Connecting to the New Consumer
Heinrich Marketing
Simultaneously, customers are gaining a louder voice. They crave a connection - to be viewed as individuals instead of as a mass audience. They know that their opinions matter, and they want to be heard, recognized and spoken to as equals. How can marketers connect?
With a more casual approach. In 2000, usability expert Jakob Nielsen explained the Internet’s demand for a different messaging style. A television commercial, he said, is instrumental. It hits you over the head and speaks with authority. It doesn’t wait or care for a response. But online messaging should be constructive. A conversation. A two-way street with equality. Now that compelling theory applies everywhere. It’s time for traditional media to communicate constructively, and level the playing field. The consumer already has.
With surprising swiftness. With a short attention span and zero tolerance for low usability, consumers today are cycling through applications, networking tools and gadgets faster than we can say Google. Blogs become outdated in days. Content gets old even quicker. That means you need to refresh design and messaging more frequently. “You must be able to shift rapidly to consumer taste and behavior,” says George Eddy, president and CEO of Heinrich.
With unabashed transparency. Author Elizabeth Gilbert begins her best-selling book, Eat, Pray, Love, with advice from a friend: “Tell the truth. Tell the truth. Tell the truth.” Being honest resonates with people and leads to credibility and trust. It’s what any married couple will tell you. It’s why blogs and social media have found so much success. Zappos.com achieved legendary status by, among other things, encouraging their customer service reps to abandon call scripts and just be honest. Toyota’s new PR campaign is all about owning up to their mistakes. Domino’s recently compared the taste of their pizza to cardboard, and launched a new product. It takes some guts, but it works.
With empathy and understanding. Consumers just want a little TLC. In 2009, Hyundai’s Assurance program offered 90 days of payment relief or a full refund if a buyer was laid off within the first year of vehicle ownership. A month after the program was announced, Hyundai’s sales had increased by 14.3%, while almost every other automaker was down. Dove’s Real Beauty campaign addressed women’s negative self-image with a campaign that celebrated models of all shapes and sizes, increasing women’s confidence and comfort with their own bodies.
By embracing the new world order. Just ten years ago, companies would market their brands, win customers and then build trust and credibility through superior service and high quality. The process has nearly reversed. We must now begin by developing trust and credibility through relevant and timely services, solutions and rewards. Then we’ll acquire customers, and if we’re good, we’ll keep them.
With multichannel methods. Mobile is just one example and it is posed to dominate and mature. Fast. It will become the “third screen” before 2011, and according to Millenial Media, the U.S. mobile web will soon reach 100 million unique users per month. Even now, supermarkets, retail and drugstores are testing point, click and purchase technology. It’s time to adapt. And don’t think the onset of mobile gets you out of the social media mandate. It’s all connected, and it all matters.
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