Q: “Jack, please help me understand ‘engagement marketing’ - I’ve been told it’s a great opportunity for small business.”
A: You’re right on! The Internet has proven itself a force to be reckoned with! It has changed consumer habits and caused a communications revolution, worldwide. Value is created when people connect via participative platforms created around a common goal – to be entertained or informed, to create, or to make money. As a result new terms are appearing in our marketing lexicon, engagement marketing is one of them.
Advertising is changing its context at “warp speed.” The shift is from advertising’s traditional mode to one which is permission based. Within the traditional mode a consumer may watch a commercial or look at a print ad. That’s a one-way communication. There’s no participation, sharing, or interaction between the customer and the advertiser.
Engagement marketing is emerging as a new and powerful tool. It attempts to create a meaningful connection with consumers by “engaging” them in a dialogue, a two-way cooperative interaction.
Tom Chandler (engagementprinciples.com) points out in his marketing blog, Engagement Marketing for Small and Medium Businesses, “Marketers everywhere are getting excited about leveraging the increased time people are spending online, to keep eyeballs glued to their sites and interacting with their brands. This revolves around the intrinsic belief that the more time people spend with you, the more they are going to get to know you and more likely they are to pay for an association.”
So start with the basics. Advertising’s task has not changed that much. Stated simply: Create the best possible selling message to interact with the greatest number of prospects at the lowest possible cost. Only three words changed from the traditional task: “interact with” replaces “reach.”
The increased number of channels that deliver advertising messages to a target audience may overwhelm you. But the small business advertiser can reach out effectively to a well-defined target market. Seeking engagement has become much less expensive than traditional media programs. Online media offer a wealth of contact channels and interactive devices.
Engagement begins with a well designed interactive website and communications program. Video and audio clips or podcasts communicate powerfully. E-mail strengthens your presence to customers and prospects. AdWords, a blog, message board and cell phone messages help stimulate connection and interaction. Compared to traditional costs it’s a bargain.
What's the catch? The stumbling block for most companies is content. Effective engagement depends upon your Creative ROI. My solution is to measure with these three key words: Relevancy, Originality and Integrity.
These websites illustrate my Creative ROI criteria:
Relevancy – Breadtopia.com – Have you ever smelled the scent of baking homemade bread? Small business co-founders Eric and Denyce Rusch attract first time as well as experienced bakers. Baking bread has never been easier. They’ve got all the tools and Eric will show you how it’s done.
Originality – whiteboard.ups.com – Surely you’ve seen the attention grabbing UPS TV whiteboard commercials. They’re simple, easy to understand, believable and relevant. Now the whiteboard creative concept is woven into the UPS website.
Integrity – apple.com/getamac/ads/ – There’s one reason why the Apple customer engagement process works so well. CEO Steve Jobs is intimately involved with creating and maintaining Apple’s core values. They are sharply defined, clearly communicated, and well understood by employees, customers, owners and investors. Unique? You could do the same.
Want more information about engagement marketing tools? Visit www.askJack2answer.com - You ask and I’ll answer.
Jack G Hardy
|
