The Importance of A Strong Digital Presence
Consumer generated content is an important means where consumers express themselves and communicate with others online (Boyd and Ellison, 2008). This CGM is necessary as various media is brand-related and has the potential to shape consumer brand perceptions. (Smith et al, 2012)
Considering that firms allocate roughly half of their marketing budgets on supporting new products (Urban & Hauser, 1993) it is important to evaluate the impact CGM has on new product launches and the brand in general; gathering information can provide insight into where best to allocate resources.
There may be potential for CGM to provide opportunities for a business to control the relevant discussions and content surrounding the business to some extent, either by paid advertising and product testing or through creating in-house media themselves.
According to a Custom Content Council survey, 61% of consumers say they feel more positive about a business that provides custom content to them and because of this, they are more likely to buy from that business. (Royer, 2013) From this it is clear that it is necessary to build a relationship, and further a connection with your customers. A Buyer Guide is a useful tool for achieving this as it provides a platform of trusted information and valuable content.
How Can Quality Content Add Value
Demographic targeting can help companies create buyer guides and customer communities with specific content relevant to the demographic that has the most potential to drive sales and marketing buzz, this allows for resources to be channelled into areas with opportunities for return.
In addition to this, giving customers an abundance of helpful information will deter them from looking for it elsewhere (Sheptoski, 2014). If this is executed successfully, readers can perceive the brand as providing value rather than solely a product or service.
Value can be added through a brands ability to tell their own story- to be proactive rather than reactive! Brands can control the content and messages they put online and this can aid direct relationship building with customers (Sheptoski, 2014).
In order for this direct relationship to be positive, brands must respond to their audience promptly whilst still giving them the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions.
The use of digital initiatives to develop branded platforms that become a true source of information for consumers should be a company’s overall aim as this can pave the way for authority building and reputation management, which is particularly beneficial in industries with high transparency and social media buzz. (Olenski, 2014)
Which Initiatives Can Aid Reputation Management?
In this digital environment, social media has the ability to make or break a company’s reputation – with information spreading around the world in minutes.
Buyer Guides and blogs can give readers the opportunity to learn more about the brand by sharing with them who they are and all they have to offer and what they hope to achieve. Readers appreciate this level of personality and the ability to freely share their views with the brand. (Trackur, 2016)
Quality social media / blog posts can be shared by readers amongst their networks and this can be a real strength for marketing the brand. Quality posts will be written for a specific audience, be original, highly informative and effectively engage with the target audience; which will in turn develop trust and encourage readers to revisit the blog or digital platform demanding new content. (Trackur, 2016)
The Risks
There is a chance that your brand may receive negative feedback; there will always be someone with something negative to say, and the larger your digital presence becomes the larger the chance of negative feedback. However it is how you deal with this feedback that will determine the effect of the negativity.
Usually, the best way to deal with a negative comment is to respond in a calm and concise manner that acknowledges difference of opinion. This shows that you value reader’s opinions and can help use negative comments to your advantage. Negative comments can still be used to build reputation if you handle them well (Trackur, 2016).
Another way is to remove the comment altogether, this is appropriate when comments are particularly malicious and do not serve a purpose to the blog or its audience. These comments may be generated by competitors or internet “trolls”. (Trackur, 2016)
Another risk is that realistically, readers may not always trust information and data they read on a company website or blog. It is necessary to determine whether your company can provide a neutral view, fact and value based content for consumers (Royer, 2013).
What Makes A Blog Successful?
The survey conducted by Social Media Today (2016) explored the factors that made blogs successful based on the activities of active bloggers over a three year period. The insight provided from this data can also be applied to posts within customer communities and other social media.
Something to note is that the content provided should be of value to the customer, which may not necessarily be of value to the business but regardless, it creates a sense of understanding and connection between blog and reader.
Data suggests that over 50% of posts will contain more than one image. Interestingly, the next most popular feature in a post will be a list of some sort, followed by a video.
Dodaro, (2016) conveyed that those who are incorporating video received stronger results than other forms of media used.
The data shows that 22% of 2016 bloggers posted weekly. This suggests that to be successful with blogging, consistency is key – consumers want regular content and providing them with content once a week (Or ideally daily) will allow consumers to know when to search for your content.
