Social Media Retention Tips for Property Development Marketing
Property development marketing with social media can help keep current residents engaged as well as bring in new ones. Learn how with our 10 tips. Property development marketing should do more than attract new renters; it should also retain loyalty from current tenants. After all, it’s almost universally true that retaining customers costs less than bringing in new ones. Besides, at least some satisfied residents will probably help spread news about the property to their own connections. Social media can provide the perfect platform to keep residents updated and engaged in their property. Ten multifamily marketing agency tips to use social media to retain residents People tend to check their social media daily, and even more, they spend quite a bit of time doing it. As an example, average users spend about 40 minutes a day on Facebook, according to Marketing Land. They visit social sites to check up on friends and family, research businesses, and even get their news. That’s why apartment marketing should include some of these social media retention ideas in their tool kits. 1. Respond to resident messages Today’s social media users often feel more inclined to message via social media than to pick up a phone and call. Encourage contact via messaging on social pages. In turn, ensure somebody monitors these pages and can provide timely responses. 2. Publicize community events Community events provide a great way for residents to connect with each other and their property management. Even if the property doesn’t hold its own events, it’s still a good idea to promote events in and around the surrounding community. If the property intends to get a booth at a local festival, for instance, make sure to invite residents to stop by for a free keychain or bottle of water. 3. Hold contests on social media Contests can generate a lot of excitement and, of course, attract more followers to a property page. Prizes could include local business gift cards. In fact, some local stores and restaurants might even donate gift cards to help promote their own business, and that can reduce the costs of running the contest considerably. 4. Share apartment notices and updates If the pool’s closed for maintenance or landscaping needs to take care of a fallen tree, share this kind of news on social sites. Since renters may spend more time on social sites than they do looking at their email inbox, this can provide a great way to make sure people know abut it. 5. Provide a community guide Besides promoting local festivals or other events, keep people engaged by sharing interesting things around the surrounding area. Some topics could include top seafood restaurants or nearby parks and day trips. Even though these kinds of posts won’t directly promote the property, they will help promote the community and help keep residents interested in the property’s content. 6. Share news about residents and staff members With permission, some residents and onsite staff members might want to share news about having a baby, getting married, winning an award, or even involvement in worthy causes. This will help staff and residents get to know each other, and some people might appreciate the help spreading good news. 7. Share vacancies Even though this campaign might mostly focus on retention, it can also help generate some word-of-mouth marketing. Some residents may have friends who need an apartment or even want to upgrade to a larger unit. Marketing for property developers can incorporate both acquisition and retention in a very synergistic way. 8. Gather information Instead of only sending surveys by email, consider using social media to run quick polls get get quick answers. Residents will appreciate having their opinions count, and these polls can provide a simple way to learn which areas need improvement and which upgrades to prioritize. 9. Promote social media pages Help the property discover the social media pages by mentioning it on new resident materials, the website, and on email communication. Include a quick message to let people know that they can benefit by getting prompt updates about the property, a chance to enter contests, and so on. 10. Post consistently Countless studies have demonstrated that businesses can keep social site users engaged by posting regularly. Even the algorithms of social sites may tend to favor pages with regular posts and engagement. To make social media an effective part of property development marketing, post at least two or three times a week. Start by defining goals and making a plan Any effective multifamily marketing agency will begin by figuring out measurable goals for their social media campaign. An obvious example might include retention rates, overall satisfaction, or word-of-mouth referrals . Then create a plan to develop social posts that help support this goal and ensure somebody will monitor the page for messages. This plan might start with a content calendar, but it needs to have enough built-in flexibility to include urgent updates.
