5 Key Tips that Brands should consider when selecting a Social Media Influencer to Collaborate With

In this ‘internet era’ where information technologies such as wearable devices, personal computers and smart phones in conjunction with internet-based social networking sites e.g. Facebook, Twitter and Skype, have really empowered and innovated online social media sites. This has changed the way that consumers and businesses interact with each other. Consumers are seeking information and advice from people with high online statuses, also known as influencers, and brands are looking to identify suitable influencers which can be valuable for e-commerce marketing campaigns to enhance electronic word-of-mouth (Liu, S. 2015). In support of this, Katz and Lazarsfeld’s (1955) Two Step Flow theory describe how certain people or individuals known as opinion leaders interpret media information they have received and then it is passed on to others. It states that the opinion leaders have the ability to mediate the transmission of the information received. Bloggers are considered opinion leaders that can disseminate messages quickly and easily with a potential viral effect.

 

With the growth of online social networks (ONS), trust in brands is an important social concept and a significant part of consumers purchasing decisions. According to Nielsen’s 2012 ‘Global Survey of Trust in Advertising’, around 92% of consumers globally stated that they would trust word-of-mouth recommendations from influential peers, enormously exceeding any other forms of marketing, hence the importance for brands to not only work with social media influencers because they are seen as a trusted source and an impact on consumer spending, but to work with one that is suitable and relevant to the brand (Hamman, H. 2017).

Tip 1 – Relevance:

For brands, relevance is key; an influencer’s content must be aligned with the message the brand wants to portray. By reading through a blogger’s archive and content to get a sense of the type of consumer they are is a good way of understanding the influencer better and seeing if they suit the brand and the brand values. This is important, just like the influencer’s audience is. Inevitably their audience is going to the ones receiving the marketing message, and if the brand is not appropriate for the audience demographic then it will not be effective (Newman, D. 2014).

Here is a link to a blog post about 5 successful brand and influencer collaborations in the beauty industry: https://www.referralcandy.com/blog/beauty-influencer-collaboration-examples/

Tip 2 – Engagement:

Engagement is the measure of how interactive an influencer’s audience is with the marketed content. Responses, comments and shares are ways that the audience can engage and connect with the influencer – it shows how meaningful the relationship is as well as their return rate. A high level of engagement is ideal as it reflects how well received and effective the collaboration was (Bichler, M. 2008).

Tip 3 – Reach:

Reach is not the most important metric; however, it is a valid consideration. Unique visitors are not the only measure of reach; it is only meaningful to the extent that it is reaching the brand’s target audience. An influencer with a small but frequent reach is more valuable than one with thousands of unique monthly visits as it shows that the audience is engaged and more inclined to listen to their opinion and advice (Li, Y.M et al 2011).

Tip 4 – Frequency:

There is a direct correlation between how frequently an influencer creates content, for example a blog post or a YouTube video and their traffic as well as rate of return visitors. With any type of marketing website, it normally requires multiple exposures in order to get visitors to click on the site. If an influencer consistently creates high quality content, audiences are more likely to return and ‘share’ the content. For those who are inconsistent, they tend to have a higher turnover rate, fewer returning visitors and less loyalty (Li, Y.M et al 2011). Therefore it is essential that the influencer brands choose to work with, are regular and consistent with their uploads to keep their audience engaged and returning.

Tip 5 – Authenticity:

Whilst authenticity seems counter-intuitive, influencers that have a smaller number of sponsored content are assumed to be more authentic and trusted. The use of personal stories that involve a genuine use of a product or service, tend to be seen as more legitimate than a plain product review. Influencers that use engaging stories are those that tend to get more comments and shares; it helps to connect with the viewer and seem more authentic (Kip, S.M. et al, 2014).