This data is interesting, over 95% of bloggers use social media to drive their blog traffic however, data conveying the strength of results by promotion channel showed that 25% of bloggers got strong results through social media, which was the lowest percentage out of all promotion options.
Email marketing has increased the most over the three year period, which suggests this channel (which can be personalised) is driving traffic.
Although social media is potentially free to use, the outcomes are not overly powerful – perhaps due to the fact that so many people, brands and businesses are using this platform. On the other hand, paid services have proven to generate strong results.
To explore this topic more click here and here !
Check out Zoella’s blog for an idea of what a successful interactive blog should look like!
References
Boyd, D. and Ellison, N. (2008) Social Network Sites: Definition, History and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Vol 13, pp. 210-230
Dodaro, M. (2016) Social Media Today: “Blogging Tips, Tactics and Trends: Survey Results” [Online] <http://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/blogging-tips-tactics-and-trends-survey-results?utm_source=web&utm_medium=links&utm_content=Blogging%20Tips,%20Tactics%20and%20Trends:%20Survey%20Results&utm_campaign=related-items> [Accessed April 2017]
Olenski, S. (2014) Forbes: “Three Hidden Benefits of Blogging for Marketers” [Online] <https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveolenski/2014/03/13/three-hidden-benefits-of-blogging-for-marketers/#1a324f604819> [Accessed April 2017]
Onishi, H. and Manchanda, P. (2012) “Marketing activity, blogging and sales”. International Journal of Research in Marketing Vol 29, pp. 221-234
Royer, S. (2013) Social Media Today: “Is Blogging a Necessary Marketing Tool?” [Online] <http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/blogging-really-necessary-marketing-tool> [Accessed April 2017]
Sheptoski, L. (2014) Weidert Group: “5 Ways Social Media Can Improve a Poor Company Reputation” [Online] <https://www.weidert.com/whole_brain_marketing_blog/bid/204792/5-ways-social-media-can-improve-a-poor-company-reputation> [Accessed April 2017]
Smith, A., Fischer, E. and Yongjian, C. (2012) How does brand-related user generated content differ across YouTube, Facebook and Twitter? Journal of Interactive Marketing. Vol 26, Issue 2, pp. 102-113
Trackur (2016) “How a Blog Can Aid in Better Online Reputation Management” [Online] <http://www.trackur.com/blogging-reputation-management> [Accessed April 2017]
Urban, G. and Hauser, J. (1993) Design and Marketing of New Products. 2nd Edition, Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice Hall
Finding ways to differentiate your brand from others can be particularly challenging in e-commerce environments – where market variety and transparency is high.
Creating a virtual customer community can add value to brands by giving consumers a means of safe interaction with other members sharing the same interests. This customer interaction serves the social needs of consumers whilst simultaneously providing the brand with valuable data and insight from customer discussions and opinions which can be implemented to improve business operations. (Jyh-Jeng et al, 2009)
As Kozinets (1999) states, what begins as a source for information, transforms into a source of community and understanding.
What Is a Virtual Customer Community?
A VCC is comprised of a communication platform and a social network, where people with the same interests can interact with one another and share content. Popular VCC’s can provide new opportunities for selling by enhancing website visibility and web traffic. (Turban et al, 2006; Mcknight et al, 2002; Hagel & Armstrong, 2009)
A virtual community can take many forms, from discussion boards and forums to multiplayer online role play games. The form you choose will depend on your business needs, although these must be matched with community needs in order for the VCC to be successful. (See the Starbucks example – where they use discussion boards to gain competitive advantage!)
Why Create a Virtual Customer Community?
Kozinets (1999) states that once a consumer connects and interacts with others online, it is likely that they will become a recurrent member of one or more gatherings and increasingly turn to them as a source of information and social interaction. (Assuming the right content is available!) For example 4chan, an image bulletin-board site had 22 million monthly users in October 2016 (Smith, 2017)
A VCC can serve business functions by providing a solid trading and marketing platform that enables interaction between the seller, buyers and intermediaries alike. (Schubert & Ginsburg, 2000) However there may be some costs associated with utilising this platform, regarding VCC maintenance, customer services and content building.