How to Make a Logo That’s Worth $211 Million for Your Brand
When thinking about how to make a logo that actually works, one of the most obvious answers is to take notes from the pros. The most expensive logo created in the last decade was gasoline giant British Petroleum’s – also known as BP – logo refresh in 2008. The company partnered with a marketing agency (read: paid them $211 million) to create a new logo in a highly saturated, mature market. The goal was to design something that symbolized the potential of gasoline, BP’s emphasis on green technology, and that helped them stand out from their major competitors such as Exxon and Chevron. The results transformed BP’s traditional green and yellow shield into a starburst, with an updated modern font. Seems simple, right? So why was this fresh design worth $211 million, and how can you make a logo that charges your brand with the same effect? We’re glad you asked. Why are logos worth so much to your organization? BP isn’t the only company that has invested heavily in logo design. Up and coming organizations or companies trying to refresh their image, such as Pepsi or Accenture, have been known to spend over a million dollars on logo designs as well. Yet, some of the most well known logos, such as Google and Twitter, were designed for less than $15. So, do you need to spend a million to make a million from your logo? We’re going to let you in on a secret: the answer is no. Highly recognizable companies such as Coca-Cola and Nike went through the same logo design process that we recommend to our clients, and now include their logos on their accounting financial statements as “goodwill” assets that are routinely represented in the billions – that’s a b – of dollars because they are so valuable. The trick is realizing that it isn’t how much you spend on a logo, but how effective it is and how well it complements your brand, that makes a logo valuable. Logos are, quite literally, the face of your company, so they become your most valuable hook when catching your customers’ eyes. BP, Coca-Cola, Google, and Twitter all have easily identifiable logos — so recognizable, in fact, that many consumers can identify these brands with simply their colors alone. If you ask your local Orlando marketing agency representatives how to design a logo that is worth millions, the answer is simply to make sure it’s something people will remember. Logos become an asset to your brand when they trigger continuous, top of mind cognizance about your product or are so recognizable in your category that your customers always think of you before your competition. How to make a logo that works for your brand. There is no exact “How to Make a Logo That Works” guide (although we wish there was), but there are a few tried and tested rules that can guide your logo design toward success. Taking a page out of Google’s playbook: logo creation doesn’t need to be expensive, but it does need to be effective, which is why we recommend partnering with a local Orlando marketing agency to craft something that will speak to your target audience and adhere to design best practices. 1. Avoid cliches: We know it can be tempting to use that ultra trendy free font you keep seeing around town, or purchase stock images from the web for your logo because they’re “in” right now, but don’t. Choose a symbol, an image, or font type that is uniquely you. If you are able to find the main image for your logo on Google, your customers will be able to find it too. Certain imagery – such as the infinity symbol, foliage, clasped hands, and globes – may seem like they speak to your brand in a meaningful way, but are so common and overused in the general marketplace that your logo has no chance of hitting that $211 million mark. 2. Typography can be a logo: Also realize that sometimes a picture isn’t worth a thousand words. We don’t say this often, but you don’t always need an image for your logo. Custom fonts and artistic lettering can be a logo in and of itself. If you’re unsure how to make a logo that will resonate with your customers, the best place to start is often your company name. A marketing agency can help mock up a variety of lettering treatments that capture the tone and vibe of your brand. A clean, text-based logo will help your customers focus on who you are or the services you offer without leaning on cliche images or rolling the dice with abstract artwork a la Nike’s signature swoosh. 3. Keep it simple: The most important thing you can do when creating a logo is to keep it simple. Once you create a design, do the “three second test.” Show your logo to a few friends or colleagues for three seconds, then ask them what they remember about the logo and how it makes them feel. If your logo is too complicated, they may have trouble answering that question clearly, so use their responses to guide any tweaks, simplification, or updates to your design. Color, type face, and images all play a part in crafting the perfect first impression, so don’t be afraid to try a few variations until you discover what works. No matter what image or font you choose to represent your company, your logo should be something you love. Remember, your logo often serves as the cornerstone of your brand and can be the starting point for your brand and design guidelines or creative expression. It is a jumping off point for your other marketing initiatives, so don’t rush this critical part of the brand building process. Working with client partners like you has helped us learn how to make a logo that works. Learn more about our clients and past experiences building a brand around innovative logo design. Will
Learn From These Amazon Bestsellers in Order to Beat Them
Millions of buyers search Amazon for new products and brands. See examples of the best Amazon eCommerce marketing in order to find ways to beat competition. When it comes to Amazon, lots of sellers say that if you can’t beat them, you should join them. That doesn’t refer to copying either the products or tactics of other sellers. At the same time, the platform offers so much information about best-selling products that successful eCommerce marketing often depends upon researching top products and sellers in order to come up with a profit- and growth-driving strategy for their own business. Learn what kinds of products to look for, examples of top sellers, and why Amazon eCommerce marketing offers the perfect platform to launch or grow a business. Finding Amazon top sellers to research StartupBros, one Amazon marketing agency, has their own simple formula they use to find likely products. While other sellers may use different criteria and not every box needs checking for all products, these look like sensible gauges for new sellers who want to find products to help generate new ideas: They tend to favor products with prices between about $20 and $200. For obvious reasons, it’s beneficial to have easy-to-ship items that can qualify for express shipping. Reasonable prices for the item should allow for a profit margin of at least 50 percent. Current product listings should have less than 150 reviews, indicating the market isn’t totally saturated. The product should generate at least 10 sales a day to demonstrate it has already attracted buyers. Evaluating Amazon top sellers Using the requirements listed above, it’s fairly easy to find some briskly selling products and figure out how another seller could