Category Archives: Tips

What is the difference between marketing & branding?

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In a recent conversation with a very senior person at a financial institution my colleague was told,
“I think private wealth managers will have a hard time seeing the value of branding—they see marketing as a cost center, not a driver of sales.”

Hold it!

How did we go from branding to marketing in one sentence like that?

What is marketing? What is branding How do they differ?

There is a spectrum of opinions here, but in my view, marketing is actively promoting a product or service. It’s a push tactic. It’s pushing out a message to get sales results: “Buy our product because it’s better than theirs.” (Or because it’s cool, or because this celebrity likes it, or because you have this problem and this thing will fix it, etc.) This is oversimplification, but that’s it in a nutshell.

This is not branding.

Branding should both precede and underlie any marketing effort. Branding is not push, but pull. Branding is the expression of the essential truth or value of an organization, product, or service. It is communication of characteristics, values, and attributes that clarify what this particular brand is and is not.

A brand will help encourage someone to buy a product, and it directly supports whatever sales or marketing activities are in play, but the brand does not explicitly say “buy me.” Instead, it says “This is what I am. This is why I exist. If you agree, if you like me, you can buy me, support me, and recommend me to your friends.”

Branding is strategic.
Marketing is tactical.

Marketing may contribute to a brand, but the brand is bigger than any particular marketing effort. The brand is what remains after the marketing has swept through the room. It’s what sticks in your mind associated with a product, service, or organization—whether or not, at that particular moment, you bought or did not buy.

The brand is ultimately what determines if you will become a loyal customer or not. The marketing may convince you to buy a particular Toyota, and maybe it’s the first foreign car you ever owned, but it is the brand that will determine if you will only buy Toyotas for the rest of your life.

The brand is built from many things.

Very important among these things is the lived experience of the brand. Did that car deliver on its brand promise of reliability? Did the maker continue to uphold the quality standards that made them what they are? Did the sales guy or the service center mechanic know what they were talking about?

Marketing unearths and activates buyers.
Branding makes loyal customers, advocates, even evangelists, out of those who buy.

This works the same way for all types of businesses and organizations. All organizations must sell (including nonprofits). How they sell may differ, and everyone in an organization is, with their every action, either constructing or deconstructing the brand. Every thought, every action, every policy, every ad, every marketing promotion has the effect of either inspiring or deterring brand loyalty in whomever is exposed to it. All of this affects sales.

Back to our financial expert. Is marketing a cost center? Poorly researched and executed marketing activities can certainly be a cost center, but well-researched and well-executed marketing is an investment that pays for itself in sales and brand reinforcement.

Is branding a cost center? On the surface, yes, but the return is loyalty. The return is sales people whose jobs are easier and more effective, employees who stay longer and work harder, customers who become ambassadors and advocates for the organization.

Branding is as vital to the success of a business or nonprofit as having financial coherence, having a vision for the future, or having quality employees.

It is the essential foundation for a successful operation. So yes, it’s a cost center, like good employees, financial experts, and business or organizational innovators are. They are cost centers, but what is REALLY costly is not to have them, or to have substandard ones.

J. Heaton/Creative Director/Tronvig Group/NY

7 Game-Changing Marketing Trends for 2016

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Marketing constantly adjusts and reacts to changes in technology and attitudes.
While digital marketing has undergone a substantial transformation in the last few years, the technology that incited the changes is growing at a faster pace than most brands can keep up with.

So, what does this mean for competitive marketers that are already strategizing for 2016?
Brands need to look beyond the usual channels to stay ahead rather than simply jump on the bandwagon.

Here, we’ll discuss those trends that are changing the face of marketing (yet again) and give you an eye-opening look at what marketers should be leveraging in 2016.

1) Relationship Marketing
As smartphone adoption continues to rise with an estimated 2 billion consumers worldwide expected to own a smartphone in 2016, the opportunity for brands to be connected with their customers and prospects is set to be closer than ever. Enter relationship marketing.

The goal of relationship marketing is to focus on building stronger loyalty and long-term customer engagement rather than on quick, short-term customer acquisition and individual sales. This helps companies develop strong, emotional customer connections to their brands that drive word-of-mouth promotions and lead generation.

Through meaningful customer relationships and conversations, companies create loyalists and brand advocates. Companies that do relationship marketing well set the bar high for other brands vying for more meaningful connections.