Here is an article by Forbes talking about how to ensure authenticity when working with influencers: https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2015/12/17/build-authentic-audience-experiences-through-influencer-marketing/#46db10e44ff2

What Brands should keep in mind when working with an influencer:

When working with social media influencers, seeing results or return on investment (ROI) from your collaboration will take time and the effects may not even be noticeable, for example a brand may see a growth in sales for a particular item, however it will not be a significant revenue gain. In order for a company to see any differences, they would have to see a sell out of a product everyday to see an impact from the campaign (Brousell, L. 2015). In addition to this, there are questions over authenticity of influencer marketing; many consumers will be able to ‘see through’ the marketing strategy and may not appreciate the leverage influencers have to promote a brand they may not necessarily have endorsed in if it were not sponsored (Archer, C et al. 2016), which goes back to ensuring that companies choose to work with the right influencer for the brand in order for the collaboration to be authentic and something that the influencer genuinely has an interest in.

Here is an article by LinkedIn which talks about what influencer marketing is and the advantages and disadvantages of it: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-influencer-marketing-why-successful-strategy-kate-gould

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

Archer, C. et al (2016) Show me the money: how bloggers as stakeholders are challenging theories of relationship building in public relations. Media International Australia. Vol. 160, No. 1, p67-77.

Bichler, M. (2008) Identification of Influencers – Measuring Influence in Customer Networks. Journal of Decision Support Systems. Vol. 46, No. 1, p233-253.

Brousell, L. (2015) Inside the murky world of ‘social media influencers’ [online] Available at: < http://www.cio.com/article/2945780/marketing/inside-the-murky-world-of-social-media-influencers.html > [Accessed 3 May2017].

Hamann, H. (2017) 5 Tips for Finding the Right Social Influencers for your Brand [online] Available at: < http://www.convinceandconvert.com/digital-marketing/5-tips-for-finding-the-right-social-influencers-for-your-brand/  >[Accessed 3 May 2017].

Kip, S.M. et al (2014) Brand Communication through Digital Influencers: Leveraging Blogger Engagement. International Journal of Information Management. Vol. 34, No. 5, p592-602.

Li, Y.M. et al (2011) Discovering Influencers for Marketing in the Blogosphere. Journal of Information Sciences. Vol. 181, No. 23, p5143-5157.

Liu, S. et al (2015) Identifying Effective Influencers Based on Trust for Electronic Word-of-Mouth Marketing: A Domain Aware Approach. Journal of Information Sciences. Vol. 306, p34-52.

Newman, D. (2014) Brands: Choose Influencers and Advocates Wisely [online] Available at: < https://www.forbes.com/sites/onmarketing/2014/02/11/brands-choose-influencers-and-advocates-wisely/#4809c38b305c > [Accessed 3 May 2017].

 

 

 

5 Key Points that Brands Need to Know Before Marketing to Millennials

The millennials or also known as Generation Y covers those who were born between the 1980s and the year 2000. They have been shaped by technological revolution, where being connected and equipped with the latest technology is a common feature (Waterworth, N. 2013). Millennials are the generation that ‘live online’ which can present a number of challenges for marketers attempting to target this age range (Thomas, S. 2015). Half of all spending has come from purchases made by millennials – having grown up online and have had extensive usage of e-commerce, makes them highly attractive to various consumer markets (Marketing Breakthroughs Inc, 2008). Millennials are also known for being ‘market mavens’ – disseminators of product knowledge and information, they are eager to share their opinion and experiences with other consumers, 56% of which are sharing them on social networks (Smith, K. 2012), which is another reason why brands are eager to be appeal to this market.

Here is link to a short video giving an introduction to the millennials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhUZLlG6Fg4

Driven by Social Opinion

One of the main challenges is that Millennials tend to be driven by social opinions which are also a key part of their decision making – 84% of millennials rely on social opinions. Social networks are increasingly replacing the traditional word-of-mouth, and brands become more prominent if they are ‘shared’ or ‘liked’ on forms of social media, causing the brand to show up on various people’s newsfeeds. (Thomas, S. 2015). According to Forbes (2016), Millennials do not trust traditional forms of advertising due to being bombarded with advertisements their whole lives, particularly in the digital form, and tend to distrust brands that seem purely motivated by profit. Therefore, social media advertising is becoming a greater priority for the distribution of brand content towards the younger demographic for the following reasons:

  1. They represent the largest audience on social media in society.
  2. They prefer interacting on these social media channels in comparison to other outlets.
  3. They are the most mobile generation – relying on mobile devices and having online content on-the-go.

