How to adapt your marketing during a crisis WARNING! The content - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

How to adapt your marketing during a crisis

WARNING!

The content of this talk is more marketing geek than my usual style of talk, it’s a vast topic and 20 mins isn’t long. I urge you to take just

• ne thing

Also, I would like to express my intent to spread positivity, and help businesses recover. With that in mind, I would like to reaffirm my hopes and well wishes for those facing unemployment, illness or the loss of a loved one.

Index

The problem The opportunity Ground rules The answer Identify the opportunity Understand your channels Messaging framework Message delivery optimisation Content exposure Reporting during a crisis

The Problem…

In these uncertain times, I fully understand running campaigns is the last thing on your mind. Instead, tactical communications fulfil the brief. While I understand this, digital engagement is up 180% and mail volume up 220%. Online sales and enquires are the only route to transact, this is your time to shine.

A note from a great man

When Lisa commented the Chinese have the same word for Crisis as Opportunity.

‘’Crisitunity”

Whats the

• pportunity?

As a result of the pandemic, an artificial surge will be an

• pportunity to recover

as much lost revenue as possible.

The picture is the same across the World

Now is the time!

Despite what, on the surface, looks very negative, decisions for the return to normalcy are already being made.

A consumers perspective. As a family man, I’m picturing the holidays and gifts I will be buying for my wife and children when certainty returns to the

• market. And this is the essence of my
• point. My mind has already been made up.

From a business perspective, The government stimulus packages have been centred around making cash available, so while the profit and loss may get hit, cash reserves should be strong for several enterprises.

Ground rules

Become energised & passionate, with a dose of empathy, know what gets people

• excited. Listen to the sales team.. talk to customers.

Don’t stand for second best, maintain high standards (Gordon Ramsay). Squint test, artwork has to be amazing, you have to LOVE what you do. Don’t stand for second best, maintain high standards be more Gordon Ramsay.

I make the difference. I am the glue; I am the magic and I am the energy.

Do not align with the pandemic, align with the

• pportunity and sympathise with the pandemic.

What’s the answer?

In a time of heightened activity, increased marketing noise we need to ensure our own marketing effort is

• n point! Fully optimised and well thought out.

Integrated Campaigns are the key to your crisis marketing success.

In short…

A campaign with a single focal message conveyed

• ver multiple direct and or indirect channels to an

audience. It’s the lazy marketers dream. It gives meaning and purpose to everything you do for the duration of the campaign.

An integrated campaign should follow the PLUS principle, a simple methodology to keep you in check PLUS:

Persistence - messages are connected and carry a persistent theme Linked - all messages via all mediums are linked Uniform - all messages support and reinforce a persistent message Supportive - synergistic, the individual components contribute to a larger message

(don’t Google that)

STEP 1: Identify the opportunity

It all starts with a killer idea

While my products/service may not have changed so much, and the needs

• f our customers at this stage are vastly different. It’s important to be

constantly creating new ideas and ways to communicate with your customers and prospects that match their needs today. To do this a campaign allows you to form a killer idea and milk it for a period of time.. then move on.

How do I create a killer idea?

For us, it starts with a title, we discuss internally and decide on the title. Why is this important to the recipient and how does this help them? eg:

#YOUARENOTALONE

Sense check your idea!

Adaptable and multi-facetted, the idea must be multi-dimensional and allow you to talk from many angles such as, what does it mean to have unlimited free training and support, how does it feel to be alone? Sense check with the sales team, harsh critics at the best of times, if the sales team GET IT and can understand it you are on to a winner.

STEP 2: Understand your channels

What are channels?

These are the mediums you use to get your message out the door. Communication types you own and control who and when you talk to the contacts. Communication types where you pay usually for placements with a provider and have no control on exactly who sees your message and when.

Direct Indirect

Email PPC/Display/Paid Media SMS SEO DM TV/Radio Push Out of home

What are the strengths of each channel?

Channel Cost/1000 Comments

Email £2 Super creative, low conversion SMS £30 No creative, high impact DM (Direct Mail) £400 Creative, high-impact hard to track Social foc Creative and cheap Paid media £2000 Limited creative, hard to target and expensive TV/Radio £000s Creative, impactful, expensive little targeting

STEP 3: Messaging framework

Messaging, breaking down the content

It’s an integrated campaign I can’t just say the same thing across all my channels, time and time again.. I need to remember PLUS.