Business Advantage
Hagel and Armstrong (1997) suggest a virtual community can provide business advantage by generating valuable insight from customers, for example ideas in terms of designing and customising new products, and also provide opportunities to reach higher purchasing power at a minimum cost.
To achieve this advantage, generate content relevant to the community (not the brand) – whether it be educational or inspirational. Post consistently and make connections with members – (it’s also beneficial to integrate social media). In addition to this, guest posts/videos can boost chatter and bring in new members. (Garland, 2017)
A transaction orientated community and/or an interest orientated community could be formed (or perhaps a hybrid of the two) to gain additional advantages and value.
Transactional orientation brings together buyers and sellers which requires a considerable amount of trust and reputation building, (EG – EBay). Whereas interest orientation aims to gather users around a common theme, (As is being seen recently with Benefit Cosmetics – creating a virtual community of followers that they engage with regularly). (Spaulding, 2009)
Risks and Limitations
- Miscommunication in online forums
- Information overload may be overwhelming to members
- Community forums may be too technical for some members to use properly
(Bang The Table, 2014)
A customer community needs to be integrated into the overall business strategy, as they require many resources and time in order to be accurate and specific. Creators should consider that customer communities tend to be very active and less accessible to one on one processes. (Kozinets, 1999)
It is important to consider whether the demographic targeted has enough technical experience to participate in an online community. (Spaulding, 2009) If it is suspected that technical experience is low, then this must be catered for in the community design (With tutorials, simple interface, FAQ’s etc)
How can success be measured?
Virtual Community success can be gauged by acceptance of the firm by the community. (Community members can reject a firm by ignoring or ostracising, or by speaking out against the firm (Jarvis, 2007)). Therefore, a continued presence and actions of a firm within a community is evidence of success. (Jarvis, 2007)
Other ways to measure success include:
× The level of membership and rate of sign-ups
× The level of interaction/ connections with communities
× An improving external environment, as pro-social behaviour of community members can help improve conditions. (Although this may be a result of multiple factors in play).
Examples of successful brand communities: (Hong, 2015)
- Figment (rand
om House) is a community that targets teenagers who have a passion for reading and writing fan fiction. Featuring 300,000 members who share, create and moderate content.
Highly engaged individuals advocate the brands they enjoy and favour, which in turn satisfies information needs of community members and creates a rich community experience.
- Starbucks created the “My Starbucks Idea” which is a community based on the principle of a suggestion box (with a global reach of 150,000 members). In the last 6 years, over 300 innovations have been implemented (From free Wi-Fi, to peach green tea lemonade). This type of community will be dependent on how passionate customers are over the brand and products.
However once ideas are being generated, implementation is important to show that the brand listens to consumers, which can further generate more ideas, and very quickly become a valuable asset to the company. (Hong, 2015)
For more tips on creating your virtual community click here and here!
See you next time!
References:
A look into the digital world (2015) “Creating a virtual community: What Benefit cosmetics is doing right” [Online] <https://intothedigitalworld.wordpress.com/2015/04/16/creating-a-virtual-community-what-benefit-cosmetics-is-doing-right/> [Accessed March 2017]
Bang The Table (2014) “What are the disadvantages of online communication for community engagement” [Online] <http://www.bangthetable.com/disadvantages-of-online-communication/> [Accessed March 2017]
Eastlick, A., Lotz, L., Warrington, P. (2006) “Understanding online B-to-C relationships: an integrated model of privacy concerns, trust and commitment”. Journal of Business Research. Vol 59, PP. 877-886
Garland, D. (2017) “12 Keys to building your online community” [Online] <https://therisetothetop.com/davids-blog/12-keys-building-online-community/> [Accessed March 2017]
Hagel, I. and Armstrong, G. (1997) Net gain: expanding markets through virtual communities. Harvard Business School Pres.