Therefore, any brand wanting to increase their following from the millennial generation, should keep in mind that their content should be mobile friendly, load quickly and be easily accessible on all mobile devices. (DeMers, J. 2016)

Prefer Responsible Corporations

In addition to this, due to their natural distrust in brands, millennials often prefer corporations that have demonstrated their corporate social responsibility in some way, meaning that they will be more engaged and willing to purchase from brands that are actively giving back to the community or investing in an on-going issue (Duffet, G.R. 2014).

In a study by Furlow and Knott (2009), found that young adults are socially conscious consumers who seek to buy ‘green’ goods and regarded as environmentally friendly, where over half of millennials indicated that they are making a greater effort to purchase green products. In response to this, it is important that brands showcase their values and actions they’ve taken. This in turn will help to build trust and show that you’ve put your values and interests into practice (Forbes, 2016).

 

Focus on Value

In a podcast by Goldman Sachs’ – “Exchanges at Goldman Sachs”, Lindsay Drucker Mann of Goldman Sachs Research stated that the millennials are less likely to buy something out of convenience, and focus greatly on value, willing to search for the lowest price or wait until the price is right. They tend to take the time to contemplate their purchases and not just buying what is in front of them. Millennials are the ‘coming of age’, demanding transparency, technological advancement and barter-free buying, factors that were unseen in previous generations (Barholz, D. 2012). For brands, this means that they have to carefully portray their product or service, making it appealing and a necessity for the customer.

Expect Greater Personalisation

According to a recent study by American Express, millennials are more brand loyal than any other age category, however they also expect greater personalisation in their interaction with brands – 48% of millennials expect brands to customise offers to suit their individual needs, similarly to this, millennials are also the most likely to go out of their way to use a personalised offer (Davies, J. 2016). Psychologist Emma Kenny stated that this demonstrates how long term relationships with brands are driven by brand loyalty and that customisation evokes feelings of being understood by brands.

Here is an article about the best ways brands can incorporate the personalized aspect to attract millennials:  http://www.masterclassing.com/experts/how-can-brands-give-their-customers-truly-personalised-experience/


Co-creation

As millennials are ‘digital natives’, they naturally expect their opinions to be heard by corporations, and are constantly utilising their power and access to choice. According to Cova and Dalli (2009), the last decade has revealed how the consumer role is constantly changing, and the relationship between brands and consumers are becoming increasingly constructive and interactive. Advertisers use this to harness originality, using millennials to be co-creators of real advertising content, co-branding allows the audience to feel they contributed to the campaign, thus encouraging brand loyalty and engagement as their input is valued by the company. This is beneficial for brands as it enables their campaign to be grown organically amongst their target audience, whilst utilising their most willing source for ideas. Both brands and millennials alike want their message to be heard, and co-creation satisfies both parties – an involved audience and an organisation that trusts their audience’s views and ideas (Gower, G. 2014).

Here is an article to summarise how best to target millennials   through content marketing: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2016/06/27/7-ways-to-target-millennials-through-content-marketing/#210d1a103e7f

Things to note when marketing to Millennials

Although millennials have stereotypical features and expectations about their spending habits, preferences and demands, they are still very much diverse; every individual will have different experiences with technology and will have developed their own preferences as a result. Marketers should not ignore these subtle dissimilarities in factors such as taste, attitudes and behaviours. Following from this, whilst millennials are typically defined by their age, their characteristics can be held by anyone of any age and will therefore have similar demands to a millennial, particularly demands for personalisation, value and technological advancement (George, S. 2016). For marketers, this means they need to be able to distinguish between certain features that are only demanded by millennials or by people in general.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Barkholz, D (2012) Marketing to Millenials: Make it online, fast, easy. Automotive News. Vol. 86, No. 6528, p3.

Bolton, R.N et al (2013) Understanding Generation Y and their use of social media: a review and research agenda. Journal of Service Management. Vol. 24, No. 3, p245-267.

Davies, J (2016) Gen Y Me: Why it Pays to Personalise for Millennials. Digital Marketing Magazine. October 6, 2016.

