The Age of 101: Key Points Of Digital Marketing Strategy

There are 10 types of companies in the world. Those who understand digital and those who don't.

"Being digital" is the saying-du-jour for most companies. Companies believe that being digital is WHAT they have to do but they have no idea HOW or WHY. 

Companies looking to dip their toe into the waters of the digital world (or even those who have been in for a while) need to analyze what I feel are the five key points of any digital campaign.

Audience

You have to know your audience. This is the key for any campaign but something that can be easily lost sight of when focusing on digital. Companies may think that since it costs nothing/little to be on facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Google+ and the list goes on that you should have a presence on there. You shouldn't.

Where are your customers? The customers must be the center of every campaign. If you're selling acne medication, it will not be effective to buy ads on LinkedIn. If your desired demographic is male, Pinterest would not be the place to have a page. 

You can't be everything to everyone and you can't be everywhere else you'll be seen nowhere. 

Expectations

The next crucial aspect to understand is setting the right expectations & goals for the campaign. If you don't have what you expect to achieve from the campaign set at the get-go, you will only meet disappointment. 

With digital marketing it can be even more difficult to set concrete goals and benchmarks since there is rarely a direct path from the customer to the company. You may be looking for increased orders, to build your email database, or for people to donate money; whatever your goal, set the benchmarks and measurements that you're able to capture and use.

You will use your set goals to influence every action that the company does from here on. If an action/medium doesn't fit your goal and reach your desired customer; don't do it.

Story Creation/Authenticity

Now comes problem the most difficult aspect for companies to get their heads around - content. This is where the company receives its voice and talks to its customers. You want to intrigue the customers - entice them to learn more about your product/service. 


All your communications, whether tweets, facebook updates, YouTube video or banner ads, must match the tone of your brand. It must seem authentic to the customer. No one will trust a "serious" brand that makes slap-stick commercials or sarcastic tweets. 

To the left is an example of good content creation by Irrational Games for Bioshock Infinite, "Columbia, A Modern Day Icarus?" This video hits perfectly with the demographic of the game, 25-35 year old males. It's reminiscent of the informative videos shown in science classes around the country in the 70s and 80s 


Below are a series of TED talks that give insight on storytelling and how to be a better storyteller. 

Social

If corporate heads don't say the words "We need to be digital" than a large percentage of the remaining time they will say "We need to be social." 

I want to emphasize that "being social" doesn't just mean being on a social network. You can be on facebook and twitter but if you're not engaging your followers - not being social - then you're not doing it properly. You will need to set up the campaign with more than just tweets of "Buy our product," "Sale Today," "Come to our store." You need to start conversations with your followers. Go back to the true meaning of social.

Mobility

Finally, once all the content is done and created, companies have to ensure that their customers see it. As I discussed in my previous blog post, "Call and Respons(iv)e: Responsive User Design," people are increasingly using smartphone and mobile devices as their primary devices. This means that a website that has been created for a PC/laptop may not have a similar user experience when being viewed by someone on the tablet. 

Here is an example of the Bioshock Infinite website viewed from a smartphone. The banner is un-scrollable. You're not able to scroll to the "Buy Now" or forums links on the site. 

#mobilefail

When creating websites, or any content, ensure that it is viewable from any device. You want your customers to be able to view you wherever they are. 

Keeping these five aspects in mind when creating a digital campaign will bring you a long way to ensuring it's a successful one. 

So, Remember...
Identify your audience. Identify your voice. Use it. 

Do I Fascinate You? Do I?!

Have you ever seen a company's twitter feed comprised of nothing but boring links like...

"Click here for more info ... http://bit.ly/boringlink"

"Sale! Click here for more info ... http://bit.ly/anotherboringlink"

"Friend us! ... facebook.com/boringcompany"

Would you ever click on one of the links? No.

When you're being interviewed would you answer the interviewer's questions by saying "Look at my résumé. That will answer the question?" No. 

Every interaction you have with someone, is a continuation of a story. Every conversation is another chapter in the mental book they write about you. The same goes for companies. 

Everything is a brand, even you – Yes, you ARE a brand.

Everything that you communicate from tweets and Facebook posts to stories you tell your friends tells a lot about your brand and how you communicate. Corporations and people must convey their stories to achieve whatever message they’re trying to get across, whether it is influencing others to buy their product or to hire them for a job.

According to SallyHogshead (@SallyHogshead), there are 7 triggers of fascination that everyone uses to persuade and captivate in telling a story and achieving their goals. Everyone has a primary and secondary trigger that combined forms an archetype.

The 49 Fascination Archetypes

Knowing your archetype can help you discover your strengths and weaknesses of how you persuade people and use that knowledge of both to your advantage.

After taking the test, I discovered that I have a primary trigger of Passion and a secondary trigger of Mystique forming the archetype The Intrigue. Everyone also has a trigger that they use least, their dormant trigger. Mine is Alarm

Unlike other tests, which focus on how you see yourself, this test focuses on how others perceive you. 

I was a bit surprised to see Passion score as my primary trigger. I tend to see myself more reserved though upon reflection I do try to draw people in by getting them excited about an issue/item/show as I am.  

I have taken several other types of tests before (I’m a whole-brained, INTJ with a cusp I/E) and these previous results have a definite correlation to the results seen in the overall fascination archetype. All of these tests show a prevalence to be somewhat even-keeled and to choose for quality over quantity when sharing information.

Companies would be wise to find their archetype - their strengths and weaknesses, the triggers they use to connect with their customers. 

Companies are dedicating more energy online and consumers are spending more of the sales funnel online researching companies and products. With the increased detachment, companies must engage consumers better - fascinate them. This is the first step in creating a lasting connection with that consumer that will, hopefully, shape into a lasting profitable relationship. For example, a company whose primary or secondary trigger of Mystique might prefer using Twitter where their message is delivered piecemeal. 

Listen to Sally's TED talk for her insights into how to fascinate.