improve upon them for their own business. Pet grooming gloves Pet grooming gloves make grooming and de-shedding a pleasant, comfortable experience for both long-haired pets and pet parents. This listing on Amazon ranks at the top for both cat hair removal products and the pet category for Amazon Launchpad, a platform for innovative startups. It also has an Amazon’s Choice badge, which is a designation for products with generally favorable reviews, immediate shipping, and reasonable pricing. Is there an opportunity to do better? Obviously, the seller does well with this product. They’ve also effectively used images in the heading and description. However, they have very little text in the description area. Not only could these sellers have used text to provide more information, they might have sprinkled in a few more key words or phrases to help with ranking on Amazon and other search engines. Vegetable Spiralizers Spiralizers slice vegetables for salads, stir-fry dishes, or pasta replacements. According to the reviews, the Mueller product performs pretty well out of the box for some tasks. Unlike the pet glove listing, this product page appears to contain both clear photos and plenty of text. In fact, the description even provides tips for setting up and using the device, probably cutting down calls and emails for customer service. Is there room for improvement? For one thing, even many positive reviews mention that this wasn’t the first such device people have had. Mostly, this product has steel blades but otherwise relies upon a fairly cheap plastic body. Less favorable reviews pointed out some problems with the product. These issues include: The bin to catch vegetables was too small. The plastic body felt cheap. The product sliced zucchini well but didn’t perform to expectations with softer yellow squash. A competitor should not have a tough time either sourcing or manufacturing an alternative product that resolves these design flaws. Even if the product would cost a little more, plenty of people appeared willing to pay for quality. Why Amazon offers a great eCommerce marketing opportunity According to the eCommerce platform’s own Amazon Advertising page, customers don’t just use the site to shop for things they already want. In fact, 80 percent of Amazon shoppers also visit to browse around and find new products and brands. Also, because so many sellers have already found success, it’s easy to find top sellers and improve upon their product development and marketing.
Pet Care Marketing: How Trends Provide Growth Opportunities
Successful pet care marketing means watching current pet care trends, as pet owner desires and behaviors continue to change fast. An apparent immunity to economic downturns, rapid growth, and a rising share of sales from eCommerce made the pet supply market one of the shining stars of the past year. Still, as Common Share punned, some pet care marketing services still face dog-eat-dog competition as the biggest players capture the lion’s share of business. For just a few examples: PETCO and PetSmart took in almost half of all total revenue in 2019. Amazon penetrated the online market with its own white-label pet products. Large retailers, like Walmart and Target, increased their online presence. Still, plenty of smaller DTC and distributors have pulled off some amazing wins with excellent product development, on-the-nose pet product branding, and catering to hot trends. Look at the top pet product trends from the perspective of a pet care marketing agency to find high-growth opportunities in this expanding market. The latest pet product marketing trends A data technology company called SPINS reported upon the hottest pet trends in 2020. For a general tip about pet product branding, they said that companies that convinced customers they truly cared about pets and their owners had the best chance to thrive in the current environment. Otherwise, these are specific niches that have performed well recently: Natural products: These days, consumers don’t just lean towards choosing natural products for themselves. They also want to provide their pets with wholesome, natural food, toys, supplements, and remedies. As an example, hemp supplements for pet anxiety have grown increasingly popular. Custom products: In addition to offering their furry or feathered friends a more natural diet, pet owners want to choose products specifically tailored for their own pet’s needs. For instance, they may seek different dog food products for puppies or kittens, overweight dogs or cats, or elderly pets. Unique items: Besides custom products like bespoke food, some retailers did well with unique items that caught customer’s attention. Some examples included pet portraits, pet socks, and cute dog beds that look like dollhouse beds. In fact, some IKEA stores had trouble keeping their doll beds in stock because people bought them for their cats and small dogs, even against the company’s advice. Community- or eco-friendly products and packaging: Consumers don’t just want to buy wholesome products for their pets. They also want purchases to contribute to a clean and sustainable environment. Any pet marketing agency can give their brands a boost by using and promoting their sustainable packaging and ingredients. Supporting worthy causes that their customers care about can also catch the attention of a market audience. Better shopping experiences: The rise of large chains and eCommerce doesn’t necessarily keep neighborhood stores or startups in the doghouse. Many pet owners like and use various options, depending upon the situation. Omni-channel marketing with stores, eCommerce, and pickup or delivery can help niche businesses thrive. Examples of successful pet marketing campaigns from smaller companies To spark some inspiration, a pet marketing agency might look at some good examples of startups that successfully launched products. Natural pet food Some smaller pet food businesses gained traction with their high-quality, natural products, a DTC marketing model, delivery, and often, subscription sales. As an example, Ollie delivers vet-approved, customizable, and healthy meals. The Farmer’s Dog offers a meal-delivery plan that starts at only $3 a day. Pet beds Surprisingly, some of today’s popular pet beds come from businesses that gained a reputation for innovation by first making mattresses and bedding for people. These brands include Purple and Casper. This ties into the trend of people looking for the same benefits for their pets they would favor when they buy products for themselves. Dog hygiene Not only do Ethique’s solid shampoo and conditioner bars help reduce packaging waste, the company also uses natural ingredients. Besides marketing these bars to humans, they market the Bow Wow Bar for dogs. According to the company, the PH-balanced, gentle dog shampoo bars can replace three typical bottles of shampoo. A pet product agency perspective on current trends To put it all together, pet products enjoyed a boom in recent years. In particular, online sales have spiked. Even better, forecasts suggest the pet product market hasn’t even matured yet, so there’s plenty of room for growth. It’s true that the major players have benefited the most from this spike. At the same time, some smaller, more innovative companies have found room to profit and grow by paying attention to current trends and satisfying changing customer desires.