Persistence - Messages are connected and carry a persistent theme Linked - All messages via all mediums are linked Uniform - All messages support and reinforce a persistent message Supportive - Synergistic, the individual components contribute to a larger message

We made it easy and developed the rules of a human argument… are you ready?

Artwork Framework

How to construct an efficient email

Preheader - This should reflect the headline, it is designed to sit above all content for inbox previews Headline - This should be no more than 10 words. I prefer simple colours on a stark background Intro headline - Max 2 paragraphs, minimal content with a direct focus. With a strong simple CTA. (no more info, or click here please) Creative sign-off - Designed to bounce contacts back to the previous statement or skip to below. Detail and Action - Remember email is the bait not the meal, this space can be used to hold more content if needed Attention Interest Action Desire/Trampoline Interest Action

So, to recap…

We’ve set the ground rules Defined the channels Established a messaging framework

STEP 4: Message delivery optimisation

I now need to establish how I am going to best execute my campaign, I need the following:

Central point – a hub. Where is the campaign home? Where am I sending traffic, can the website support this or should I create a campaign specific microsite?

Why we use landing pages…

Website 2% conversion rate a blog converts at approx 1/10th of the normal web conversion rate Static landing pages 10% Dynamic landing pages can convert at up to 20%

To be effective in executing campaigns you must embrace automation.

“Disconnect from the wheels” the internal efficiencies gained from automation mean you prioritise your effort to content and messaging.

Automate!

Map out a plan and execute with the power of the machines - like Force24! Stop scheduling campaigns manually. Stop manipulating xls files to send campaigns. Stop broadcasting and start conversing.

Email delivery during tightened engagement! Email Delivery

Spam key words are not a consistent, new key words are identified daily hot key words at the moment: Covd-19, Corona virus, Pandemic

Engaged Unengaged Delivery Strategies

Delivery engaged contacts emails quickly first followed by a slow steady stream of less engaged data. Remembering to remove contacts showing no signs of engagement.

Be engaging!!

Again automate!

Build effective delivery strategies that give your email the best chance of delivery.

Commoditise Artwork!

This doesn’t mean report yourself or let standards slip, simply be effective with you time and batch build..

Killing complexity at this time is critical.

The focus of your effort should be streamlined to strategy and content. Simplify everything, design messaging, and content. Remove the wastage and recipients will thank you for it..

Remember the squint test: Be more Gordon Ramsay! Don’t stand for artwork you’re not proud of.

STEP 5: Content exposure policy

Next, we need to look at how we use the messaging on each channel. What’s too much and what’s not enough? I have to get an ROI on my campaign efforts so far..

Force24’s Content Exposure Policy

Below, we’ve detailed the Force24 Content Exposure Policy, this shows our standard process to ensure we extract value from content without the danger of our audience becoming “over-penetrated”.

Campaign type Gated SMS Email Social Paid Direct mail

SEO Content

No No No

High value blog article

No 2 5 No No

Low value content download

Yes 6 10 No No

High value content download

Yes 6 18 Yes No

Product launch

No 6 18 Yes Possible

Commercial event

No 1 6 18 Yes Yes

STEP 6: Reporting during the time

• f a crisis

In normal times reporting and analysis should be 25%

• f your effort.

But these are not normal times. Your campaign execution reports will be skewed and bare little or no relevance to normal trading. You must act and reduce spend in under performing channels. And it's not to say don’t report, its just to say the 25% of your day spent reviewing and

• ptimising is better spent building timely and sympathetic reasons to communicate with

customers and prospects.

Audience segment reporting!

With direct comms we know who we have been talking to. We should embrace a new world of statistics available based on overall audience engagement

How to quickly evaluate success?

Audience segment reporting - Lead Score

Adoption of Lead Scoring – the most powerful metric in a marketers tool box. What is it?

Audience segment reporting - Member Count

Understand how the segment is evolving – protect your audience with your life

The split test myth

Split testing is OK, but.. If you as an empathetic marketer can not see the difference between two approaches there is no way the audience giving less attention will in a sample date set. Instead try iterative testing VS X 000’s

Iterative testing

This is simply the process of tagging many emails in the past and in the future with attributes and analysing over time which attributes are most common in successful campaigns.

We’ve set the ground rules Defined the channels Established a messaging framework Understand exposure policy Understand how to report success

That’s all folks! Get a copy of the slides by scanning the QR code!