Category: Social Media

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Seeking Emotional Sentiment in Digital Media and PR

Regardless of the current state of the digital age, human connection will never go away. People seek more from brands than just an advertisement or sales pitch. The question is, how will we use technology to deepen relationships with our customers and answer intrinsic human needs? For our final takeaway from the Texas Marketing Summit, here are a few things to consider when fostering relationships with users during the consumer journey:

  • Every interaction creates a personal reaction. Take feedback seriously and respond authentically.
  • Stop just chasing clicks and pay attention to what people are interested in. Content that evokes emotions has a greater impact than meaningless clickbait. We can no longer be solely transactional with customers, it has to be relational.
  • Strive for buzzworthy performances. If companies want to make their voice heard, they need to start with making sure their customers voice is heard. By creating and promoting buzzworthy content, the company is in a position to engage in meaningful conversations with their audience.
  • Consumer loyalty is and will continue to be driven by shared values like courtesy, honestly, loyalty and success.
  • People want to hear from other advocates about your brand. 92% of consumers read reviews and at the end of the day, people trust people.
  • Customer service is the new marketing. If customer service relationships are not up to high standards, it will develop a negative tone for your overall brand image and voice.
  • Invest in listening tools. Trends, mentions and relevant content may not always be directed to you but can still elicit an opportunity to join the conversation. Marketers must seek out and engage with new information in order to build credibility and remain knowledgeable of industry trends in their respective industries.
  • Balance human needs with technology. Customer familiarity breeds alignments – people crave human interaction and human connection. For example, the Ad Council “Love Has No Labels ” campaign incorporates technology with real human interaction to deliver a key message, in turn allowing the public to interact with the brand and each other.
(Photo provided by Ad Council and “Love Has No Labels”)

Marketing trends are constantly shifting and while we can’t always read the consumer mind, understanding your audience can be achieved through data and creative strategy. If you want to “Be Heard” and make the right kind of noise in your industry, Noisy Trumpet is here to help. Contact or stay social with us! We’re just one call, like, follow, retweet and DM away.

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Advertising Blog Social Media

From Data to Personalized Experiences

Noisy Trumpet is thrilled to bring you the second part of our Texas Marketing Summit series! Two weeks ago we attended this conference in Dallas and learned from the best in the business. In case you weren’t able to attend, we’ve compiled the valuable insights gained and will be sharing them in this three-part series. Our second takeaway: Turn data into personalized experiences.

 

Data drives good digital, UX and content strategy. If you understand who your users are and get to know them, you can develop content tailored to them. Every brand needs to know, who is coming to your site and why? What do they do there? What is the value of each interaction? How are you tailoring their experience to them with the goal of facilitating loyalty? While retrieving data on your audience isn’t necessarily a one-stop shop, looking at different data signals (reviews, social feedback, web behaviors, surveys, etc.) will send you in the right direction of truly knowing your audience. Prioritizing a personalized experience for your audience isn’t easy but keep in mind the following when trying to understanding your users:

  • Research the behavior of your customer and choose the appropriate platforms to fit their needs. Is that YouTube, Google, TV, Influencers?
  • Don’t let internal desire conquer what’s actually needed. If your digital strategy can’t be backed by research, reevaluate your personal preference.
  • Understand beyond demographic data. Marketers tend to see their audience as a percentage or number. It’s time to break down the walls and see your audience as real people with real needs to conquer real personalization.
  • Identify, monitor and revisit your plan’s goals regularly — especially for segmented strategies. You can’t be all things to all people. Know what you’re working towards.
  • Measure and refine. One solution may work today, but not tomorrow.
  • Last but not least, quantify the journey. Creating digital touch points and other data markers that can be measured will allow you to optimize your strategy and garner results.

Noisy Trumpet acknowledges that your business may not always have the time or opportunity to prioritize turning data into a personalized experience for consumers. Our agency can help you analyze data to optimize your digital, UX and content strategy that will make sure your brand is truly heard. We’re just one call, like, follow, retweet and DM away.

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Small Business Marketing

Laptop computer placed next to a computer and cup of coffee

For small businesses, marketing your brand can seem like a daunting challenge in the face of a competitive market. While new companies often don’t have the advertising budget of larger competitors, there are tools available that can help brands maximize their exposure. Here are just a few ways to help improve your small business marketing strategy.

Publish, Publish, Publish

As a small business, it is important to be the owner of your own content. As we’ve discussed previously, content drives revenue. Publishing your own content is a basic necessity for any marketing strategy. In fact, 18% of marketers say that content marketing has the greatest commercial impact on their business of any channel according to Buildfire. So, whether you’re posting to social or your weekly blog, make sure you take the necessary steps to be the owner of the creative content.