5 Successful DTC Launches With Podcast Advertising
Podcast advertising gives DTC brands a chance to connect with a wide, engaged, and growing audience. See five DTC advertising success stories. PPC, blogging, and social media advertising tend to dominate discussions about DTC marketing. These kind of conversations totally ignore the rapid growth of podcast advertising as an effective and increasingly popular promotional medium for DTC brands. Even last year, The Drum reported that DTC ads had increased overall podcast revenue by over 50 percent in 2018. This comes at a time when podcasts have replaced radio shows for a hands- and eyes-free way to consume entertainment and information. Which DTC brands have enjoyed success with podcast advertising? Look at some examples of DTC companies that have found an audience with podcasts. TakeMeUndies As the name implies, TakeMeUndies sells underwear. As a podcast advertiser, they shifted some of their social media advertising money to podcast advertising a few years ago. As early experimenters, they managed to cut deals with some fairly notable celebs. Their bet paid off. According to Ad Exchanger, they have already sold nine million products and expect to generate $75 million in revenue for the year. In this case, the company used host-read ads. The CEO, Jonathan Shokrian, said that he credited his company’s success to having the advertisements sound more like person-to-person referrals than typical advertising. FabFitFun FabFitFun offers a unique and fun subscription service. Subscribers pay $49.99 each season. In return, they get a box filled with eight to ten products with a guaranteed value of at least $200. Members can also choose some of the products they want included in their basic box, or they can pick add-in products for an additional fee. According to Magellan, FabFitFun first started advertising on podcasts in 2017 and by 2019, they made the list of the highest spending podcast advertisers. They’re featured on such popular shows as The Goal Digger Podcast and Chatty Broads. Blue Apron Like TakeMeUndies, Blue Apron has grown up with sponsored podcast ads. In fact, they have even launched their own branded podcast called “Why We Eat What We Eat.” During the show, a food historian named Cathy Erway discusses a variety of interesting topics related to food. Some examples have ranged from the origins of duck sauce to dealing with picky eaters. Whatever their content marketing agency comes up with, it’s working. The company’s sales have increased 500 percent. ZipRecruiter Similar to Blue Apron, ZipRecruiter sponsors a podcast. In this case, it’s called Rise and Grind, a podcast that caters to their likely audience of job seekers, hiring managers, and entrepreneurs. Rise and Grind, the sponsored podcast, has even launched other businesses, like a Shark Tank investor named Daymond John. By producing the right type of content and sharing their platform with entrepreneurs, ZipRecruiter has earned a large, targeted audience and some great publicity. As an example, Daymon John praised ZipRecruiter as a company that focused upon finding good people and good jobs, according to FastCompany. Podcast Superstar According to the Podcast Superstar page on Airbnb, $195 gives guests an interview in a Manhattan studio for a podcast called mürmur. video. The page promises guests a chance to promote themselves, their business, or their idea directly to the world. This example doesn’t exactly fit with the more conventional approaches to using sponsored podcasts to attract an audience and promote a specific business. Instead, the podcast promotes itself as a way for people with a modest budget to get featured in a podcast. The reviews suggest that the host does a good job with the interview, even if his Airbnb page doesn’t mention the audience size. Still, the deal includes a professional recording, so at least, it can give startups and small companies a way to get content produced for a budget-friendly fee. To make this opportunity truly effective, they may need to invest more to distribute and promote the recording. How DTC brands can benefit from podcast promotions Podcast advertising shares certain features with both digital and radio promotions. Still, it has its own character. To make the most of this rapidly growing medium, keep these tips in mind: Typically, podcasts work very well to increase brand awareness, though they can directly push leads and sales. Since many listeners may listen to archived or downloaded programs long after the original date, they may work better for offers that aren’t time sensitive. As with radio, it’s usually not possible to finely tune audience demographics as tightly as on PPC platforms. When developing content for sponsored podcasts, keep the audience in mind. They probably don’t want to listen to 30-minute advertisements, so find relevant topics that would lend themselves well to mentions of specific products and services. As with any other kind of marketing, expect to test and tune a bit before finding the perfect podcast advertising solution. Still, many DTC brands have found receptive audiences and growth opportunities by investing in various kinds of podcast promotions.
