With tech going in all directions at a pace we can’t even catch up with, newer marketing ideas are on the rise. There are so many social platforms and add to it the formats, duration, diversified audience, ‘storytelling’ and so much more. This can be so overwhelming for a marketing professional. Where’s the success? Which social media platform will spell it for me? Which strategy will work the best? This giant did this but the other one did the exact opposite and both went viral. Confused? Let us decode the M in Tech for you.
Let’s get to the main point first.
The Main Focus
It is not in the ‘what’ and ‘where’ you begin your campaign but in the ‘how’. We already know this but when it comes to current happenings in the marketing world, we completely forget this. Some might argue YouTube is outdated and IGTV is the new lasting trend, others will call YouTube the stepping stone to success. Let’s get rid of the herd mentality.
For instance, if the world is leaving Twitter behind and going all out on TikTok, should you too? If you’re a fitness brand that wants to showcase how cool the new treadmill meter is then yes but if you’re a pharmaceutical company who wants to talk about the importance of chlorine in swimming pools, then maybe not. You get the point, don’t you? While the whole world is saying a ‘no’ to Twitter and you’re a media company churning out fresh news stories by the hour, would you go with the world? If you do, I’m afraid you’d be losing out on thousands of people who are your REAL audience.
Follow Your Audience
Technology enables you to perform and deliver in so many directions, you’re literally spoilt for choice but what choice you make is not based on the abundance of technology that you have in your box but the one that will make you stand out of it. Follow the technology that your audience follows. Period. Market your products and services in a format that your audience consumes the most. If it is videos, create fantastic and visually appealing videos that add value and put them on YouTube, TikTok and Facebook. Make use of IGTV’s vertical format. If it is static images, make them interactive and appealing and create a campaign for Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook. If textual content does the best job for you, get on your Twitter now. Use Tumblr to build a community and lure them to your website.
The How
You see the opportunities there? There’s an unbelievable amount of things you can do on the social media side of tech but more than ‘where’ you do what you do, it’s about how you do it too. While we did talk about the ‘where’, it is time to talk about the ‘how’. Formats are very important to understand when it comes to digital marketing. An infographic might create a ‘wow’ factor on Pinterest and drive traffic to your website but it might not be an option for Twitter. Animated GIFS might be good for Instagram and Twitter but not the best for Pinterest or Tumblr. So much happening here? Confused again? Let’s simplify it for you.
When you’re building your digital marketing strategy, here’s how you go about it.
- Define your audience
- Define the social platforms best suited for your products/services (forget the herd mentality)
- Define the formats best suited for the social platforms you choose.
That’s how simple it really is. What will create an impact will be your brand message and the way you communicate with your audience. Technology will keep throwing new apps and social platforms at you but you need to follow the above steps to keep simplifying things for you as a marketer. Keep filtering everything new in order to not get carried away. Use new tech platforms wisely and build your digital strategy without hiccups. Whatever you do, don’t miss out on new stuff and while you do that, don’t forget what your brand is all about!