How to Make Your Brand Marketing More Engaging
In today’s business world, which has been revolutionised by digital technology and the modern forms of communication this has created, public expectations have shifted dramatically. People are becoming less and less likely to loyally believe the polished picture-perfect style of brand marketing that existed for so long on television, print and billboards.
Now, with the internet at the fingertips of billions of people worldwide and increasing numbers of digital services vying for their attention such as social media, streaming video services like Netflix and YouTube, Stories published by friends, family, and celebrities on apps like Instagram, and much more, it is increasingly difficult for brands to cut through the noise to stand out.
What is becoming apparent though, is that people’s attention is gravitating towards authenticity and creative storytelling. This explains the success of the disappearing Stories format invented by Snapchat, which has subsequently spread to other services like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. People enjoy seeing unfiltered glimpses into the lives of others.
It also explains the enormous success of YouTube which has given rise to a whole new industry of stars. For younger audiences, the stars they follow on YouTube are often far more important to them than traditional “celebs” in movies or on television.
So, what does all this mean for brands? You need to go where your audience is which is increasingly on digital technology such as smartphones and tablets and services like social media and YouTube. This also means investing less in traditional forms of advertising like TV, radio, and print, which are losing popularity among younger people.
For example, according to a 2022 report by regulator Ofcom in the UK, “young people now watch almost seven times less broadcast television than people aged over 65”.
While of course newer technology is more widely used by younger generations, the usage among older generations is catching up, plus with each subsequent generation, people will become increasingly used to digital technology as they grow up with it from childhood.
According to Statista “In 2021, over 4.26 billion people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to almost six billion in 2027”. Internet usage also continues to expand across the world which has led to an ever-greater proliferation of information.
While brands may claim one thing in their marketing, if they are being inauthentic or are manipulating the truth, this can be quickly revealed. People can now access the greatest amount of information ever known, simply by searching on the smartphone device in their pocket. This has changed the marketing landscape forever.
Therefore, to stand out, brands now need to be authentic and tell their stories and what makes them unique. It is also important for company leaders and their marketing teams to understand that people care less about the polished corporate image and logos and more about the people behind the company, the morals of the company, what makes the company unique and what others think about the brand's services and products. This is one of the reasons why Google reviews and review sites like Trustpilot and TripAdvisor are so popular.
To grab people’s attention, it is essential to produce creative, inventive, and authentic content including videos, photos, blog posts, Stories, Live Videos, and social media updates which are then widely distributed across various channels including your website, newsletter, YouTube channel and social media such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest and more.
Company owners and leaders need to allow greater creative freedom to their marketing teams and staff in general to tell inventive, funny, interesting, and educational stories which draw viewers in and incentivize social sharing. While new forms of technology may prove challenging to teams less accustomed to using them at the beginning, what should become obvious over time is that social media and digital technology is an incredible tool to reach an even wider audience and grow your client base.
Social media, YouTube, blog posts, newsletters and other forms of digital marketing all provide tremendous insights on aspects like views, shares, and click-through rates so that it is possible to directly see the connection between publishing content online and how this affects sales. This is opposed to Billboards, leaflets, TV commercials, magazine ads, radio adverts etc. which are much less measurable.
The astonishing thing is that so many companies continue to invest most of their marketing budgets into these older forms of marketing, rather than diverting funds to pay for modern marketing which will reach people where their attention is.
Of course, if you simply try to broadcast your corporate sales message on social media people will get bored, stop following and your social media spending will be a total waste of time. A clear example of this is what is happening with TV. When the adverts appear people either switch the channel, mute the TV, leave the room to get a drink or check their phone. This is also why services like Netflix continue to grow in popularity because they are (mostly) ad-free. The bottom line is people overwhelmingly hate traditional advertising and will try to avoid it whenever possible.
Instead, view social media and other forms of digital tech as a way of creatively reaching your followers and customer base in a way you can’t elsewhere. It’s a massive opportunity that your company cannot afford to waste!
Rather than trying to directly sell to people, provide added value to your followers through entertainment, humour and education and they will continue to follow your brand and team, share your content and be more likely to trust and buy from you. Being open and authentic across social media creates tremendous value and trust which is something people are increasingly searching for.
For example, the Stories format has been an enormous success for Instagram, which copied the disappearing stories format from rival Snapchat. According to SocialPilot, “daily active users of Instagram stories are 500 million” which is more than the total number of users of Snapchat (Statista). It also proves the growing desire among social media users for more raw, unfiltered, and authentic content, as opposed to the polished content of traditional marketing which had also started to proliferate Instagram feeds.
Too many brands and their leaders remain stuck in the past in terms of marketing, but it is never too late to shift focus and gear and realise where today’s attention lies. Like it or not, smartphones, social media, YouTube, stories, and more are not going anywhere and instead are set to become ever more prevalent in people’s lives. Be open to change and ready to embrace this new world and your brand can flourish and continue to grow, by showing your authentic, fun, and creative side.
Instead, if you stick your head in the sand and pretend people are going to continue to look at leaflets, billboards, and TV ads, then you may find your brand going the way of Kodak, Blackberry or Blockbuster. All of these were once industry leaders and are now almost completely forgotten.
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