De Mers, J (2016) 7 Ways to Target Millennials Through Content Marketing [online] < https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2016/06/27/7-ways-to-target-millennials-through-content-marketing/#41dc367b3e7f > [Accessed 2 April 2017].

Duffet, R.G (2014) Facebook advertising’s influence on intention-to-purchase and purchase amongst millennials. Journal of Internet Research. Vol.25, No. 4, p498-526.

George, S (2016) 3 Big Problems with “marketing to millennials” in B2B. Radix Communications. April 20, 2016.

Gower, G (2014) Marketing to Millennials: the rise of content co-creation. The Guardian. November 3, 2014.

Halliday, V. et al (2014) Millennial cultural consumers: co-creating value through brand communities. Arts Marketing. Vol. 4, No. 1, p119-135.

Loda, M.D et al (2010) Walking in Memphis: Testing One DMO’s Marketing Strategy to Millenials. Journal of Travel Research. Vol.49, No. 1, p46-55.

Martin, E (2017) Goldman Sachs says Millennials didn’t inherit a spending habit companies have capitalized on for years [online] < http://uk.businessinsider.com/goldman-sachs-millennials-spending-habits-2017-1?r=US&IR=T > [Accessed 3 April 2017].

Pitta, D (2012) The Challenges and Opportunities of Marketing to Millennials. Journal of Consumer Marketing. Vol. 29, No. 2.

Smith, K.T (2012) Longitudinal Study of Digital Marketing Strategies targeting Millennials. Journal of Consumer Marketing. Vol. 29, No. 2, p86-92.

Smith, K.T (2012) Longitudinal Study of Green Marketing Strategies that Influence Millennials. Journal of Strategic Marketing. Vol.20, No.6, p535-551.

Spenner, P (2014) Inside the Millennial Mind: The Do’s and Don’t’s of Marketing to this Powerful Generation. Forbes. April 16, 2014.

Thomas,  S (2015) Reach a Younger Audience – Marketing to Millennials [online] < http://blog.wsi-emarketing.com/reach-younger-audience-marketing-millennials/ > [Accessed 1 April 2017].

Waterworth, N (2013) Generation X, Generation Y, Generation Z, and the Baby Boomers [online] < http://www.talentedheads.com/2013/04/09/generation-confused/ > [Accessed 1 April 2017].

Why Beauty Brands should use YouTube Influencers to Help Appeal to a Younger Audience & How to Work with them Effectively

In recent years, customers are changing the way they interact with brands and are becoming increasingly engaged with social media (Roderick, L, 2016). Youtubers are more relatable than mainstream celebrities and have been rated as more reliable and bring a more authentic and intimate experience due to their natural and more sincere sense of humour and an overall ‘ordinariness’ which makes them so appealing to the younger generation (Dredge, S, 2016). Variety’s 2015 study showed that teenagers are as much as seven times more emotionally attached to YouTube stars than a celebrity.

As social media becomes more prevalent in people’s lives, traditional marketing methods now must include a digital component. Push marketing now incorporates a two-way dialogue encouraging conversations with opinion leaders, an example being YouTube influencers, and as a result of their large following and connections, regular engagement and interaction with them can be highly beneficial for brands in terms of reaching a targeted audience and customer base whilst identifying new and creative ways to promote in the most effective and suitable way (Brown, E, 2012).

YouTube celebrities/influencers are more engaged with their viewers and due to the strong connection and relationship, beauty brands can benefit from sponsoring Youtubers who create beauty related content on their channel to promote and demonstrate products (Newberry, C, 2016). L’Oreal Paris and Maybelline New York have both recognised the importance and opportunity of using the YouTube platform for growth and have selected a few beauty bloggers and YouTubers that are most suited to the brand, to create ‘fun and engaging’ content, as well as inviting them to attend key events such as London Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week and Cannes Film Festival to share with their viewers the experience of behind the scenes or front-row footage (Roderick, L, 2016). L’Oreal’s General Manager, Adrien Koskas stated that they are working with the influencers to shift the industry towards something more genuine and to also help consumers in terms of beauty advice by offering tutorials and demonstrations that give immediate results.