Branding Vs. Logos: Logos Matter, But There’s More to the Story
Branding includes logos, but a brand image is an emotional response to images, text, company decisions, and the overall customer experience. Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room. – Jeff Bezos When average people consider brands, they might first visualize company logos. For some business logo examples, it’s hard to think about McDonald’s without picturing the golden arches or Coca-Cola without the red-and-white text graphic on every can. Consumers do associate logos with businesses. In that way, graphics contribute to branding. Still, from the perspective of a brand design agency, the logo and other graphics make up a small but important component of the overall brand image and not a consumer’s entire impression of a company. What is a brand image? Consumers don’t just identify brands with logos. Instead, they associate companies with their experiences and even the emotions those experiences might have evoked. For instance, people might remember the golden arches, but they also might associate McDonald’s with fast service and consistent products. In some cases, they may also consider things they’ve read about company practices. As highlighted on CNN a couple of years ago, McDonald’s has made an effort to use more sustainable packaging in order to help reduce waste and protect the environment. That improvement in packaging can help improve their brand image as much as or more than the logos they print upon their cartons or wrappers. In any case, large and successful companies do spend quite a lot on branding — and that’s not just for logos. For some examples, Website Builder collated some recent statistics about brand spending from well-known companies: In 2018, Netflix dedicated $1.8 billion for branding. Coca-Cola typically spends almost $4 billion each year. Amazon’s branding budget for 2018 topped $10 billion. How much do logos and graphics matter for brand images? Even though a brand image consists of much more than logos, color schemes, and other graphical elements, people certainly do associate these visual elements with companies and products. According to a study conducted by Harvard Business Review, good logos can help differentiate brands, pique interest, convey information, and of course, reinforce brand recognition. While any marketer can think of exceptions, HBR found that the most effective logos tended to convey some information about the company. Their study included over 170 test logos for startups, and mostly, descriptive logos tended to make the survey subjects express more willingness to buy from that brand. Since these companies were still developing their businesses, the logo was the only experience that the subjects had with them. Since most people aren’t familiar with the startups yet, HBR used these big-name business logo examples to illustrate the kinds of descriptive logos that worked very well: The Burger King logo clearly has the restaurant’s name sandwiched between the bottom and top of the bun. Animal Planet has a stylized elephant over the network’s name. Some people can argue that McDonald’s non-descriptive logo represents a bigger chain than Burger King’s descriptive one. Still, HBR’s research found that descriptive logos tended to influence brand perception in a favorable way. Also, the golden arches reflect the same symbol seen outside of every McDonald’s, so it’s still fairly easy to associate the logo with physical restaurants and the company in general. As a major exception to preferring descriptive logos, their research suggested companies should avoid anything with potentially negative connotations. As an example, descriptive logos for exterminators should consider leaving out images of the pests that the business might target. They believe these kinds of images tended to evoke negative responses because people tended to associate them with bad experiences. How can a brand design agency help develop a brand image? Beyond logos, brands also establish and reinforce their image with ads, press releases, and business decisions that make the news. Companies might also have signs, websites, advertisements, and plenty of other uses for text and graphical design elements. Multi-channel creative work should always complement the brand image the company hopes to convey by projecting a consistent tone and voice. While a logo design agency will help create the right graphics, a brand design agency will ensure that customers view the entire picture in a positive light.