Live Online

In 2019, everything is digital. Online channels provide small businesses with a cost-effective strategy to elevate brand awareness. Tools like Google My Business and social media profiles help connect with consumers when, where and how it matters most to them. In addition, optimizing your site for search engines is crucial to driving traffic to your site and ultimately sales to your business.

Leveraging Local Events

Look to the community for inspiration and leverage to elevate your marketing message. Local events are a great way to build brand recognition with little cost. For example, we recently explored how San Antonio’s Tech Trek Fiesta event was a great opportunity for brands to interject their brand into the heart of the community. Not only can this generate leads, but it also builds a positive brand perception that positions your brand in place for potential earning in the long-term.

 

Keeping a small brand in the spotlight of a competitive market can be a tough task. Our duty as marketers is to provide our clients with every resource available. Let our expertise keep your business at the forefront of trends. Contact or stay social with us! We’re just one call, like, follow, retweet, and DM away.

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Diversity in Thought

Noisy Trumpet gained some valuable insights at the Texas Marketing Summit in Dallas last week! In case you weren’t able to attend, we’ve compiled some of the big takeaways we’ll be sharing in a three-part series. Our first takeaway: Diversity in thought is paramount.

If you don’t go forward, others will zoom right past you. The marketing world and our country’s cultural makeup has changed significantly over the last 20 years. The way we once segmented audiences has been reshaped and our customers no longer fit into perfect boxes. Successful marketers can’t allow personal biases to conceal potential audiences. Diversity is now more than skin deep: it reflects how one was raised, how one thinks, and how one identifies. This no longer follows a standard “Age, Gender, Income, Geography” checklist.

If you are looking to diversify your brand, here are a few things to consider:

• Targeting “minorities” is no longer considered niche marketing. The minority is now the majority and your brand’s marketing strategy must address inclusivity.

• Multi-cultural has morphed into cross-cultural and makes up the general population. When you think about cross-cultural marketing, you also need to think about how these groups can overlap; consumers can fit into LGBTQIA, Latin X, and Baby Boomer groups all at once.

• Companies disrupting the market are “future proofing” their brand by growing from diverse audiences. Successful corporations like Nike make inclusivity a priority across their brand and foster diverse representation in the workplace.

Photo provided by Nike.com

• You don’t need Ivy League minds for million-dollar ideas. Gain valuable insights from the community as opposed to just from the elite and educated. Diversity within your team’s knowledge, expertise and background encourages a mixing pot of ideas. For example, a Frito-Lay janitor turned his experimental Cheeto preference into one of the most popular snacks in America. Without this insight from him and his community, we would not have Hot Cheetos!

Photo provided by CNBC.com

Not sure the best way to reach those diverse audiences with your brand voice? Noisy Trumpet can help you identify the appropriate messaging and activate the proper channels to make sure your brand is truly heard. We’re just one call, like, follow, retweet and DM away.

 

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Advertising Blog Social Media

Psychology in Marketing: Inciting Emotional Appeal

gears

Whether you realize it or not, psychology plays a massive role in marketing today. In order to understand and effectively market to your audience, you need to be aware of the influence your brand has on consumers. Marketers use psychology to their advantage in a number of ways, most of which involve understanding how consumers think. Psychology impacts the decision-making process — potentially leading to conversions like contact form submission or purchases on your website. We have highlighted a few ways brands can tap into human psychology to enhance their marketing strategy.   

 

Value in Frequency

 

Have you ever seen a product in one place and then began to see it everywhere? That effect is known as the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, where you learn something new so now your brain knows to look for it and register every occurrence you see or hear about it. To incorporate the effects of the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon into your marketing strategy, you need to put your brand messaging out there as much as possible. Remarketing ads are a great way to leverage this effect and drive users back to your website after they have seen your Facebook ad or visited your website for the first time.

 

Sending a Message

 

The Verbatim Effect is another psychology principle which can influence your marketing strategy. This is the idea that people are more likely to remember vague details rather than the entirety of the message that was supposed to be communicated to them. Make sure that your message is clear and certain keywords stand out so that what a consumer does remember is easily searchable and will still lead them to your brand’s website. Ensure you have a strong keyword strategy to help guide your content and copywriting.  

It is also important to be concise with messaging because the average consumer has an attention span averaging about eight seconds. When formulating marketing messages remember that consumers want to know what your product will do for them rather than focusing on mundane lists of features.