Victoria (Inthefrow) – YouTube Influencer & Blogger doing an AD for L’Oreal Paris.

Video blogging or ‘vlogging’ has become a huge part of the online experience; they are slowly dominating the web and social media. Marketers are beginning to integrate it into their online and social media strategies. YouTube is the second largest search engine worldwide (2nd to Google) and also the 3rd largest social media with billions of users, which businesses can benefit from. According to Defy Media – a leading independent creator and distributor of digital content who focus on the aged 13-24 demographic, found that this group of YouTube viewers spent an average of 11.3 hours per week watching online videos, and they also stated that the YouTube platform delivered an experience and content that suited their lifestyle, in addition to over 60% of them being more influenced to purchase products because of YouTubers more than anything else (Michael, L, 2015).

Here is a link to an interview with Jonathan Poole, head of Red Hare Digital, discussing how he successfully engaged a younger audience to the Liz Earle beauty brand using YouTube influencer Gabriella Lindley.

https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-gb/articles/brands-and-youtube-creators-collaborate-to-win.html

Gabriella Lindley – YouTube influencer and Blogger doing an AD for Liz Earle

In the $60bn beauty industry, YouTube influencers are exerting increasing power, and large beauty brands are taking notice by partnering with ‘beauty gurus’ for product placement and advertising campaigns, and more recently co-creating new products with the influencers, for example MAC Cosmetics recently collaborated with blogger and YouTuber Fleur de Force and allowed her to create her own shade of lipstick that would be exclusive to MAC and will be released in April 2017. YouTube has fundamentally changed the balance of power between consumers and brands as it enables peer recommendations which have a greater role in purchasing decisions. According to a McKinsey study, marketing motivated word-of-mouth generates over twice the sales of paid advertisement, in addition to a 37% higher retention rate.

Fleur (Fleur De Force) – YouTube influencer & Blogger at the MAC lab

By working with YouTube influencers, provides brands with insight into the way products and campaigns are created and the way consumers would view the products, and because have reviewed a variety of cosmetic and beauty brands, they have a credible voice when it comes to giving a genuine endorsement of products. In addition to this, brands will be able to find out more about the younger audiences and tailor their marketing campaigns to suit the younger demographic in terms of how they deliver the marketing message. (Mortimer, N, 2016).

In terms of working with YouTubers, the commitment and diligence to making their content must be understood by brands and agencies looking to co-produce and partner with the ‘new celebrities’. Without respect and genuine creative collaboration, the process can be challenging and may not achieve the desired results (Farnhill, N, 2016). There are a few key principles that brands should adopt when working with successful YouTubers.

  • Consider what would make a YouTuber want to work with the brand. Cash is not always the answer; perhaps offer an experience that without their fame they would not be able to enjoy, and to also be understanding that their priorities are pleasing their subscribers not the product placement.
  • Trust – YouTubers understand their audience the most, therefore sharing the responsibility of creative direction and the development of ideas will better the relationship with the YouTuber.
  • Brands often demand too much which can often make the YouTubers personal brand inauthentic which can deter YouTubers from doing sponsored content. (Aynsley, M, 2016).

Here is a blog post about working with YouTubers with an interview with YouTube influencer Laura Reid about some of her experiences with brands.

https://blog.hootsuite.com/working-with-youtube-influencers/

Despite the benefits for YouTube influencer advertising, there are also factors that brands should keep in mind. Authenticity is the most significant and difficult factor to replicate and is rather complex with commercialisation, aligning the brand with the right influencer is incredibly important in order to portray a genuine interest and love for the product or brand that the influencer is promoting. The influencer’s audience are familiar with the YouTuber’s personality, likes and dislikes and therefore will be able to identify immediately whether the advertisement is authentic and supportive of their own values (Edwards, M, 2016).

Here is a link to some more information about authenticity when using YouTube influencers for advertisements:

http://www.contentinmotion.asia/blog/fragile-authenticity-brands-youtubers/

 

 

 

 

 

References

Aynsley, M (2016) Everything you ever wanted to know about working with YouTube influencers [online] < https://blog.hootsuite.com/working-with-youtube-influencers/ > [Accessed 25 February 2017].

