Using video for brand storytelling

There is no shortage of people out there telling us that marketing today is all about storytelling, and that if you want people to connect with your brand, you need to tell stories that they can relate to. Of course, this is easier said than done, so in this post I wanted to introduce you to some ways of determining what story you should tell.

Making a video about your product

When you first consider making videos about your product, the natural tendency is to think about making videos that revolve around the product itself - demonstrating its features and benefits. This is our connection to traditional sales-focused advertising talking. Here is a Fairy Liquid advert that anyone based in the UK of 30+ years should remember. It is a good example of a product-focused advert that clearly shows some awareness of the importance of ‘story’ and emotional connection –…

A review of the options to avoid 'showrooming' and connect with customers digitally when they are in-store

As retailers figure out how to incorporate the ever-changing omnichannel and added extra credit card processing security, they will also need to think about the Internet of Things [IOT] and how it fits into the retail experience and marketing budget. Some retailers are using digital in-store to enhance the shopping experience of their customers. But implementing these devices could be costly and time-consuming, especially if they fail to produce results for the retailer. But we must recognize that customers have overwhelmingly connected lives. In their daily journey, they are shuttling between their homes and work in a constant connected state. This connected state has an effect on their shopping behaviour. Customers will search online, comparing prices, promotions, ratings and reviews.  Internally, the customer may debate things like the difference between shipping costs versus the cost…

Which channels matter most today? An analysis of the effectiveness of 40+ marketing channels

Several months ago, I created a simple spreadsheet of 40+ marketing channels available to marketers to reach and influence consumers today. I shared this on the Smart Insights blog and readers added to my base list - thank you for the recommendations! In this article, starting with the original channels, I've added attribute data about each channel to provide a better picture of channel versatility, cost, purpose and function. This blog post will cover an analysis of a new all channel spreadsheet available via my site to determine which are the best channels for functionality and value.

Cross-functional channels

Venn Diagram

The four segments in this Venn diagram show the functional intersections for channels used for different types of customer interactions. The four functional categories are: Marketing, can the channel be used to market to customers? Service,…

How to create an uncontested market place by repositioning your brand in the digital world

A number of well recognised brands have disappeared over the last few years such as Blockbuster, Woolworths, Compaq, Republic and Jessops - all recognised brands who at one stage were market leaders. So what's the common thread of these well-established traditional retailers not managing to re-invent themselves as a digital brand? 'Dont find customers for your products, find products for your customers; putting the customer at the centre of the conversation by interacting, engaging and using their feedback to steer new opportunities to satisfy and delight users (e.g. Threadless, Apple, 37Signals). The removal of the 'us v them' mentality and building one to one communication with their customers through the use of social media. Digital disruption - Start-ups who were prepared to take on the big brands and re-invent traditional markets by eliminating running costs, reducing value chains and doing…

 New research on consumer feedback on buyer omnichannel fulfilment requirements

Value: [rating=3] Recommended link: Comscore and UPS's 2013 Pulse of the Online Shopper survey ComScore was commissioned by UPS  to survey over 3,000 US consumers, to find out about their online shopping experience and the impact of the range of channels now available to the consumer. The research looks at the consumer journey from pre-purchase, to check out, delivery and post sales. It provides insight into how businesses need to adapt to consumers expectations of an integrated sales experience and the focus on the customer experience. 'Overall, satisfaction with online shopping is high at 83%. However, it drops below 50% when shoppers are asked about: flexibility to choose delivery date; ability to choose a specified time of day for delivery of purchase; flexibility to re-route packages; and a green shipping option' Key…

Examples showing that Why is often more important than How and What in brand storytelling

Have you ever wondered why some companies do what they do?, Why do Hotpoint make washing machines?, Why do Dyson make hoovers?, Why do Casio make watches?,Why do Yale make locks? or Why do Baxi make boilers?

Why does Alexander Dennis make single and double-decker buses? (you probably didn’t know this right? You do now)

If you haven’t already then I urge you to read a book called ‘Starting with why’ by Simon Sinek. It’ll change the way you think about marketing and differentiating your business from the competition. The book talks about how some companies became so successful by communicating the why’s (beliefs, causes, visions) before they communicate what they do & how they do it.

Simon…

Do colours really have an impact on conversions when it comes to web design?

Is there a 'British' web colour palette, or a Chinese one? Have web users from around the world adjusted to a Western led approach to colour and is it standardised? Within this blog, these and other questions will be assessed by GlobalMaxer’s cultural conversion expert Joe Doveton. [caption id="attachment_29592" align="aligncenter" width="531"] Source: Visibone[/caption] From feeling blue to shaking off a black mood, phrases can express a linguistic synaesthesia of emotions, commonly shorthand for an experience articulated through colour. By no means is this limited to English either, with most languages having their own such as the German’s 'blauer Montag' (a day off work), the French 'une peur bleue' (a morbid fear) and the Swedish 'sväva på rosa moln' (to be in love). So, how important are the cues of colour in web…

Getting your message across with a Message House

Message Houses are a simple but effective tool for helping your teams stay on message in their marketing communications across different channels. They can be applied not only for general company marketing and brand positioning, but also for other projects (such as events and conferences) and even for the messaging of an organization as a whole.

You might have seen Message Houses that look like the one in the image below: with an 'umbrella statement' inside the roof, three rooms underneath (each containing a different 'core message'), and with a first floor full of 'evidence, proof or support.'

Let's call it the 'multi-room Message House'.

The idea is to have the contents of your Message House inspire all other communications. Consultants like to tell their clients: 'Stay inside the Message House, and you'll be safe!'

At the …

Culture and conversion Part 1 : 5 tips for designing for the culture of site visitors from different countries

Ever wondered why your baskets are bulging in Belgium but spring a leak in Spain? Why your checkouts are chock-a-block in Chile, but empty in Egypt?

Whether you are B2C or B2B business, cultural preferences play a big part in how people respond to your web design. This blog looks at how culture affects your online performance and what you can do to effectively manage an online presence globally.

'Just as nine-tenths of the iceberg is out of sight and below the water line, so is nine-tenths of culture out of conscious awareness. The out of awareness part of culture has been termed deep-culture.' – Edward T Hall, Beyond Culture

Managing Global web design assets

Managing global web design assets is not an easy task. No matter…

A new report from eBay mapping the flow of international sales

Value to retailers: [rating=4]

Recommended link: eBay cross-border Ecommerce sales report

eBay commissioned Nielsen to conduct a research study on the importance of cross-border / International Ecommerce sales in six key markets around the world – the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, China and Brazil. The output is this interesting infographic which shows the main flows of traffic (click to enlarge).

The report makes the analogy of cross-border Ecommerce with the Spice routes of the past between Asia and Europe. The report certainly provides support for investing in approaches to localise Ecommerce merchandising to market needs. Just within these six markets:

Cross-border online shopping will be worth $105 billion this year with 94 million consumers regularly buying from overseas websites.By 2018, this will increase nearly 200%…