The standard approach to achieving online business goals is creating time-based online campaigns. Online campaigns can come in many forms; launching a social media contest, uploading viral content with a catchy hashtag, or running a series of paid ads with a particular theme or goal in mind, for example.
This model of marketing strategy has been in circulation for years: businesses run a campaign for a specific period of time, stop, then re-adjust it to the current trends and their goals. Using this model results in a continuous cycle of short-term marketing objectives that propel the business.
Mercedes-Benz is a good example of a big brand using this approach. For example, when Jurassic World first hit the big screen, the German car giant ran numerous short-term campaigns aligning their business with the film:
Once their campaign ran its cause, they jumped onto the next campaign:
This kind of campaigns might be easy to set up, and they might seem effective, but they all have a prevailing problem: most focus on goals that favor the brand rather than the consumer.
A majority of brands measure the success of their campaigns based on click-through rates, impressions, and conversion rates, with little concern whether these campaigns actually increase customer lifetime value or improve the buyer’s journey.
This is a big problem. The online marketplace is transforming, but marketing strategies haven’t.
The needs of consumers
Marketing campaigns are created to shape consumer desire and present a particular brand or product in a favorable light. While shaping opinions and desires is, and has always been, the ultimate goal of advertising, today, the power has shifted towards the needs of the consumer.
Currently, the world is flooded with competition, and potential clients can cherry pick adverts they wish to see, and since it now takes just one click to turn the ad off, the ads have to be tailored for the consumer.
Facebook and Google (the current marketing giants) allow their users 100% control when it comes to viewing ads on those platforms:
But most campaigns are still goal-oriented, and it’s difficult to measure lifetime value and sentiment through clicks and impressions.
Consumers want constant attention
When consumers start engaging with a particular brand, they expect attention; they expect that not only the product or service will meet their needs and desires, but also the brand itself. That’s why well-crafted marketing campaigns, with social media included, are so important – they are what make customers stay loyal to a particular brand.
When fans follow their favorite brands on Facebook or Twitter, they expect to receive regular updates and interactions, and they expect them delivered fast. A staggering 42% of consumers expect responses for their complaints on social media within an hour. Since consumers want and expect more, only the smooth, uninterrupted communication flow between the brand and the consumer can satisfy their growing needs.
Lack of consistency hinders branding efforts
Marketing campaigns tend to focus on a trending topic or theme (Mercedes-Benz example above), but such versatility can actually put potential customers off. For example, if a product is marketed for one target audience in one campaign, marketing it for another target audience in another confuses potential clients.
When consumers are researching a product or service, they will find plenty of information on it online. Whether that information has been published recently or a few years back, is of little importance, that’s why consistency is key to branding and increasing conversions. Running multiple campaigns without prevailing marketing theme can result in an overall weak brand message and leave prospects confounded.
The solution: turn to customers
Online marketing isn’t what it used to be a few years. Self-centered and business-driven campaigns are slowly becoming obsolete and ineffective. The scales have tipped in favor of the consumer. Businesses must create strategies with consumers’ needs at the forefront of every decision.
Instead of asking, How can we increase click-throughs by 10%? Marketing teams should be asking, How can we better serve our customers?
Summary
Long-term marketing approaches with the consumer at their center is the key to building strong brands. Companies should stop speaking and instead start listening to their customers, and then take care of their needs.
Creating campaigns with a clear and consistent message always result in increased customer loyalty and have a chance to raise the company’s customer lifetime value. Without building a strong, long-lasting client-brand bond, no company stands a chance to stay long on the market.