 

Building Trust

 

Studies show that consumers are more likely to trust a brand if the product or service was recommended by someone they know. 85% of people trust online reviews just as much as they trust personal recommendations according to BrightLocal. In order to build trust with your brand, it is important to be honest. Address your flaws rather than just brush past them. Taking the high road when it comes to diversifying yourself from competitors can truly impact consumers perception of your brand. Respond to reviews quickly and authentically. Influencer marketing is another way to build trust with your audience. According to a research study by Olapic, 31% of participants purchased a product or service after seeing it being promoted by a social media influencer. Working with influencers will also help consumers differentiate your brand from your competitors, in turn, setting yourself apart.

 

Psychology in Color

 

Color plays an important role in how your brand is perceived and should guide your branding and design decisions. The image below illustrates the emotions typically associated with different colors. In a study done at Performable, their website’s call to action button was tested to measure the effectiveness of a red button vs. a green button. Normally people would associate green with “go” and red with “stop”, so the prediction was that the green button would cause more conversions. The results of this test concluded the opposite: the red button achieved 21% more conversions than the green. Red produces a sense of urgency in marketing whereas green is viewed as a color to evoke calm and relaxed feelings. Testing out colors and creating your own experiments on your website could be beneficial to enticing consumers to take action.

(Image Credit: The Logo Company)

This is only a small piece of the bigger picture in understanding how psychology plays a role in consumer behavior. Attracting and engaging with consumers requires a combination of both marketing and psychological tactics, something Noisy Trumpet achieves by staying up to date with the latest trends. Contact us for help in identifying business opportunities to connect and engage with your target audience. We’re just one call, like, follow, retweet and DM away.

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Social Media Updates

With so many social media channels, it can be difficult to keep up with every update. To save you time and help you stay up to date with current trends, we have compiled a list of the latest and greatest changes to your favorite platforms.

Instagram:

(Image provided by Jane Manchun Wong)

Instagram is currently testing a feature that would allow users to rearrange the order of their following/followers lists based on the date you began to follow each other. With an organized list of recent connections, keeping track of who you should reach out to will be much easier. In addition, Instagram is developing a new karaoke tool. This feature would display the lyrics to a selected song directly on your screen. We look forward to seeing how different brands utilize this feature for their own marketing purposes.

Twitter:

(Image provided by Twitter)

Twitter is adding a more accessible camera option that allows users to simply swipe left to open the camera, take a quick photo and post. Since Twitter is fueled by urgent and frequent news updates, this will surely come in handy for those constantly on the go. Still no word on that edit button, but we hope to add that update to a blog soon!

SnapChat:

(Image provided by Social Media Today)

Snapchat is keeping their users up to date on current news by adding latest trend features such as “Global: Trending Topics,” “US: Trending Topics,” “US: Trending Entertainment,” “US: Trending Celebrities” and “US: Trending Slang,” as reported by SocialMediaToday. This tool can be utilized to quickly see what is being discussed online and to monitor which topics you should keep top of mind.

Google AI:

(Image provided by Google AI Blog)

Your Youtube stories are about to get a face-lift! Google AI has introduced new face masks and illustrations to YouTube stories. Social media users are no strangers to filters but recent animations created by Google AI will be a step-up in the tech. These augmented faces trace facial features, then seamlessly merge illustrated creations with real-life people and movements.

Now that you’re all caught up, which update are you looking forward to the most? Stay social with us if you want to stay up to date with industry trends and up your social media game. We’re just one call, like, follow, retweet and DM away.

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Advertising Blog Social Media

Brand Activations: Connecting With Consumers

Two yellow and blue and pressing a button in front of black and white crowd for Brand Activation blog

As brands continue to spend top dollar on advertising, it’s crucial to be creative in your marketing and public relations strategies to stand out from the pack. Through brand activation, brands can build more awareness through novel experiences, create buzz and stimulate consumer interest that leads to sales.

What are Brand Activations?

Brand activations are a specific type of event or experience created by a company and characterized by their interactivity. They provide the opportunity for brands to directly engage consumers, face-to-face, product in hand. This method often takes many different forms:

Creating Memories that Last

Building and maintaining brand awareness is a crucial, primary goal in a marketing campaign. With brand activations, the increase in consumer touch points and engaging experience greatly improve awareness and recall. For example, in an in-store or sampling activation giving out promotional merchandise, Expandabrand noted that two-thirds of people are able to remember the brand up to a year later.

Not only do activations provide more engaging touch points with customers, but their interactive nature also makes it easier to remember your brand. Moreover, the more favorable their experience, the more likely they are to have a positive association with the brand and its products or services.