How the Aluminum Shortage has Impacted CPG Brand Marketing
Increased demand and reduced supplies of aluminum have kept products off shelves. Learn how CPG brand marketing was impacted and could react in the future. While not quite as notorious as the infamous toilet paper shortage, many companies have had to reduce production of canned products because they have had trouble sourcing aluminum cans. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic and even changing customer behaviors have contributed to supply problems. Take a look at the multiple causes of aluminum shortages and the best ways a CPG marketing agency can help cope with the problems. What caused the aluminum can shortage? According to Newsweek, aluminum shortages did not stem so much from production cutbacks as an increase in demand. Because of restrictions on restaurants, bars, and other in-person sources of products, CPG audience research found that consumer behavior has changed to prefer picking up supplies and bringing them home. For instance, people stocked up on canned drinks to replace the beverages they might have consumed outside of their homes from a beer tap or a soda dispensary. At the same time, concerns over future shortages and limiting trips to stores caused many people to stock up on other kinds of canned goods to keep in their pantries. Ironically, an increased consumer preference for recyclable and somewhat eco-friendly aluminum cans over other types of packaging also helped stoke demand. At the same time, recycling centers had closed or limited operations, so that aggravated the problem. That meant that a lot more of these aluminum cans ended up in the trash anyway. How consumers viewed the aluminum shortage Consumers might have seen evidence of the problem as sparsely stocked shelves in their favorite beverage aisle at the store. In truth, the problem did not come mostly from shortages of products but from fewer aluminum cans to package them in. These statistics from Packaging World help illustrate the issues: In 2019, before the pandemic, people consumed 60 percent of beer from cans, so a high demand already existed. Turnarounds for orders of some kinds of cans changed from four or five days to four or five weeks after the pandemic hit. The price of printed cans has nearly doubled, meaning companies either have to struggle with lower margins or increased prices. How is the aluminum shortage impacting CPG brand advertising? Most commonly, both large and small brands have prioritized their most popular products over niche offerings. As an example, Coca-Cola reduced supplies of Cherry Coke Zero. Mashed noted that even though the fruitier version of Coke Zero isn’t as popular as the regular version, people still noticed. Cherry Coke fans even flocked to the company’s Twitter page to ask Coca-Cola why they couldn’t find their favorite soft drink on the shelves. The company responded by saying they struggled with supply issues and were working hard to adapt. Since Coca-Cola has earned a good marketing reputation over decades as a market leader, their response can provide some inspiration for any brands impacted by shortages of aluminum cans or other products: Coca-Cola knows its CPG brand personas very well, so they first responded by retrenching to prioritize their best-selling products. They sacrificed production of less-popular flavors in order to try to satisfy as much demand as possible for the most-popular drinks. They responded pretty transparently to questions on social media. While they didn’t go into specifics of the types of shortages, the company did admit they struggled with supply problems and were working hard to address the issue. Perhaps, they might have done better by bringing up the topic before consumers asked, but at least, they answered questions when they arose. Will the aluminum shortage lead to greener alternatives? Even more than such large companies as Coca-Cola, smaller breweries and other supplies have struggled with supply shortages. As an example, Brett Trump serves as the CFO of a small brewery in Pennsylvania. He said that larger breweries have swept in and purchased available supplies, and he lacks the resources to compete with them. Actually, this can provide an opportunity for some smaller companies to find alternatives to traditional cans. As an example, some premium brands have turned to eco-friendly Cartocan cans, according to Packaging Gateway. They’re actually made out of a special kind of cardboard, generate a lower footprint than either aluminum or PET cans, and can keep products fresh for up to 11 months. Since studies of CPG brand personas uncover that many consumers prefer eco-friendly alternatives, using aluminum-alternative packaging could help producers improve their brand. Imagine what an impact it could make if a company like Coca-Cola started using Cartocan.
TikTok Marketing Predictions and Tips for 2021 and Beyond
What will 2021 TikTok marketing look like? Don’t ignore increasing market penetration or this quirky social video site’s young, engaged, and fresh market. Developed by ByteDance, a Chinese company, TikTok lets users produce, edit, and share short videos. The social media platform’s editing features include the ability to add sound effects, musical overlays, and video effects. Even though TikTok has only been around for a few years, it’s attracted a large, enthusiastic user base and more than its share of controversy. At the same time, businesses have just begun to explore the potential of Tik Tok marketing. Find out what makes this site unique and how a social media agency might use it to attract an audience. What makes TikTok unique? In order to start to develop a marketing plan for TikTok, it’s important to understand its unique character. Effective social media content writing for this video site differs from content development for Facebook, LinkedIn, and even Twitter. As a very general impression, most people would describe most popular TikTok videos as quirky. With some notable exceptions, a marketer would probably call the site’s content more entertaining than newsworthy. Exceptions to this might include Claudia Conway, the daughter of the former presidential advisor and of course, high-level critiques of the site’s privacy and security. As for more typical examples of popular videos: One piece played upbeat music as the presenter sprayed shaving cream into a Croc and then stuck her foot inside to splatter the shaving cream through the holes. Another video started with suspenseful music as a hand drew back a curtain to reveal a wide-eyed cat. Even though the videos sound silly when described, they were both worth a watch for a quick grin. To gain a better feel for this kind of short, amusing video content, watch this compilation of popular Tik Tok videos on YouTube. Can social media services benefit from TikTok in 2021? Look at some eMarketer predictions for TikTok in 2021: After 95-percent growth in 2019, eMarketer predicted growth of over 21 percent this year. By 2021, the platform should have over 50 million users. Young people make up most of the audience, with slower growth among older users. At least one out of five social media users will login to TikTok at