Hong, P. (2015) “10 Exceptional Examples of Brand Communities” [Online] <https://www.linkdex.com/en-gb/inked/10-exceptional-examples-of-brand-communities/> [Accessed March 2017]
Jarvis, J. (2007) “Dell learns to listen”; Businessweek. [Online] <https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2007-10-17/dell-learns-to-listenbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice> [Accessed March 2017]
Jyh-Jeng, W., Ying-Hueih, C., Yu-Shuo, C. (2009) Trust factors influencing virtual community members: A study of transaction communities. Journal of Business Research, Vol 63, PP 1025-1032
Kerin, A. and Sethuraman, R. (1998) “Exploring the brand value – shareholder value nexus for consumer goods companies”. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. Vol 26, (4), PP.260-273
Kozinets, R. (1999) “E-tribalised Marketing?: The strategic implications of virtual communities of consumption”. European Management Journal. Vol 17 (3) PP 252-264
Mcknight, H., Cummings, L., Chervany, L. (1998) “Initial trust formation in new organisational relationships”. Academy of Management Review. Vol 23 (3) PP 473-490
Moorman, C., Rohit, D., Gerald, Z. (1993) “Factors affecting trust on market research relationships”. Journal of Marketing. Vol 57 (1) PP81-101
Morgan, H., Hunt, D. (1994) “The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing”. Journal of Marketing. Vol 58 (3) PP20-38
Schubert, P. and Ginsburg, M. (2000) Virtual communities of transaction: the role of personalisation in electronic commerce. Electron Market, Vol 10 (1). PP 45-55
Smith, C (2017) “10 Amazing 4chan Statistics and Facts” [Online] <http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/4chan-statistics-facts/> [Accessed April 2017]
Spaulding, T. (2009) “How can virtual communities create value for business?” Electronic Commerce Research and Applications. Vol 9, PP. 38-49
Turban, E., King, D., Viehland, D., Lee, J. (2006) Electronic commerce: A managerial perspective. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
Everyone uses some form of cosmetics right?
Sometimes when I’m buying a product online, and I cant try it beforehand, I never really know which product is right for me, so there’s always that degree of risk, (especially when its not returnable!)
After researching some digital initiatives and discovering the Buyer Guide, I thought that it would be very beneficial to anyone who buys cosmetic products (or any product for that matter!) to have a simple yet collective guide that helps us find the right product that fulfils our needs as customers.
Introducing the Buyer Guide…
A way in which brands can create a richer experience for customers, is to provide them with a buyer guide. These guides have the ability to provide invaluable online content to customers and can increase sales potential (Write.com, 2017)
In a time where information is everywhere, It would be super beneficial to have all the information the customer needs in one site.
Why Buyer Guides?
Buyer guides are useful because they combat the risk of purchasing online – as is with many premium products and no refund policies available if the product has been tried/opened – and can help create a trusted relationship between consumer and brand (Henson, 2013).
This trust is generated from the brands anticipation of frequently asked questions, understanding the riskiness of purchasing online and attempting to fully equip consumers with the knowledge to make purchasing decisions that best suit their needs.
In addition to this, buyer guides can provide competitive advantage over less informed brands.
The Aim of the Buyer Guide:
According to Henson, (2013) it is to create a trusted relationship between the brand and customers by creating an essential “how to” guide in a neutral tone so customers can make an informed decision.
Who does it target?
A helpful approach to creating an all-round effective buyer guide is to assume the customer knows little about the brand and its offerings. From this – we can target all potential consumers rather than a particular segment.
Consider this, what would you tell a friend when they were thinking about making a purchase of a particular product? (Henson, 2013)
You may tell them to look at the product itself – does it contain the right ingredients and manufactured in the desired way? You may also recommend reading professional and customer reviews. All this information would be readily available in the online buyer guide.
♦
By creating a buyer guide, you are taking an active approach to influence the purchasing decision process by providing consumers with sufficient knowledge to make the right decision. (Which they may also recommend to friends)
Kotler (2009) notes that any negative feedback may directly disrupt the PDP and so brands could consider inviting bloggers to try and review new products to positively combat that threat and potentially sponsor relevant industry charities to raise the public profile.
A Smart Insights blog takes you through all the necessary steps of constructing a great buyer guide, check it out Here.
Elements of a Beauty Buyer Guide: (Henson, 2013)
× The buyer guide should consist of videos showcasing each of the products – For cosmetics it may be on models or swatches
× It could also feature colour guides – which helps customers buy the right colour product for their skin tone and style. This avoids the purchase of an undesired product that they cannot return.
