Strategically Bankrupt When it Comes to Engagement Marketing

Not that this comes as a shock, but many brands still believe that posting on Facebook, doing inane, real-time Twitter marketing and running Search is a strong digital marketing initiative.  They don’t understand it strategically and for many it’s simply too damn hard to grasp and integrate.  There are several reasons for this:

• Digital is not in the DNA of most mature brands … they built the business on TV and stick to it even though viewership is fragmented/declining and costs have been rising for years … very inefficient way to market
• The agency/client process for creating campaigns is backwards and hopelessly outdated.  To this day major agencies start from the TV concept and work out by simply extending a one-way sell to digital marketing
• The C-Level is clueless about new technologies and how digital natives move through the path-to-purchase … giving savvy marketing department fits when they have to explain it to management
• Marketing is now Marketing + Technology … older marketers are having a hard time grasping technology and many have said to me … this is too hard to understand and integrate

Five Strategies for Harnessing the Power of Digital Marketing 

• Start with engagement not awareness … go inside out
  • Recreate brand strategy for campaign development … go digital first, not TV first.  Start with engagement, not awareness.  True engagement actively involves consumers to participate with brands and share their experiences.  This  is how to create awareness, consideration and intent today.  Millenials and Z’s will not be sold to … they buy

• Understand the new landscape  of SMV …  Social/Mobile/Video is the now of marketing communications
  • Mobile is the new platform for Internet usage
  • Video is the new TV
  • Social is how consumers now connect with brands

• Move toward agency specialization now … Stop wasting your marketing budget 
  • Digital marketing and technology is difficult and rapidly changing.  Brands need to engage agencies that focus solely on Social/Mobile/Video to reap the benefits of engagement and conversion at the lowest cost-per-acquisition 

• Use this one analytic to find the right specialist
  • Finding agency expertise is actually simple
    • Agencies put their resources where they get the most revenue … just like brands
    • Find out  where your agencies  get the majority  of their revenue, if its broadcast, print, search … they don’t understand SMV and they won’t keep up with it
    • If you are using your TV creative or media agency for Social/Mobile/Video … I guarantee 50% of your budget is being wasted

• Go in-house … It will change your brand DNA
  • Eventually all brands will become digital natives or perish
  • Taking digital in-house ensures digital first strategy and better marketing integration
  • The new SMV agencies understand this and are more than willing to work on a project/consultancy basis … so help will still be accessible, but at far lower costs

Straight Up  ⇒  Start to morph your marketing strategy to SMV first for competitive advantage 

• Eventually all brands will be SMV first
• Less expensive to change now rather than later
• Start the change now … it takes time
• Hire digital natives … but train them in marketing 

Zig is a Social/Mobile/Video specialist that drives brand engagement by creating interactive user experiences.  We programmatically reach in-market buyers, at the lowest cost, and move them to conversion.  You can see our work by clicking on the link ⇒ http://www.zigmarketing.com