Getting a message out in the early days of agency marketing simply meant buying ad space in a magazine or mass media outlet. Today’s world of marketing is a wholly different situation.
With the focus on social media interaction at the core of many marketing campaigns, there is less of a “scattershot” approach and more of a focused drive to get the right message to the most suitable consumers for the product. The change in paradigm has led to different creative methods of interacting with a company’s audience.
Here, 15 members of Forbes Agency Council expound on the most innovative marketing strategies they’ve encountered that help encourage rapid business growth.
Members share some of the best creative messaging tactics to use if you want to grow quickly.
Photos courtesy of the individual members
1. Map Customer Behavior And Journey
With the combination of more precise audience targeting and a nearly limitless number of communication channels, mapping customer behaviors/journeys and engaging them with the right messaging at the right points is not just doable, it’s imperative for driving the kind of rapid growth more brands than ever desire. – Brian Sullivan, Sullivan Branding
2. Find The App Of Your Industry
Every industry has an app that is the favorite of everyone who is working with it. One of the main keys to success is to make sure that you have chosen the correct app for your industry. A great way that you can reach out is by being aware of the app that you need to be communicating through in order to reach everyone who is so critical to your group of clients. – Jon James, Ignited Results
3. Connect Via A Resonating Message
Finding the right balance between addressing an audience with a single story line and leveraging the advantages of big data and responsive marketing is the key to success. Creative performance optimization should be a guiding intel to shape a brand voice, and developing the message for each segment of a brand audience would empower growth. – Oksana Matviichuk, Verizon Media at Zenith | Publicis Groupe
4. Embrace Branded Entertainment
Audiences are running away from the interruptive model that has been there for too long. By mixing advertising and entertainment, brands become storytellers. They create content that people want to see and share. Whether it’s a film, a series, a documentary, a standup or a podcast (to name a few), this strategy can help brands get their message heard while avoiding massive media costs. – Pascal De Decker, THE UNKNOWN
5. Share A Look Behind The Scenes
Consumers don’t trust what they’re told anymore. They want to see for themselves. To drive rapid growth, companies can benefit from peeling back a few layers to show the heart of the company — the successes and even what they’ve learned from failures. The sharing of experiences is a true demonstration of experience, and that builds customer trust. – A. Lee Judge, Content Monsta
6. Use A Neuropsychological Engagement Approach
Nearly every message we write today is directed to the rational, analytical mind. Traditional messages are collections of words the mind has to slow down and chew through. But “neuropsychological engagement” messages appeal to the rational, analytical mind and the emotional, primal mind simultaneously. Messages that stimulate the whole mind are scientifically proven to accelerate results. – Elizabeth Edwards, Volume Public Relations
7. Create Specific Content For Each Touch Point
When it comes to creative messaging strategy and driving growth, it is important to create specific content at each touch point of the customer journey. Move past a singular messaging approach. The world of digital has allowed us to message and target people based on their relationship with the brand, from awareness to advocacy. – Cameron Gawley, BuzzShift
8. Make Risky Business Your Business
Be genuine and be bold. We’re inundated with marketing messaging every hour of every day. So what do our fatigued brains do? Block out the noise. We’ve heard most of it before. What don’t we hear? Real-talk messaging that cuts to the core. Dollar Shave Club and their “our blades are f-ing great” YouTube campaign is a perfect example of this. Calculated risk for the win. – Bernard May, National Positions
9. Focus On Human-To-Human Messaging
Power to the people, by driving human-to-human connections — this is the strongest and most authentic messaging strategy there is. A brand is no longer what we tell consumers it is, it’s what consumers tell each other it is. Through social media, everyone has gotten a voice online they can share and scale, so make use of that. In every niche subculture imaginable you can now get your message out there. – Maddie Raedts, IMA – Influencer Marketing Agency
10. Start With The Audience You Know Best
Start with the audience you know best: your network. Educate them and get them excited. Turn them into your product evangelists. Help them help you reach their network. Give them news articles to share, make them compelling social media to post, feature them in product videos. Your network is more powerful than you can imagine. – Dan Cohen, Full Court Press Communications
11. Prioritize Consistency
In today’s marketplace, consumers are bombarded with media. Expecting them to pay attention to our ads is like expecting potential employers to read every line on a resume. Take the time to craft a brand message that effectively balances insights about your brand and consumer preferences. To be remembered, ensure that all your communications consistently incorporate that message. – Ahmad Kareh, Twistlab Marketing
12. Leverage LinkedIn Groups For B2B
LinkedIn is undervalued by many businesses. It has direct access to important audiences. In LinkedIn groups, you find investors, alliance partners, customers and employees. All of these audiences help drive growth. Post important news. An additional step would be to post a curated stream of valuable industry news about markets, regulations and changes in competitive factors for these audiences. – Jim Caruso, M1PR, Inc. d/b/a MediaFirst PR – Atlanta
13. Seek Third-Party, Objective Endorsements
Using traditional public relations and working with journalists to spread your message is still one of the most cost-effective ways to communicate your message. In addition, having the third-party, objective endorsement can be extremely influential in shaping your brand’s reputation and driving awareness and demand for your products or services. – Sandra Fathi, Affect, Inc.
14. Dominate Review Sites With Customer Advocates
The best way to deliver a message today is to let your happy customers do it for you. Create a brand ambassador program using tools like Influitive that use gamification and rewards to keep your fans advocating online for you. – Scott Baradell, Idea Grove
15. Make It Personal
Forget the big media spending — make your budget go further with smarter, more targeted content experiences that generate real leads. Working from a consistent brand messaging foundation, consider each target’s specific needs and challenges, their personality types and channel preferences, and turn those into unique, personalized experiences that are engaging and memorable. – Howard Breindel, DeSantis Breindel