× FAQ’s – Which anticipates consumer questions
× Customer reviews – To be honest and build trust with customers
× Professional reviews
× Facts about the products – ingredients, colour inspiration, customer service contact details
Buyer Guide Examples:
Pinterest is a useful platform to gain inspiration for your Buyer Guide – it has reviews, images and infographics. Here are some interesting examples!
Brands could interest customers with fun lipstick activities guide – where customers can see what colours are most suitable for each activity.
In addition to this, seasonal lip colours may be useful to beginners and first purchasers. These guides can increase website traffic with the sharing between contacts within networks.
Images from Hewett (2014) and Moton (2016)
Best Practice Buyer Guides
Henson (2013) in Smart Insights, suggest that Currys and John Lewis provide excellent buyer guides for customers. Click to explore their guides in more detail.
A critique is that the link to each guide is located at the bottom of the website, however companies may benefit from locating them somewhere more significant.
The John Lewis buyer guide is fully segmented into product categories and featured brands. The Curry’s guide has lots of descriptive information and images on each product; with many links relating to other important customer information, for example, credit options or return policy details. Both guides are visually stimulating with many images.
Here are some snapshots of areas within the buyer guides:
I hope this post has helped deepen your understanding of Buyer Guides and what they have to offer!
References:
Henson, M. (2013) Smart Insights. “Best Practice for Using Buyer Guides for Ecommerce SEO” [Online] <http://www.smartinsights.com/ecommerce/merchandising/buyers-guides-seo/> [Accessed Feb 2017]
Hewett, J. (2014) Julie Hewett Lipstick Guide [Online] <https://www.juliehewett.net/julie-hewett-lipstick-guide/> [Accessed Feb 2017]
Kotler, P. (2009) Marketing Management, First Edition. Pearson Education: Harlow
Moton, F. (2016) Typical Cliché Blog – Fall Lip Colours [Online] <http://www.typicalcliche.com/fall-lip-colors/> [Accessed Feb 2017]
Mykyte, S. (2014) “How B2B Marketers Can Create Buyer Guides to Control the Buying Process” [Online] <http://blog.wishpond.com/post/107501644389/how-b2b-marketers-can-create-buyers-guides-to> [Accessed Feb 2017]
Write Content Solutions. “Online Content Specifics: How to Write Buying Guides for the Web” [Online] <http://www.write.com/writing-guides/writing-for-the-web/online-content-specifics-how-to-write-buying-guides-for-the-web/> [Accessed Feb 2017]
Many people know the retail brand Miss Selfridge and to many it is a popular place to buy the new “it” item.
It is because of this that many of us (including myself) have become subscribed to Miss Selfridge’s marketing emails.
Now I won’t lie – I have 27 emails from Miss Selfridge in my inbox (I will eventually get through them!) but my aim today is not to consider the e-mail marketing campaigns as a whole, but to analyse an individual piece of email marketing to discover what aspects would entice readers to read the whole email.
We know from a business perspective that e-mail marketing has clear benefits, including high response rates and low costs which has rapidly turned email marketing into an invaluable tool. Peppers & Rodgers (2000).
Email marketing is quick to organise, can have a quick response times and can be used for customer acquisition or retention. This provides marketers with a communication channel that permits relationship building and real-time interaction with customers. Jackson and Decormier (1999).
The email I received from Miss Selfridge was a House list campaign providing me with offers and incentives to go to the website. This particular email was also event triggered as it had a seasonal subject line “50% off Autumn Sale, Now I’m feeling good!” Providing me with price incentives and the psychology that I will feel good if I purchase new Autumn attire (not that I need any excuse to spend more money!).
The email itself is colourful with clear block text and contains many images which I found to be visually stimulating. This correlates with Rettie’s (2002) statement that emails with more images receive a higher response rate.
Rettie (2002) also goes on to state the following factors that are likely to increase the response rate and these are: Subject line, Email length, Incentive and Number of images. So lets look at these in more detail.
The subject line is snappy and instantly grabs attention – “50% off the Autumn Sale, Now I’m feeling good!”. This immediately provides readers with an incentive to finish reading the email (we all love a bargain!).
The email length is not too long, mainly consisting of images and descriptions of images – letting the merchandise talk for itself!
The incentive provided is that of price and during this particular season, with the run up to Christmas fast approaching – Price is on the forefront of everyone’s minds.