Stronger Connection with Consumers

Activations provide more opportunities for consumers to interact with your product or service which can stimulate a stronger emotional connection to the brand. This gets people talking about your brand and sharing the experience through social media, which can rack up an enormous amount of organic impressions. This growth in consumer interest can directly influence purchasing decisions in your favor.

Being face-to-face with your target consumer also gives you the opportunity to better understand them. What do they think about your product or service? Is it easy to use? Do they like the way it looks? This type of two-way communication builds a personal connection with your consumer and provides a better understanding of how your brand is meeting their needs.

When executed properly, brand activations are an incredibly useful tool to connect with consumers. But proper execution is no easy feat. Let our expertise help your brand be heard in the ever-evolving world of marketing. Contact or stay social with us! We’re just one call, like, follow, retweet and DM away.

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What Makes a Successful Social Media Campaign

By 2021, the number of worldwide monthly social media users is expected to reach over 3 billion. There is no surprise that social media is an integral part of marketing and public relations efforts. However, social media campaigns are likely to fall flat without a well designed, cohesive plan. To ensure a healthy return on your social media efforts, follow these simple steps when developing your next campaign.

Define Goals

Like any other marketing initiative, a successful social media campaign must have clear and concise goals. Whether your goal is to build brand awareness or if it’s to drive conversions, you will need to have a different approach for each. Focusing on clear goals will give your social media campaign direction and will help avoid wasted time and money.

Insightful Research

Conduct extensive research and intently review your brand, market, competition and target audience. Find out what works well for your competition and what they may not be utilizing. Take this opportunity as a way to differentiate your brand from others.

You also need to understand who you want to target. Build a consumer profile of your target audience and what tactics work best to reach them. Understand how the dynamics of their daily lives impact their use of social media and build your plan accordingly.

A Tailored Message

Make sure to adhere to the nuances of each digital platform (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr) and engage with the target audience appropriately. Each of these platforms requires a different approach while maintaining consistent branding, messaging, tone and voice.  

For example, Twitter’s core principle is commentary; a place where people share their opinions about current events. This would be the perfect place to refine your brand’s personality and voice while cultivating your audience’s interest. Conversely, Instagram is visually-compelling and becoming increasingly integrated with e-commerce. Here, you want to display your product attributes and make use of the easy path to conversion.

Make it Interactive

Social media is one of the few mediums where you can directly engage with an audience. This interactive element is arguably one of its greatest strengths and needs to be leveraged well to ensure a successful campaign.

Engaging with followers through post comments helps build a stronger connection with the brand while providing you with insight into your audience and giving you a more robust profile to use moving forward.

In addition, make sure to utilize other interactive content elements such as polls, surveys, questions and other tools at your disposal to differentiate your brand across platforms. Keep in mind this should be done in a way that aligns with your target audience and your goal.

 

Sound like too much to handle on your own? That’s why we are here.

Let our social media expertise help your brand be heard in the ever-evolving world of marketing. Contact or stay social with us! We’re just one call, like, follow, retweet and DM away

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Campaigns That Made Noise in 2018

As companies gear up to market their brand in the new year, it is beneficial to reflect on the previous year’s most successful marketing campaigns and evaluate what can be learned from their success.

From brands such as Nike, Bud Light and Google, here are our top picks from 2018:

1. Nike’s “Dream Crazy”

Nike took the industry by storm when they released their “Dream Crazy” campaign featuring former NFL quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, who boldly stated at the end of the ad, “Don’t ask if your dreams are crazy, ask if they’re crazy enough.” This emotional campaign evoked a nationwide conversation and led to a 31 percent increase in online sales for Nike, as reported by The Washington Post. This ad showed that brands are able to use their platforms to engage in important political discussions and despite backlash, it was highly successful. The “Dream Crazy” campaign undoubtedly displayed the power brands can have in politics and influencing public opinion.  

2. HBO’s “The Maze”

The Maze is an interactive game inspired by HBO’s television series Westworld. The game lets Westworld fans enter a new world of their own by talking to their Amazon Alexa device. “To find the center of the maze, [a user must] answer a series of questions across the levels: memory, improvisation, and self-interest”, as explained by Amazon. With interactive gaming on the rise, this could be a huge indicator of what’s to come in 2019.

3. Bud Light’s “Victory Fridges”

Another popular campaign with a quite different topic was Bud Light’s “Victory Fridges.” After the Cleveland Browns’ lengthy dry spell, Bud Light placed fully stocked fridges around the city that would be unlocked for fans to enjoy only after the Browns won a game. After the Browns’ victory over the New York Jets, the fridges were busted open, marking a second victory for the citizens of Cleveland. This simple yet effective idea enabled the brand to score a personal win from a football team’s victory and connect with an entire city.

