Meaning business
3rd Nov 2009
Imagine if consumers came looking for your advertising. Imagine if your marketing added such value that people consciously went to seek it out. With the development of communications pathways such as email, blogging and social networking the marketing world now has a plethora of choice when distributing a message. However, there may be a shift occurring, maybe consumers are looking for more of a connection, more value and more of a reason to commit to a brand than just being told to.
Meaningful marketing is a way of looking at your consumer's needs and providing possible solutions to their problems whether they make a purchase or not. It is about associating your company or brand with added value in your consumer’s lives. It is about giving something back before you have even made a sale, and it’s about creating followers who find you genuine and engaging.
- Substance – The ‘Question of the Week’ this week was ‘Facebook Vs Twitter?’ and it seems like Twitter may be the winning the debate. There are perhaps numerous reasons for the rise of Twitter and the decline of Facebook but one possible explanation is the idea of substance. On the face of it Facebook provides more; a complex collection of games, information, advertising, and of course friendship, but how substantial is all of that? Have people begun to turn their backs on that for the more genuine pull of Twitter? Maybe this is becoming the same for marketing. It seems like maybe consumers are frustrated by ‘advertising fog’ and are more eager to get down to the genuine article.
- Conversation – People love to talk. As media becomes more social, conversation has become much more engaging than the idea of messages. It doesn’t mean that messages can’t feature in a conversation but giving people the opportunity to respond and join in provides a sense of control, involvement and fun. This leads on to the third point.
- Sharing a common cause – Excite your customers by providing topics and activities they want to talk about. Being socially aware of your target audience gives you the opportunity to achieve the above two points. Listening can be your greatest tool.
Having a marketing strategy that people choose to engage with is a practical way to get consumers behind the brand and investing emotionally in your business. Being able to deliver personal value to someone through marketing may not always force a sale but it can encourage one. After all, people who have an emotional attachment to a brand are more likely to spread the word about it.
The rise in the need for communications and personal connections has shown us that people are seeking out fuller experiences and more intrinsic bonds; then the economic crisis brought ‘value’ to the forefront of people’s minds. The combination has provided marketers with a fresh look at consumer behaviour. Marketing has moved beyond the prequel to a sale and has become part of the value of the product.
Published by
Laura Hicks, Copywriter
laura.hicks@creationagency.com,
show all articles from Laura Hicks