So, how can companies develop community and personalize their outreach efforts? Data. We now have data in easily accessible and interpretable formats through which we can develop strong relationship-marketing plans. In 2016 and beyond, personalized, data-driven marketing will become increasingly important.

Intrusive, mass-target approaches to marketing will slowly dwindle as marketers who focus on relationships grow their businesses. All solid relationships are built on trust. Transparency between customers and brands is essential, so companies must keep this in mind when mapping relationship marketing tactics.

2) Marketing Automation
As marketers today are spending at least 50 percent of their time on content, companies are coming up with more ways to automate marketing. Marketing automation alone is worth $5.5 Billion and is leading the way in lead generation and prospect nurturing.

Using a marketing automation platform makes it easier to schedule emails, segment contacts, automate social media posting, manage your content, and track the lifecycle of customers in your marketing funnel. This automation trend also highlights the growth of convergence, which allows you to stay lean, focused, and as profitable as possible without compromising on quality.

With even more focus on marketing to deliver results, marketing managers and CMOs should be taking stock of their team’s skills, noting the gaps and defining a robust automation strategy to help sales through engaging prospects, qualifying leads, and shortening the overall sales cycle.

3) Location-Based Marketing Technology
How can event professionals and marketers create an interactive experience? They must target users at the point of engagement. Location-based marketing technology, like iBeacons and RFIDs, helps make this possible. iBeacons are small, inexpensive transmitters that use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to detect nearby devices that can be housed in retail stores, point of sale displays, and merchandising areas.

iBeacons can also help event attendees make the most of conferences through sign up and engagement in talks and sessions. Furthermore, Linkedin integration offers the opportunity to connect with attendees and send messages (including push notifications) about the latest news, reducing the need for delayed email communication.

A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a small electronic device that contains a chip and an antenna, providing a unique identifier for that tag. RFID wristbands, cards, and apps enable event attendees to interact in new and engaging ways. Event organizers can let visitors easily share their experience with their friends online. Brands can increase shares and likes with a simple photo and tap of the wristband to share across social media.
It’s all about location – and the marketer’s ability to make the most of it, in real time.

4) Virtual Reality
Virtual reality technology will inevitably have a huge impact on the way that marketers engage consumers in 2016. One of the biggest keys to marketing, especially to Millennials, is personalization. With the ability to literally tell 360-degree stories, companies will be able to engage like never before.

Companies who don’t supply a virtual experience for prospective customers, such as retailers, could see a drop in sales. Adoption of VR in 2016 and beyond will undoubtedly cause some kind of shift in marketing ideology. It’s best to hop on the VR train now to get a first look at what these new eyes will show us.

5) Ephemeral Marketing
Snapchat is already moving into the space of a “standard marketing platform.” In the upcoming year, marketers will come to understand that Snapchat isn’t just a tool for fun marketing experiments; it’s a platform that users are flocking to in order to digest social media in real time.

In order to deliver integrated campaigns that make constituents feel connected, especially the younger generation of consumers (read: Millennials) you need to be offering exclusive content that has an expiration date. This “less is more,” or ephemeral, marketing is all about communication that’s shorter and more to the point. In a world where people have less and less time, this model works.

Snapchat is the ultimate platform for making consumers feel connected and at the same time, unique. Brands such as ESPN, Vice, and Comedy Central already use it to push their messages to voracious consumers of media. With Snapchat, the advertisement becomes the product – something that competitors won’t be able to ignore. Take advantage of this huge opportunity to connect uniquely using just a small window of your audience’s time. Be organic, speak their language, and just cut to the chase.

6) Search Past Search Engines
With Facebook already working on tests for its own search engine, it seems inevitable that search capabilities will go far beyond Google, Bing, and Yahoo. As search capabilities improve within social media, brands will get an automatic boost. In addition, when buy buttons and payment messaging appear on social in 2016, an all-in-one-type platform will manifest (more convergence).

With advanced search capabilities, integrated payment methods, and the social impact that empowers sites like Facebook and Twitter, consumers will be able to make purchases, chat with their friends about what they bought, and post the social proof of their new purchase.

Advanced search will bring a more integrated social experience that expands to the e-commerce realm. If you cater your marketing efforts to this all-in-one, buy-and-share social media search, it’s clear that your brand will realize returns. Make the buying process easier, but also make it an experience.

7) The Internet of Things (IoT)
Wearable technology will see a user adoption rate of 28 percent by 2016 – even more data for marketers to mine. So, will this data be derived from people’s day-to-day habits? It looks that way. Every year from now until the foreseeable future, we’ll see the IoT become a bigger tool that marketers can use to engage with customers.