least once a month by 2021. Right now, the platform lacks the penetration of such established social sites as Facebook and Twitter. Still, it’s the only large social media site with growing penetration. In fact, eMarketer compared TikTok’s position to that of Facebook in the first decade of the 21st Century. A savvy social media agency might view this new, growing platform as a good place to test creative marketing ideas and a chance to get in on the ground floor before it grows saturated with ads. How to plan TikTok social media content development Mostly, marketers look at TikTok as more of a place to build brand recognition than to generate direct sales or leads. Now and probably into 2021, the most popular kind of marketing campaign on the site is called a Hash Tag Challenge. These challenges can rapidly increase visibility and also encourage popular influencers to join in. To understand how a hash tag challenge works, look at a couple of examples: Guess ran a challenge to build their audience and launch a new line of denim jeans. They ran the campaign under the hashtag of #inMyDenimChallenge and motivated users to produce music videos while wearing the new denim pants. Burger King called their challenge the #WhopperDance. They offered coupons for $1 Whoppers to encourage users to produce their own dances. TikTok offers hosted challenges. These include increased visibility and a special page where the promoter can list their terms and display the challenge videos. These hosted challenges cost quite a bit, but smaller businesses can still succeed by creating and promoting their own challenges. For one thing, TikTok offers other kinds of ads that businesses can begin with a budget as low as $50. A small business could use these cheaper ads to test their strategies and to promote an independent challenge. Will TikTok remain fresh in 2021 and beyond? According to HubSpot, some other social sites have tried to provide features that recreate the TikTok experience, but their efforts haven’t successfully pulled users away from the original. Because the site is still fairly new and growing, it can provide a fantastic opportunity to get noticed by engaging in creative marketing. Plenty of marketers would love a chance to revisit Facebook marketing back in its early days. Experimenting with TikTok may give them that chance.
Spooky Marketing Mistakes: Tales from the 2020 Advertising Crypt
Three scary marketing case studies to help marketers avoid marketing fails by remaining sensitive to your audience and learning to adapt your message fast. Plenty of people will always associate 2020 with dire health concerns and economic uncertainty. Marketers may not need to wait for Halloween to evoke feelings of fear and dread. Still, in the spirit of the spooky season, take a look at some marketing case studies that can help businesses avoid future pitfalls and perform fearlessly in the future. The 2020 marketing case study hall of horrors This year provided plenty of opportunities for businesses to rise above their circumstances. You may have read about pizza shops that used their ovens to mold personal protective equipment and distilleries that produced hand sanitizer. Of course, those positive marketing stories do not belong here. Instead, take a quick look at some of 2020’s most visible marketing missteps. 1. Unlucky Corona Founded in the 1920s, Corona beer has become one of the world’s most popular beer brands. Fantastic marketing ensures people think of their brand when they picture a cool bottle of beer with a lime stuck in the top. Sadly, the brewer launched a new drink called Corona Spritzer in February of 2020, just about the time that people started associating Corona with coronavirus. Sadly, the product introduction did not perform well. Search Engine Journal said that even though it’s tough to delay a launch, that’s exactly what they should have done. Even though most people realize that Corona beer has nothing to do with coronavirus, studies found that purchase intent had dropped to its lowest level in two years. Introducing an anti-coronavirus hand sanitizer would probably have yielded better results for their brand. 2. Poor-timing Progressive By March of 2020, a lot of states and cities had already closed bars and restaurants to help encourage social distancing. During that same month, Progressive Insurance used the backdrop of a karaoke bar to promote their online insurance site. Of course, nobody inside of the crowded bar even had a mask on, which lots of people find frightening these days. Just about a month later, Sharablee, a market intelligence company, asked consumers what they wanted out of advertising during COVID-19. Well over half said they preferred ads that reflected the new normal. Progressive probably should have changed that advertisement to a karaoke Zoom party to avoid getting singled out for bad taste in a digital advertising case study. 3. Tone-deaf McDonald’s Corona’s and Progressive’s worst offenses might include poor timing and an inability to pivot their marketing campaigns fast enough. They probably did not do any serious damage to their brands. At the same time, any advertising case study of some of McDonald’s messaging might draw more criticism that their attempt to sound sympathetic to people’s plight during the pandemic came off as insincere. McDonald’s posted an image on social media with their famous golden arches separated from each other. They paired the image with the idea that it represented solidarity with social distancing measures to help curb the virus. The company’s critics, including politicians with large audiences, responded that the company could better demonstrate solidarity by improving employee benefits, like paid sick leave. Like other hospitality companies, McDonald’s suffered too during the pandemic. According to CNN, revenues fell 30 percent in the second quarter when compared with the same quarter of 2019. Still, the message may sound hollow to employees without paid sick leave and people who sympathize with them. ? How about pay your workers a living wage! I went thru the drive thru yesterday and it was crazy busy. Also fix your Dr. Pepper! It tastes nothing like Dr. Pepper. I bet it’s Dr. Brown’s or some bottom shelf nonsense! @McDonalds https://t.co/xeNKJ0pvdW — David Ligon (@VanLigon) March 20, 2020 How to avoid the coronavirus marketing crypt of horror The coronavirus pandemic caused a very abrupt and unexpected business disruption. Even such good marketers as Progressive, Corona, and McDonald’s made mistakes. Still, successful marketers know they need to adapt to changes, even when those changes emerge rapidly. Businesses like Progressive and Corona simply failed to pivot fast enough in response to changing consumer sentiment. Even unconsciously, the sight of happy crowds sharing beer or performing like their favorite rockstar can turn people off during these socially-distanced times. McDonald’s might have been better served by promoting any positive actions they were taking to protect their employees and not a fist bump that some interpreted as insincere. Brands need to reflect their audiences, which can include customers, employees, and sometimes even politicians.