4. John Lewis & Partners 2018 Christmas Ad

No stranger to top campaign lists, the John Lewis & Partners 2018 Christmas ad earned the number four spot. This strong storyline follows the career and success of world-famous singer, Elton John. John Lewis & Partners have proven year after year that the power of storytelling is what resonates with viewers and leaves a lasting impression for years to come.

5. Google Pixel 3’s “Top Shot”

A campaign that brought some comedic relief to 2018 was Google Pixel 3’s “Top Shot,” featuring a collection of moments we all know too well — the poorly timed click of a camera button. The ad showcased Google’s Pixel 3 feature that allows users to select the perfect picture out of a group of snapshots. This lighthearted ad and its positive reviews proved that laughter is the best way to connect with your audience.

 

Each of these campaigns started real conversations with the public. Whether bringing people together through laughter or engaging in important political and human rights-driven discussions, these stories proved their worth as 2018’s top campaigns.

 

If you’re looking for a year of powerful ideas to make your brand’s voice heard, we’re here to help in 2019. Happy New Year!

To keep up with what we are working on this year, be sure to follow our social channels for updates.  We are just one call, like, follow, retweet and DM away!

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5 Ways to Develop a Successful Event Strategy

Recently, Noisy Trumpet experienced first-hand what it takes to execute a successful event with the launch of San Antonio’s first Celebrity Fan Fest, a two-day interactive fan festival featuring special appearances by prominent film and television celebrities. Producing any event requires a multifaceted approach beginning with basic details (venue, time, date, etc.), conceptualizing the official launch and building recognition. Here are five ways to develop a successful event strategy:

1. Have a Game Plan 

The first step is to identify your goals and needs. For inaugural events, such as Celebrity Fan Fest, increasing event awareness and ticket sales are primary goals. As mentioned in our previous blog post, brand positioning is key to any successful campaign communications strategy. Clearly positioning your brand builds an audience, enhances credibility and distinguishes your event amongst competitors.

 

 

2. Find Your Target Audience 

Research helps to identify your target audience. Attend a similar event in your area or utilize social media to find other successful functions that relate to yours. Find out what worked for them, review feedback from attendees, capitalize on what went right and how your event can offer an equal or better experience.

For example, popular Facebook group “Rate Your Comic Con” offers an open forum for attendees from all over the world to share their takeaways from conventions they’ve frequented. In the case of Celebrity Fan Fest, the platform offered insight on the latest trends and offerings similar events were exhibiting.

 

 

3.  Execution

Once you establish your event goals and target audience, review the necessary tactics to execute your plan. An effective event communications strategy includes various tactics such as press releases, media outreach, social copy and creative. Keep in mind that each announcement should be newsworthy. Will your announcement entice interest from your target audience, particularly media?

Consistency in your messaging is extremely crucial to build momentum and drive ticket sales. In addition, consider which medium your target audience most commonly uses. For instance, Noisy Trumpet took advantage of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and hyper-local podcasts to market Celebrity Fan Fest.  

If proven successful, your target audience could then become your brand advocates.

 

4. Engage 

As your event gains attention, it’s important to interact with your audience. Listen and respond to attendee feedback, especially on social platforms. Potential attendees will do their research online, reviewing content and commentary to determine whether the event is worth attending. Be cognizant of social media influence; the more you interact with your audience the better.  Answering frequently asked questions and acknowledging your audience’s opinions will demonstrate how invested you are in providing a positive customer experience.

Keep in mind that such interaction should not be limited to pre-event promotions. Communication should continue during and after the event. For example, Celebrity Fan Fest used social platforms to inform attendees of schedule changes, talent updates and thanked them for their support. This is a great way to secure their interest and attention for your next event.

 

 

 5. Day of Logistics  

After planning, promotion and outreach, the day of your event has come. Whether you’re an organizer, staff or volunteer, everyone’s role is vital to the event’s success. Familiarize yourself with the venue layout, carry copies of the event schedule and have point of contacts that can help answer any questions that may arise. This includes:

  •      Organizers
  •      Venue representatives
  •      Website administrators
  •      Social media editors
  •      Talent representatives (if spokespeople onsite)
  •      Media contacts

 

 

 

If you’re looking to host a successful event and need a creative communications strategy tailored to your target audience, contact us today. We are just one call, like, follow, retweet and DM away!