Maybe this means that ads will soon have the ability target people based on their every move. For marketers, this means that your data will have to become more behavior-driven and, although the power of devices may seem unsettling, you’ll be right on target. At the end of the day, people will what they want.

These 7 game-changing trends should be essential elements in your 2016 marketing plans. By 2017, we’ll have a whole new bag of tricks to share with you – but for now, get ahead, keep thinking ahead, and see how things evolve from there!

Should branding start from the product or from the values?

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Neither. Branding starts in the mind of the prospect. After all, that’s the place where your brand will live or die.

You need to look into the minds of your prospects and ask yourself: What do we stand for? Did we invent a category? Are we the leader in a category? Are we a no. 2 brand?

Keep in mind, the most successful brands are ones that pioneered new categories, established the brand in the mind and dominate the category. Google in search. Coca-Cola in soft drinks. Uber in personal car service.

As for values, sure it is great that Google will do no evil but that didn’t make it the world’s most valuable company. Dominating search did. Google focused on search when others saw it as just a small part of a portal.

But if you want to start the next Google, the first thing you think about is not values. It is the mind. How can we focus on one thing we can own in the mind? How can we make that category important?

The objective of your branding program should be to own the leadership position in your category. But what if someone else got there first? Then you need to try to be a strong no. 2 brand. And how do you do that? You need to be the opposite of the leader.

For instance, Red Bull was the first energy-brand and rapidly became the market leader. There were more than a thousand competitive energy-drink brands launched in the American market. And virtually all of them were introduced in 8.3-oz. cans, which  made sense. The small cans created the perception that the contents were powerful. Like a stick of dynamite.

So which brand became a strong no. 2 energy-drink brand? Monster and was the first brand introduced in a 16-oz. can. Today, Red Bull has 45 percent of the domestic energy-drink market and Monster has 37 percent.

Marketing should start before the product is designed and produced. Before a company decides on the product or its packaging, it ought to consult with marketing experts who can formulate the product’s strategy.

And what is the most effective marketing strategy? Be first in a new category. Consumers, for example, know Chobani, as the first Greek yogurt, but oddly enough, Chobani wasn’t first. Fage was the first Greek yogurt. (Chobani wasn’t introduced until nine years later.) While Fage was first, virtually no consumers knew that because Fage’s packaging focused on the word “Total.” (A reference to the fat content of the yogurt.) So that left an opening for Chobani to become the first Greek yogurt “recognized by consumers.” The Greek yogurt market illustrates the importance of looking into consumers’ minds.

What if your company is late in bringing a product to market? And what if there are already two strong brands in your category? What should you do then? You have two choices.

1. Set up a new category you can be first in. Earth’s Best, the first organic baby food; Horizon, the first organic milk; and Silk, the first soy milk, are just a few pioneers. This is the best choice but not always possible.

2. Narrow your focus. BMW narrowed its focus to “driving” and became the largest-selling luxury-vehicle brand in the world. Subaru narrowed its focus to “four-wheel drive” and became the most successful automobile brand on the American market, in terms of market-share increases. Subaru even outsold Volkswagen in 2015 by 40 percent.

To sum up, start the marketing process by looking into the minds of your prospects.

Then make your marketing decisions based on where you are in the mind and where you would like to be in the mind.

You don’t win in the marketplace. You win in the mind.

 

Cutting through the “noise” revealed as top social media program challenge

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Cutting through the “noise” has been revealed as the biggest social media challenge facing B2B brands, according to B2B Marketing’s 2015 Social Media Benchmarking Report.

38% of respondents cited cutting through the “noise” as the main stumbling block when it came to social media.

Companies are also struggling to determine their social worth, with 35% encountering ‘difficulty proving ROI’.

However, the study also showed only two in five (40%) senior managers expect their social media channels to accurately demonstrate ROI, while 34% rarely or never expect any proof in regards to ROI.

Yet, respondents were largely confident in their ability to improve ROI over the next year, with 55% expecting a slight improvement and a further 23% anticipating significant gains.

Other significant challenges for social media marketers included ‘lack of time’ (30 % and ‘lack of strategic planning’ 25%).

The report also revealed just 35% of companies use paid-for social media monitoring platforms, perhaps explaining why marketers are struggling to present comprehensive analysis.

