The World Is Turning With New Purpose
[INVNT GROUP] CEO & COO, Scott Cullather and Kristina McCoobery, share insights with ForbesBooks on marketing in a post-COVID world.
Just as most brands and businesses adjusted their marketing strategy in response to the global outbreak of COVID-19 (and it was obvious those who hadn’t), with restrictions easing around the country and consumers’ wants and needs changing once again, it’s time to re-think your approach.
Get your story straight
One of the first things to consider, is your brand’s story. Is it interesting and relevant? Does it inspire people to buy into and believe in it? The thing is, even if it once was or did, the world is constantly changing, and your story should too.
We recommend working with a dedicated brand strategy firm on a regular basis – especially during times of immense change, like now. They’ll analyze and research your brand’s archaeology, it’s landscape – including environment and competitors, external cultural, social and political factors that may impact it, and the media conversations surrounding both it and its wider industry to ensure ongoing connection with your customers.
Your culture is key to your marketing strategy
Most businesses wouldn’t be where they are without their people, so it pays to look after them. Culture consulting is a great place to start, but it’s important to shift away from the traditional analysis and reporting model. Instead, seek out a partner who takes a more humanistic and personalized approach, acts creatively, and leans on everything from branded content to mixed reality in their sessions to truly engage your employees, and adjusts their mode of delivery depending on their findings, and your goals.
Creating environments that produce happy and fulfilled employees is one of the most effective marketing strategies out there – you can say what you like about your business, but positive employee recommendations can carry an incredible amount of weight, from both a talent recruitment and client acquisition perspective.
Lean on the data
From TV spots to snackable reels for social and content pieces in print titles, branded content is a versatile and creative way to share your story with those that matter most. So, imagine if your content could meet your audience exactly where they are?
By working with branded content studios that leverage the artificial intelligence in predictive analytics, you can unearth granular information about consumers, like which color nail varnish engages them the most, to the style of music that drives their purchasing decisions. This approach enables us to unlock more meaningful ideas and build content – and wider campaigns – around them. The result? Not only new brand loyalists, but long-term advocates of your brand.
Make it live
With the pandemic separating us from our families, friends, and colleagues, and limiting our ability to grab a meal at our favorite restaurant, enjoy a post-work drink, or attend a gig, real, live, face-to-face interactions have never been so highly sought after (and we thought event marketing was booming before the pandemic).
Strive to design face-to-face experiences for your audiences that importantly, adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols, bring the brandstory you’ve fine-tuned to life, and enable people to come together in the one physical place to share memorable experiences together.
Additionally, with virtual events the norm throughout 2020 (and the amplification opportunities worth tapping into), it’s vital to consider the ways you can cater to those who can’t make it in person, or who now prefer a virtual event format. Our key piece of advice? If you take the hybrid route, make sure you cater to both audiences equally – virtual attendees mustn’t be an afterthought, especially as they’ll often make up the larger portion of your overall stakeholders.
As we return to a sense of normalcy, it’s important to not only refresh your pandemic marketing strategy, but listen to your customers, and lean on experts in their fields to change it up as you go along. It’ll ensure maximum cut through and in turn, success, and it’s why we launched [INVNT GROUP] in June of last year – it offers all these services and more, all in the one place.
Read the original article on Forbes here.
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