Number of images – 13. This particular email had 13 images packed inside, to give consumers a visually stimulating message as to what is available for purchase. This is considered a catalogue approach to marketing emails.
Hyperlinks & The landing pages – theres a few different hyperlinks available to cater to different actions. Theres an option to view ‘New in’ products and also more predominantly a ‘Find your Fabric’ hyperlink which takes me to a landing page relevant to the email – full of textured clothing. The landing page has a clear layout and is of a transactional nature. It has many categories which enables easy searching and has a white background to avoid visual disruption.
The Miss Selfridge email effectively made use of the subject line and images to draw in interest. The content is focused (on colours and textures) and provides brand exposure to all subscribed consumers.
I would say that the email was positively received, the call to action successful as I did click to be directed to their website. My criticism is that the email could have been personalised further by using my name to adress me. Although the products pictured in the email are not things I had previously searched – we know the email is seasonal and focused on autumn attire, which explains the purpose of the email.
My advice to readers would be to carefully consider the message the marketing emails are trying to convey and be mindful that they are of course still a marketing tool, but apart from that, have fun and make the most of personalised promotions!
References
A. Jackson and R. Decormier (1999) “Email survey response rates: Targeting increases response” Journal of Marketing Intelligence and Planning. Volume 17, Issue 3, p135-139.
D. Peppers and M. Rogers (2000) Email Marketing Maximised. Stamford: CA
R. Rettie (2002) Email Marketing: Success Factors. Kingston University
F. Chadwick (2010) Web advertising: The role of email marketing
After recently reading this GOT case study, I am fascinated by the way DDB advertising chose to stimulate new subscribers for SKY and Its Soho channel.
DDB is the most influential advertising group in New Zealand and they used one of the most hated characters of the show to generate buzz and discussion in their target area – which was home country New Zealand.
What they did with young Joffrey was really very clever.
The Campaign
DDB created a vast 7 metre statue of King Joffrey complete with a winch and rope tied around his neck in a large public area, they then transmitted a live stream of this statue which in turn generated mass conversations on social media when passers by recognized the significance.
The relevance of this statue was that every time someone tweeted about the TV show or the Joffrey statue using the hashtag #bringdowntheking – the rope around Joffreys neck would pull tighter and tighter until finally toppling the king!
Brandwatch
Brandwatch is an analytic marketing company that worked with DDB on this campaign and they analysed this use of the hashtag.
They kept track of which participants had the most followers and would then further engage with them by giving them a special status – For example honorary member of House Stark. This was a great way to increase the campaigns sphere of influence, as followers of each participant would enevitably see the posts and hashtags.
In order to make the most out of the campaign, Brandwatch categorised mentions per hour grouped by country. This showed them the level of engagement and which countries were seen to be lagging behind. DDB then used this to reach out to the local Game of Thrones communities in native languages which actually resulted in higher engagement rates in countries that originally were not interested!!
Exposure
DDB recorded almost 875,000 individual interactions relating to the campaign.
The campaign itself reached 43 million people in 168 countries.
Data
Data use within marketing can help make campaigns specific and unique to effectively reach a target audience. – Using the hatred for Joffrey to stimulate social media action and bring watchers together.
This use of data can also aid understanding of how effective a campaign has been – for example, by analysing the click rate, the level of interactivity and how many new subscribers SKY received due to the campaign.
and finally,
Using data within marketing communications can enable smarter data driven business decisions to further benefit the company.
Did anyone see the statue of Joffrey when the campaign was live? If yes, did anyone tweet #downwiththeking !?
You can read the full case study here (PDF)
Thanks for reading!
Welcome to your brand new blog at University of Brighton Blog Network.
To get started, simply log in, edit or delete this post and check out all the other options available to you.
For assistance, visit our comprehensive support site and check out our Edublogs User Guide guide.
You can also subscribe to our brilliant free publication, The Edublogger, which is jammed with helpful tips, ideas and more.
Data suggests that over 50% of posts will contain more than one image. Interestingly, the next most popular feature in a post will be a list of some sort, followed by a video.
This data is interesting, over 95% of bloggers use social media to drive their blog traffic however, data conveying the strength of results by promotion channel showed that 25% of bloggers got strong results through social media, which was the lowest percentage out of all promotion options.