An over-reliance on standard website analytics could explain some reservations, with
75 % of companies using platforms such as Google Analytics, which only focuses on web traffic from social rather than audience breakdowns, engagement and interactions.

Let’s look at some of the statistics:
– Only ½ of marketers say social media is an important part of their marketing:
56% critical or important, 44% of some importance/limited importance or no importance
(Interesting note: not much has changed since 2014 when 62% said critical or important & 38% said of some importance/limited importance or no importance)

– Marketing allocates: 12% of budget & 20% of time on Social Media

– Marketers are focusing on reach, rather than engagement:
16% use Social Media to interact, 69% broadcast own content, 13% direct conversations

– Top challenges: Cutting through the “noise”, followed by difficulty proving ROI & finally, lack of time

– Most B2B actively used platforms: 76% Twitter, 71% Linkedin, 47%YouTube

– Most effective B2B platforms: 58% Linkedin, 24% Twitter, 9% Facebook

– Most effective content formats are: Infographics, videos, images
(Interesting note: the most used content formats are: Links to longer content, videos, written copy)

– Measurements to measure success: 56% web visits, 58% interactions, 42% downloads of content

Contact Debbie @ Radsick Ad Group to plan & implement your companies 2015/2016 Social Media Program – we can help you cut through the Social Media “noise” – saving you time & getting a greater ROI.

 

 

 

Think Outside the Box When Marketing Your Business

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The way that we market our business has changed a lot even in the past year, let alone over the last few years, and in 2015 we’re seeing a lot of “different” thinking.

There’s more competition out there – but the good news is – there are more options to get your message in front of your target audience.

Why not surprise your audience with something interesting and new?

Here are a few of the least conventional methods we have seen in marketing recently:

Know Where Your Customers Are.
Knowing where your clientele frequents can help you figure out how to best position your marketing. Where are they going? What are they reading? What are they watching? What are they listening to?

If you can answer these questions you can find them and communicate your message to them there.

Develop Personal Connections
Coke has capitalized on it with their “Share a Coke” campaign. Consider personalizing the products that you market or arranging to have them personalized for your customers. This simple gesture goes a long way toward establishing a more personal connection.

Say Thanks In A Special Way
TD Canada Trust utilized this in their “TD Thanks You” campaign, which saw them sharing over 300,000 twenty-dollar gift certificates for their clients. You don’t have to go that big, but thanking someone by giving something back to them resonates in a special way with customers. It can be as simple as a gift-code, or a VIP program that gives reward points that eventually convert into gift certificates.

Don’t Underestimate the Power of the Internet
Have you ever seen a flash mob? It’s easily arranged and gets a lot of social media attention. Banco Sabadell is producer of one of the more famous flash mobs using Beethoven’s Ode to Joy with a complete orchestra and a background of onlookers. Internet shares have made their name pretty recognizable to many people who otherwise would not have known who they were.

Try Some Info-graphic Marketing
Though everyone is trying info-graphics, it’s important to use them correctly. Words aren’t nearly as effective as they used to be, and multimedia communication is on the rise. Info-graphics are an excellent way to explain a topic or provide information in a fun and interesting way. They also have the potential to spread like wildfire on the web via social media shares, media outlet exposure, and info-graphic directories.

Launch an Affiliate or Referral Program
Affiliate marketing is an excellent way to drive sales to your business. Try offering a referral fee to people in your locality for qualified leads. Entire companies have built huge businesses out of creating referral programs for online companies. Don’t just say “thanks” – actually give them something in return for their referral.

People Hate Ads – Unless They’re Creative
People remember when something is unique, Think & be creative – leave a lasting impression so you will not be forgotten.

Contact Debbie @ Radsick Ad Group if you are ready to think outside the box for your next marketing project or campaign – you will be one step ahead of the competition!

Are You Ready to Brand or Re-Brand Your Business?

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Learning the basics of branding can help improve communication with your customers and help separate your business from the competition.

Branding creates an emotional connection between your business and the consumer.

If you don’t tell your customers who or what you are, you are giving them the opportunity to form their own opinion.

The obvious risk here is that their conclusion might not be what you want them to think.

A brand strategy communicates the story you want to tell.

Below is a list of some common and often critical mistakes many businesses make:

Are you confusing your customer?
Your customers must know what to expect when engaging with your business. This applies to everything you are doing at your business – from the moment your customer visits your website or enters your business. From the initial first impression to when they leave & of course everything else in between.

