Technological advancements, has made virtual communication between brands and customers much more instantaneous. There has been a proliferation of tools that allow brands to easily create one-on-one interactions with its customers using social media. The reason brands love this technology is that it allows them to include consumers in their stories which humanizes the brand. With the explosion of content from consumers on social media, brands now have the need to create what is known as Always on Marketing or AOM. Here are a few simple steps to help your brand set up and leverage AOM.
Determine what your customers want to see
Some brands have already begun implementing strategies for always on marketing in order to provide that one-on-one communication with its consumers. However, the question remains, why those same brands are neglecting to provide personal interactions in their advertising. Brands continue to use generic branded content despite only 5% of that content is being engaged with. Because branded content appears less authentic and dehumanized, it is not well received by customers. People simply do not want to be sold to. Take a look at the typical customer journey:
In the awareness stage, people become familiar with the brand. In the consideration stage, people begin researching the brand. And in the decision stage, people determine whether the brand is worth purchasing. To effectively move a customer through the buying funnel, a deep understanding of their patterns, motivations, and considerations, should be analyzed to predict their behavior. Always on marketing helps brands cover all the the interactions in the customer journey with relevant, compelling user generated content.
As discussed in TINT’s “Everything You Need to Know About UGC” white paper, millennials are now much less receptive to brand ads. This means that to get their attention to focus on an ad, it must be something that they are personally connected to. It has been proven that using user-generated content leads to a 4x higher CTR in links and ads. This suggest that UGC is key to breaking the millennial barrier. Customers relate to posts that show others enjoying or using a product. It’s important for marketers understand how UGC can be leveraged to achieve better engagement and drive conversions. However, it is equally vital to develop a winning social media strategy and clearly define the marketing goals you wish to achieve with UGC. There a few core principles to keep in mind to successfully leverage an always on marketing approach.
Create your strategy and define your goals
The needs of a brand’s customers is just half the battle. When determining the best way to get in front of your target audience brands need to consider their content strategy and develop goals around its performance. Content is a direct source of information for your customers. It is the method of building your brand, not only in substance, but in authority. Social media provides that Always on Marketing content engine as users are constantly telling their story and using your brand.
Be prepared at EVERY stage of the customer journey
The opportunity to engage at every stage of the customer journey is always on marketing. That’s why as a brand you must stay prepared for the ever-changing nature of internet trends. In such an evolving environment, it may be difficult for companies to scale their content without leveraging user generated content.
By using UGC, brands are able to create content instantaneously, since it is already available for use and “always on”. With a content repository, like TINT, that collects all users’ posts and redisplays it in one place, brands can stay connected with their customers and provide a one-on-one interaction at all times.
When a brand can transfer the one-on-one instant messenger tactics onto ads, they will see much higher engagement. UGC humanizes a post and creates that connection between brand and customer. When customers feel like they are respected and listened to, they are converted from customer to evangelist.
Optimize your marketing channels
Optimizing your marketing channels with user generated content will help your brand build a repetitive model to move customers through the buyer’s journey and allow them to be turned into evangelists. Not only will this help your brand generate more revenue, it will yield a positive ROI needed for your content strategy and a more connected experience for your customer. UGC will help you create and unlock content campaigns that are most successful, and use the visual aspects that resonate the most within your target audience.
Analyze feedback, measure results, and make changes if necessary
Always on marketing can help your brand analyze customer feedback and join the conversation to control the brand’s message. As a brand if you are not tapped into data from your customers interactions how will you understand how to truly connect with your customers. . Although traditional marketing methods provide data, the learnings from always on marketing data will help you understand what’s meaningful to your customers.
User generated content is a source of always on marketing that helps deliver scalable content and helps invoke an emotional response from your consumers which leads to a more loyal customer. Always on marketing can help you understand the requirements of your customer to be able to predict, create, and deliver products and services that they might want. TINT can help provide the vehicle for your customers to ‘pull’ your brand into their daily world. Let your content be always on with TINT. Request a demo to get started!
