It
is a sign of the times, that previously sacrosanct marketing channels are now
coming under intense scrutiny by the bean counters. As any marketer responsible for door
2 door or face-to-face will testify. I’m seeing whole channels being
sacrificed by big brands as not only does spend have to be triple
justified but also how consumers are engaged with. In the
increasingly open social world, corporate reputations are easily put at stake with clumsy
looking marketing approaches.
The
gut feel of many marketers decision-making is giving way to a pure statistical driven
approach as the size of the chicken must be proved before it’s hatched! As most
good marketers know it is often those unusual and innovative ways to contact
and convert people which can yield the best results. It is only through
experimentation and rigorous testing that untapped pockets can be grown into
rich seams.
Let’s
face it - Social media is where most brands prospects and customers spend their
free (and often work!) time. However getting consumers to buy in this
environment is notoriously difficult. Just relying on ‘fan’ and ‘like’ building
in social media is unlikely to produce tomorrows customers in any significant volume.
Similarly with mobile, there is huge potential but without the economies of
scale and inventory selection to cost effectively turn eyeballs into leads and
customers. These emerging media channels are easiest to justify against TV/Print/Radio media. However, to truly crack these channels
requires innovation and appreciation for the way the audience expects to be
communicated at a price which fits into your cost per acquisition model.
Social
Lead Generation rather than straight customer generation is likely to show the
way in which to utilise social and mobile best.
Marketers have just got to try to think up novel and engaging ways for
consumers to communicate with brands so they turn
themselves into leads and customers.
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