Gen Z and Gender Identity: Toss Out the Stereotypes
Gen Z wants gender inclusion, and brands that conduct customer persona research may uncover a larger market with these younger buyers. In a week when a lot of the news covered a tragic fire caused by a so-called gender reveal party, it’s sort of ironic to realize that today’s babies may not grow up to view gender the same way their parents do at all. Of course, babies get an assigned sex at birth. At the same time, Gen Z has already disrupted ideas about gender that their Baby Boomer, Millennial, and Gen X parents and grandparents just took for granted. The sex assigned at birth may or may not describe how individuals will grow up to view themselves. And the way that people view themselves obviously influences the sorts of products they buy and even which businesses they choose to purchase those products from. Find out what marketers need to understand about changing perceptions of gender. This will help inform customer persona research, product development, and all aspects of marketing. How Gen Z Attitudes About Gender Have Changed According to Pew Research, Gen-Z generally refers to people born after 1996. That means that some are young adults but many are still children. Right now, most surveys of this generation include people who are at least 13 years old. It’s possible that younger children will eventually form their own generation. Even so, Gen-Z will likely influence the attitudes of those that come after them. Most importantly, Pew also found that members of Gen Z tend to have very different attitudes about gender norms than their parents and grandparents. For some examples, Gen Z members tend to have: A comfort with gender-neutral pronouns: They’re most likely to know people who prefer gender-neutral pronouns for themselves. These younger people feel comfortable referring to an individual as “they” to avoid using “he” or “she.” A preference for more than two gender options: They tend to believe that gender options on forms or surveys should include selections besides the traditional male or female. Leaving these out may skew results of marketing surveys and other data gathering. In the worst case, leaving out other gender options can even offend some respondents. A desire for inclusion and diversity: Gen Z generally feels that society should act more accepting to people who don’t define themselves in traditional roles. Since consumers tend to patronize companies they identify with, accepting changing gender definitions and promoting inclusion can help attract this market. In Bigeye’s national research study, Gender: Beyond The Binary, we found that 50% of Gen Z respondents believe that gender is a spectrum, not a binary. Marketers must understand the shifting views toward traditional gender roles to cater to younger audiences’ changing needs. An Audience Analysis Agency Perspective on the Positive Side of Disrupting Gender Norms According to The Robin Report, a magazine for retail, fashion, and beauty executives, failing to account for changing gender norms can mean losing out on billions of dollars that Gen-Z and younger Millennials spend on retail goods. Some changes may prove quite simple. These are some suggestions to help target audience demographics of Gen-Z better: Consider gender-neutral packaging: Sure, young women have been purchasing “boyfriend” jeans for decades, but young men may also prefer to purchase a certain brand’s clothes and beauty products if they didn’t appear targeted solely to women. Consider using diverse models and maintaining authenticity by resisting the urge to dramatically Photoshop images. Consider genderless products: Well-established luxury brands have introduced genderless fashion and even coed fashion shows. As an example, Abercrombie introduced a children’s line of genderless clothes, which appealed to progressive parents. Also, Victoria’s Secret made news by hiring a transgender model. Don’t overlook the other genders: For instance, many cosmetics companies targeted their marketing to women. At the same time, one survey found that over half of men admitted to using at least one cosmetic product during 2018. These products included concealers and foundations. By embracing gender diversity, beauty companies can tap a huge market. How an Audience Targeting Agency Can Welcome Gen Z Consumers If today’s brands want to grow by engaging an audience of younger people, they should stop limiting their potential by restricting themselves to traditional notions of gender. An audience insights agency may help businesses uncover some surprising news about a product’s potential market. And really, if a company just has to bend some gender rules to attract an audience, then that surprising news is really good news. Interested in learning more about the attitudes and perceptions about gender? Download Bigeye’s national research report Gender: Beyond The Binary.