Traditional Tie Ins

Traditional methods of advertising continue to hold their merit if you are using them in a way that draws the user into an extended conversation with your brand. Think of the traditional advertising process as nudging users toward your brand and its online ecosystem. Once they’re within reach, you can pull them in and convert them.

Awareness-based advertising is a decreasing margin endeavor, so you certainly don’t want to devote the majority of your budget to it. Worse, it not only doesn’t add value, but also takes something (time, attention) away from your customers and prospects. You want to be adding useful tools and enjoyable experiences, not stealing something from your customers.

With that said, advertising, in some form, is often required to get things started. In small creative doses, it can kick-start the introduction of your value to the market. Here’s an example. Many multi-channel retailers use direct mail and/or catalogs to reach out to potential customers. Typically they print a glossy product catalog with lovely, unrealistic lifestyle shots that are often disconnected from the customer. The message, essentially, is buy this product by calling this 800 number or visit our website to place an online order. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this. In fact, it may be required for profitable conversion numbers. However, why not engage your precious prospects or customers with something that touches their senses or stimulates pass-alongs? It won’t be interactive, but it can be engaging.

Suppose you’re a jewelry company and you want a high gloss catalog. Instead of doing a standard 11x17 fold-over that won’t, why not print the catalog on a dozen or so postcards that are held together with a neat elastic band? It could even be something that doubles as a bracelet (potentially a bracelet for a cause.) The cards are separate, so they can be passed out among friends or significant others. People may hang onto them and use them as hints near a birthday or anniversary. Each can have your site URL for web orders, as well as the 800 number for telephone orders. You could even punch out one of the cards to use as a ring sizer, kept by the boyfriend for a future date that may or may not include a proposal. And, instead of hammering the customer with product, give them a story behind the company and the product. The tale of how your buyers found a special piece, for example. Or how about a card for designer bios? You can create a card that is all about one of the employees who personifies the culture of the company. You are not only creating goodwill among your staff, but also subtly tying the characteristics of the employee to the strengths of the company. That’s positive brand reinforcement.

You can do a lot of things creatively with some of the traditional mechanisms, but the goal is really, more than anything, to get these media flowing into your organic ecosystem so you don’t have to continue to pay on an impression level. By stimulating activity, giving users ways to engage with your content, and providing a feedback mechanism, you’re actually creating more activity, more comments, and more content and utility usage. That’s going to give you data on user activity as well as user-generated content, both of which enhance the organic ecosystem.

In their early days, Patagonia used to provide some great articles and how-to instructions in their catalogs. This was a way of relating to the people who were at the core of their connected culture. They were doing nothing more than sharing with their peers. Finesterre is doing something similar today in the surf community. They feature articles about real watermen, not necessarily the most sponsored or most attractive, but they combine that effort with related interest stories and relevant product.

But, too often, when capital comes first, efforts are driven entirely by conversion needs, and those are too often driven by operational missteps behind the scenes, such as running ahead of the market with staff size or capital investments. The Patagonia case was classic – a simple product created by people who wanted to make their climbing and their friends’ climbing safer. Their laboratory was established after they already had a loyal following. But many companies who try to copy the Patagonia formula lack that core of authenticity and heart. They disregard what’s best for their customers (and ultimately their brand) over the long run in exchange for short-term conversion improvements.

No wonder customers jump ship so quickly. Brands are commoditizing themselves right out of consumer hearts. Think longer term, and if you are part of an organization where the culture is truly aligned with the core value, you can rest assured that what is in your culture’s best interest is likely also in your customers’ best interest.

A Honey Pot strategy means looking out for the best interest of the customer – so that everyone comes out ahead. If you are using an in-store kiosk, for example, don’t just install one to save on customer service time unless you plan on passing along that savings to the customer. If cost-savings is within your company DNA, then the customer will accept the skimming of service in exchange for an enhancement of your value proposition. If not, they’ll just be annoyed at the wait time.

And make sure that kiosk can be used to get public reviews on products, browse inventory across stores/warehouses, review service history and compare prices. Don’t think for a second that your users will remain uneducated. If you neglect to provide them with the information they need, they’ll just get it elsewhere – and possibly make their purchase there, as well.

This kind of thinking can translate into improvements across all your marketing channels. If you are doing outdoor displays, why not put the forecast on the billboard? You can select the best days to visit your theme park, museum or restaurant on the water – and then do something unthinkable – give an alternate suggestion on the less appropriate days, like stay home and color with your kids. Remember, people are shutting out your messages anyway. So if you can’t be memorable, at least be useful. Ironically, that’s what just might make you memorable.

Need an idea for your company-based CD-ROMs? Stop printing them. Maybe you’re thinking that if you could just get one in a prospect’s hands, you’d be virtually guaranteed their undivided attention. It’s not true. Maybe you think that at the very least it’s an additional brand impression, a coaster, or a Frisbee. It isn’t. Those CDs are too slippery for coasters because there is this weird cohesion thing that happens. Plus they really hurt when you get hit with one (I have; it may have been yours.)

If you really want some mindshare and must have that CD, then follow a Honey Pot strategy and give something of value as the primary impetus, not as a trick to get a user engaged. Include a full version or pre-release of something, provide useful tools or software. You can even entertain users with a video that can be repurposed for other venues (such as online or at a tradeshow) Just remember, it isn’t about you. It’s about them.

Another important point, don’t blindly mail existing customers your latest product extension promo. If your customer just bought a white plastic mailbox from you, are they going to be in the market for a black mailbox? Probably not, but they might be in the market for a new fence or a new welcome mat. Put yourself in their mindset and deliver accordingly. Don’t be afraid to collaborate with other companies that can deliver value for your customers, as well.