships with environmental organizations. Kamik highlights efforts to minimize its ecological footprint, appealing to environmentally conscious consumers. This resonates with those who prioritize sustainable choices in their purchasing decisions.

Key Takeaway: By aligning your brand story with sustainability and showcasing tangible efforts to protect the environment, you can attract environmentally conscious consumers and differentiate your brand in the market.

Usersnap – Simplifying Feedback and Collaboration

Usersnap, a feedback and bug-tracking tool, has developed a brand story centered around simplifying the feedback and collaboration process for businesses. Their messaging emphasizes the importance of effective communication and streamlined workflows.

Usersnap’s story branding example highlights how their software helps teams gather feedback, track bugs, and and enabling seamless collaboration. The emphasis is on improving productivity and delivering enhanced digital experiences. Usersnap addresses the pain points of its target audience. By providing a solution that simplifies complex processes, Usersnap positions itself as a trusted partner in feedback management.

Key Takeaway: Understanding the challenges your target audience faces positions your brand as a reliable and valuable resource. This fosters long-term customer relationships.

Bottom Line

Story branding is a powerful tool for creating a lasting impact in today’s competitive marketplace. By understanding these lessons and applying them to your own brand strategy, you can craft a compelling brand story that resonates with your audience, differentiates your brand, and fosters long-term connections.

What We Can Learn from Viral Video Marketing & Examples of How It’s been Successful

October 25, 2023/in Articles, Blog, Directors /by Terry Becker

Viral video marketing entails creating and disseminating video content with the goal of broad online sharing. It is a subset of viral marketing that uses videos to generate excitement and raise interest in a specific product or service. When it comes to creating content, going viral is the ultimate goal. Unfortunately, there’s no blueprint for viral video marketing. You could spend tens of thousands of dollars on a 30-second video jam-packed with visual effects, hilarious dialogue, and well-known actors, and it still might not go viral; yet, some random person might upload a ten-second video of their cat and somehow it gets seen by a billion people within a day.

Although there’s no perfect formula for viral video marketing, there are certain things that you learn from successful viral videos from the past. Copying these videos won’t help make you go viral, but learning what made them successful can help you improve your video marketing in general. The following are a few things worth learning from some of the most successful viral videos in the past:

1. Know Who Your Audience Is

One of the most popular ads in recent years is the Dollar Shave Club video. In this video, the owner introduces viewers to the concept of the Dollar Shave Club by walking through his factory. The video is notable for its humor and extreme directness. It goes so far as to use swear words in the dialogue, and even the title of the video has a censored swear word in it. They know exactly who their audience is or else they wouldn’t have been so bold. It might turn some people off — but those aren’t the people they were trying to reach.

2. Invest In The Production

It is possible to make video content on a small budget these days, especially when considering how affordable video equipment has gotten. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put money into the production of your content. High-quality production does not go unnoticed. Just look at the Old Spice Man video. On the surface, it’s relatively simple — a man talks to the audience in a humorous tone to sell Old Spice deodorant. However, the backgrounds are constantly changing all within one shot. He starts in a bathroom, transitions onto a boat, and ends up on a horse at the end. It’s the high-quality production of the video that sells it.

The Power of First-Person Experience Videos

3. Get Their Attention

If your video isn’t interesting off the bat, the viewer isn’t going to stick around to watch the rest of it. This means that you need to grab their attention within the first 10 to 15 seconds of your video. The Poo-Pourri video is a good example of this. For most, the idea of a Poo-Pourri ad sounds kind of boring, yet it starts off with a hilarious line of dialogue that captures your attention right away. It then transitions into a music video, at which point the viewer has likely committed to watching the video all the way through.

Types Of Marketing Videos You Should Use

4. Evoke Emotions

You want your video content to stick with someone after they’ve seen it. To make sure it’s not instantly forgettable, you need to evoke emotions from your audience. This can be in the form of humor or even in the form of empathy. Take Budweiser’s ad Someone Waits For You At Home. Within one minute, it establishes a loving relationship with a dog and its owner that everyone can relate to. At the end, the dog is waiting for its owner, who may or may not return — a message against drinking and driving. It’s a heart-tugging cliffhanger that leaves an emotional impact on the viewer.

These are a few things that some of the most successful viral video marketing examples of the past have in common. While using these tips won’t ensure that your videos go viral, they will help to greatly improve their quality as well as their effectiveness. At the very least, they’ll put your video content in a much better position to go viral.