How can a business stand out amongst a sea of companies vying for the same customers? Our digital lives are washing us with a flurry of emails, social media feeds, videos and text messages. As we search Google for information, advertisements appear, and we become visually numb to the waterfall of information.
We marketers need to dive into our target customers at the granular level to provide a spark – and stop the scroll. The key is embracing our humanity, storytelling and getting personal.
The Story Behind The Story
When we experience a great story, our brains light up to illuminate the city of neurons within our minds. The lit neuron activity then increases five-fold, which makes us remember, relate and care about what we just read. It’s how we humans are wired and goes way back to our ancestors telling stories around the campfire.
Every brand has people who can share their insights, their moments of having an epiphany, and the unique life experiences that distinguish who they are today. Show the human side of your business and share the unique life stories that only can come from you.
Admitting a flaw can humanize a brand and increase likability. For instance, Guinness mentions that its drinks take a long time to pour to emphasize that they’re worth the wait. Psychologist Elliot Aronson discovered this bias, known as the Pratfall effect. Simply put, admitting flaws makes people and brands more likeable. It is a rising trend in modern marketing.
Give the People What They Want
The best marketing isn’t about the brand; it’s about the customer. According to Google studies, 87% of viewers think good content is personal and relevant, intellectually invigorating, sensorially stimulating and emotionally resonant. The audience must see themselves in the content to remain engaged.
Viewers appreciate content that introduces them to new things, from education to product reviews. Viewers turn to social media to gain insight from content creators they can relate to and feel connected to, like getting advice from a neighbor.
Cinematic quality of video storytelling is not as important as the authenticity of a well thought out and produced video. Content does not have to be perfectly assembled to resonate.
Customers want to ‘feel’ in control, and that means more than just ‘being’ in control. Google research shows that, when customers feel in control of their data, they experience significant increases in trust and brand preference.
Feeling in control is about more than just being in control. Brands need to go beyond the basics to provide truly positive privacy experiences. This includes letting people know why their data is being collected, what it will be used for, and how the customer experience will be improved.
All these factors combine to create transparency and build trust with your customers. You can increase their feeling of control by 37% by utilizing the best performing practices below:
- Asking customers how often they wanted to be reminded about their preferences
- Sending an email privacy digest
- Requesting consent to personalize a website visit based on their browsing.
Personalize Interactions
January is the biggest month of the year for online searches of kitchen remodeling and related terms like kitchen cabinets, kitchen countertops, kitchen designer, etc. However, Google is showing a downward trend of 18% in searches for the respective kitchen search terms in 2022 versus 2021. By personalizing your advertising, you can spend your ad dollars more wisely in 2023 to offset the trending reduction in demand (and ultimately sales).
Every interaction with a customer is an opportunity to convert, and the commerce journey is an ever-expanding web of touchpoints where brand building can happen. Personalization efforts that are powered by automation tools are ideal for digital advertising campaigns.
Artificial intelligence delivers a variety of messaging and photography combinations and analyzes the results to determine the ideal combination. This machine learning increases advertisement efficiency and the return on advertising spend (ROAS) by double-digit percentages by leveraging algorithms at scale. Artificial intelligence delivers results faster than any other medium, and stays on top of customer trends and behavior faster than humans can.
As marketers, we were taught to master the funnel – a linear customer journey from awareness to consideration to purchase. But this model no longer applies to today’s customer journeys. In 2018, Google looked at thousands of users’ data and found that no two journeys are exactly alike, and most don’t resemble a funnel at all. They look like pyramids, diamonds, hourglasses and more.
Digital technology and mobile devices have put people in control. In many ways, intent is redefining the marketing funnel. This revelation requires a personalization mindset for every piece of content, advertisement, email or text message along the customer journey.
There are two types of customers – some want to understand every detail of your product and some just want the notes in summary. Use typography to make a verbose paragraph appeal to those short on time or patience. Guide the reader through the copy by highlighting the important text through varying font styles. The key takeaways are enhanced, summarizing the paragraphs for a quick read.
Cool Stuff to Come from Google
Google has discovered that people click on 3D images almost 50% more than static ones. But for merchants, creating these assets can be a challenge, requiring hundreds of product photos and costly technology. Google will make it easier for merchants to show their products in 3D by applying 3D mapping and machine learning, automating 360-degree scans of objects using just a handful of photos instead.
With the New Google Business Messages, customers will be able to message brands through Search ads, getting timely information and increasing engagement. If a search needs to become a text-based conversation, it can. And with a 30-day re-engagement window, marketers will have the opportunity to develop relationships with customers, both before and after sales happen.
Our digital world and online landscape will constantly evolve. Keeping a nimble and flexible mindset in this dynamic world is essential for your success. ▪
Denise Grothouse has an extensive background in international business, branding and marketing. She specializes in digital and social platforms and integrating them with traditional marketing and branding strategies in the kitchen and bath industry. She is the founder of Perfect Six Marketing, and director of Public Relations for HeroPlex.