Edwards, M (2016) Fragile Authenticity – Brands and YouTubers [online] < http://www.contentinmotion.asia/blog/fragile-authenticity-brands-youtubers/ > [Accessed 24 February 2017].

Farnhill, N (2016) How Brands Can Work With YouTubers. Creative Review. 10 May 2016. [online] < https://www.creativereview.co.uk/how-brands-can-work-with-youtubers/ > [Accessed 10 February 2017].

Harvey, T (2015) How brands should really be working with YouTubers [online] < https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-brands-should-really-working-youtubers-tom-harvey > [Accessed 25 February 2017].

Hopwood, C (2015) How YouTube celebrities are transforming the beauty industry, and what companies can learn from it [online] < https://www.visioncritical.com/beauty-influencers/ > [Accessed 22 February 2017].

Mortimer, N (2016) L’Oreal: How influencers are ‘challenging’ the way it creates products and campaigns [online] < http://www.thedrum.com/news/2016/09/20/l-or-al-how-influencers-are-challenging-the-way-it-creates-products-and-campaigns > [Accessed 20 February 2017]

Mortimer, P (2016) How Influential Are YouTube Stars? More Than Traditional Celebrities According to This Study. [online] < https://www.digital22.com/insights/how-influential-are-youtube-stars-more-than-traditional-celebrities > [Accessed 26 February 2017].

O’Reilly, L (2015) Google just told advertisers that if they want to reach young people YouTube will need to take 24% of their TV budgets. Business Insider UK. 14 October 2015. [online] < http://uk.businessinsider.com/at-brandcast-google-tells-advertisers-to-shift-tv-money-to-video-youtube-2015-10?r=US&IR=T > [Accessed 22 February 2017].

Qualman, E. (2009) Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons

Smith-Bulhack, J (2015) Millenials Ages 13-24 Declare It’s Not Just The Cord, TV Content Doesn’t Cut It. Defy Media. 3 March 2015. [online] < http://www.defymedia.com/2015/03/03/millennials-ages-13-24-declare-just-cord-tv-content-doesnt-cut/ > [Accessed 24 February 2017].

Wong, K (2014) The Explosive Growth of Influencer Marketing and What it means for you. Forbes. 10 September 2014. [online] < https://www.forbes.com/sites/kylewong/2014/09/10/the-explosive-growth-of-influencer-marketing-and-what-it-means-for-you/#5a2fdf2d52ac > [Accessed 11 February 2017].

Asos’ Autumn Email Campaign Analysis

On first click into Asos’ event triggered email campaign for 25% off selected autumn fashion, the recipient is  presented with a bold, eye-catching statement matching the subject line of the email ‘25% off Autumn’. As one would imagine, the call-to-action is displayed as a large image with their representation of ‘autumn fashion’, modelled by a female in which the image is hyperlinked, re-directing the customer to the landing page where this offer is available. Not only is the large image centered at the top of the page ensuring the purpose of the email is not missed, just below is the deadline of this offer. This creates a sense of urgency and will encourage people to act instantaneously before the sale ends, and according to Mohammadi, M et al (2013), generating a statement that pushes customers to act immediately is a strong call-to-action and is extremely valuable. What is also good about Asos’ CTA is that it’s simple yet effective – it tells the recipient exactly what the email is about without going into too much detail and using excessive text. Douglas Karr from marketingtechblog outlines what makes a call-to-action effective.

25-off-autumn

 

After clicking on the call-to-action image, the hyperlink re-directs the user to the landing page where you can shop all their women’s autumn fashion pieces at 25% off. The page is completely relevant and transparent, wasting no time in showing the user exactly what the page is about as it uses the headline ‘25% off autumn essentials’, which also links directly with the email campaign. Everything is as you would expect from the Asos website, the page is uniform with the rest of their shopping pages, making it easy for the user to navigate and select various options including size, colour, product type etc. One criticism regarding the landing page is that it loses the urgency aspect that the email had; it does not remind the customer about the end date of the offer.

asos-landing-page

In addition to the effective call-to-action feature in the email, Asos have also included illustrations/images that help to engage the reader and grab their attention, which is exactly what images should do in emails (Ellis-Chadwick, F and Doherty, N.F, 2012). It perhaps gives the recipient some inspiration for autumn style by presenting them with some key trends this season. Whilst doing so, they have also reminded or informed customers that they can purchase the pieces shown in the images from a particular brand of clothing (Pull and Bear), via Asos. However, the inclusion of the Pull and Bear advert does not link in with the 25% off offer, which can be somewhat misleading or confusing considering the subject line is promoting the sale, not what Pull and Bear have in stock. As mentioned in the Journal of Business Research article on Web-Advertising, the body of the email should relate to the subject and headline in order for it to be an effective email. Therefore, in terms of the usefulness of the images, it certainly helps to excite the customer for what Asos have online, but it doesn’t necessarily build on or further promote the offer. Instead of advertising Pull and Bear, Asos would more likely benefit from showing images of some discounted items included in the offer that are also considered key trends. By doing this, it not only shows customers the ‘stylish’ pieces that they can buy at a discounted price, but also helps give them an idea of what to look for and what’s available.

pull-and-bear

One feature that Asos should have included is the personalisation aspect. According to Donna Talarico (writer and marketing consultant), personalisation results in greater success rates, particularly personalised subject lines which can increase the number of emails opened by 26%. In addition to this, it makes the email seem more friendly and less of a simple marketing or sales tactic. However, Asos have targeted this email towards their female customers judging by the images used and the promotion of women’s clothing, which in some ways is slightly personalised as it is more gender specific. But disappointingly, it is clear that Asos have sent the same email to all their female customers as the images are not related to the recipients previous searches or transactional history, and therefore the images may not be of any interest to them. With email automation, email campaigns can feel slightly robotic and generalised, so in order for Asos to build a stronger relationship with their customers, they should personalise their emails even if it is simply adding the recipient’s name in the subject line. The Telegraph have an article illustrating the importance of personalised email marketing and how easy it is for brands to incorporate this into their emails. Fabletics have a good example of an effortless personalised email where they included my name in the subject line.

fabletics

 

 

 

References:

Ellis-Chadwick, F., & Doherty, N. F. (2012). Web advertising: The role of e-mail marketing. Journal of Business Research, 65(6), 843-848.

Karr, D. (2016) Call to Action: What is a CTA? [online] <https://marketingtechblog.com/what-is-a-call-to-action/> [accessed 3 November 2016]

Mohammadi, M., Malekian, K., Nosrati, M., & Karimi, R. (2013). Email Marketing as a Popular Type of Small Business Advertisement: A Short Review. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 7(4), 786-790.

Talarico, D. (2016). From Inbox to Enroll: Email Marketing Tips. Journal of Recruiting and Retaining Adult Learners. 18(11), 1-3.

The Telegraph (2015) Why email marketing is still the leader of the pack. The Telegraph. 7 January 2015. [online] <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/business/business-reporter/11127852/email-marketing-platform.html> [accessed 3 November 2016]

Importance of Data in Marketing (Ikea example)

Having read the case study about Ikea working with The Socializers to be able to connect and  understand their customers further, it is clear that social media is an influential tool for marketers to discover more about those who purchase their products. Both Ikea and The Socializers decided that a ‘listening hub’ would be ideal for the organisation in order to engage with the customer. They selected Brandwatch Vizia which is a customisable platform which distributes insights across the company. The new Brandwatch Vizia has proven to be highly effective and useful providing Ikea with real time infomation regarding their customers, their products and the brand. By comparing online conversations from social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest, they were able to find out information and opinions using specific search terms such as ‘customer service’ that was related to Ikea. The benefit of having this hub is that they can now reflect on aspects of the business where it may need improving or adjusting that have been brought up by customers, thus being able to change their brand reputation online.

2 points to take away from the case study:

  1. Social media is becoming increasingly influential to brand reputation and the way customer relationship management is applied online.
  2. Brands should use social media to not only promote their products/services, but use it to gain feedback and improve.

Here is a link to an IBM Institute for Business Value article, further emphasising the importance of social media to brands.