Do you understand your customer?
It’s likely that decisions you made about your business were based on what you thought sounded or looked good. Beware – you may risk creating something that is so personal that other people won’t connect. At Radsick Ad Group we will help you make decisions based on market data – not personal preference.

Why do I need research?
Research gives your business the best opportunity for success. Research everything – the competition, your customers, your marketplace and your business model. Knowing what your brand is up against and how to properly position it can save you valuable time and costly dollars down the road.

Should I copy my competition?
Remember – you are trying to differentiate yourself from your competition – not match them. If you can’t tell customers how you’re different from the competitor, the consumer will go with the most convenient option. Give them a reason to choose you.

How are my employees valuable to my bottom line?
Hiring and training employees that are passionate and knowledgeable about your business and what you are offering or selling is key to your business success. Develop their strengths and engage their feedback. Your employees are your #1 asset – investing in them engenders their loyalty and pays back in customer loyalty.

Should everyone in my company have a say?
Inviting everyone in the company to share an opinion may delay the branding or re-branding process and diffuse the focus needed to achieve ROI. Keep those with critical approval authority to an efficient shortlist. Assemble the smallest, most essential team possible. Be sure to include a mix of levels – not just executive.

Does my company need a brand change?  (It worked before)
Today’s customers are changing faster than ever and have more choices than ever. Re-branding well means staying relevant. Assumptions made when the brand was established may no longer hold true. Analyze changes in target markets – your current model may be missing an entire market that didn’t exist the last time around.

Are you guilty of making any of the above branding or re-branding mistakes?

Not every company needs a total branding overhaul, but working with Radsick Ad Group to create a brand or re-branding strategy can help you create a consistent experience to your target audience. Contact Debbie Radsick – debbie@radsickadgroup.com

 

Direct Mail = Direct Customers

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If you want to be guaranteed that you will hit your target audience then a direct mail campaign may just be your best choice of marketing tools.

Start with an accurate, current targeted list & an appealing, memorable message that “speaks” to your audience.

This will maximize response rates and increase your ROI.

Here are just few statistics:
62% of people actually enjoy checking their mailbox
59% are happy to receive mail about a new business, product or service
40% open and read their direct mail
85% of customers look for special offers, coupons or incentives
75% of your customers are likely to renew their relationship with your business
57% of recipients are more likely to remember your message compared to other marketing media

Let Radsick Ad Group help you determine if a targeted, customized direct mail campaign might be the best solution to target more customers and grow your business.

 

 

Trade Show Marketing Tips

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2015 holds a lot of promise for companies that are looking to improve their trade show marketing strategies and reach new customers. If you’re feeling a little behind or overwhelmed when trying to map out your 2015 marketing strategies, consider using some of these tips. While this doesn’t cover everything you should be doing, these four tips can help you jump start your marketing plan.

Mobile Users
While desktop and laptop computers still have their places in today’s business world, more and more people are working off mobile devices such as tablets and smart phones. Many of these mobile devices can handle a great deal of tasks that a regular computer can and companies are realizing the benefit of mobile devices in the work place. This means that if you’re not focusing at least some of your efforts on engaging with customers through mobile technology, you could be missing out on valuable leads. Consider adding QR codes to your exhibits or handouts so that mobile users can easily access information about your company.

Entertainment Strategies
You’ll be fighting other exhibitors throughout the hall for the attention of attendees, so it’s imperative to incorporate a trade show attraction to make your booth stand out. While there are a few different ways to do this, there are some proven methods to consider starting with.

Booth attractions such as prize wheels, games, prize give-aways or popcorn machines have proven to be successful at capturing attention and luring trade show visitors to your booth. Visitors will be clamoring around for a chance to spin a wheel or drop a Plinko puck down a board to win a prize.

Hybrid Events
While most people think of a trade show or marketing event as an in-person only event, hybrid events are gaining in popularity throughout a number of industries. Hold a webcast before you attend an in-person event and invite your customers and potential customers to attend. However, in order to be successful, you need to be prepared. If your webcast seems disorganized, your customers will think the same thing about your company and may not be so eager to visit your booth at the upcoming in-person show. Make sure to run through your webcast a few times to ensure that you’re prepared for any questions that could potentially come up during the presentation.

Big Data
It’s easier than ever for companies to collect customer data, but this doesn’t mean that they know what to do with the data once it’s been collected. Companies have the opportunity to analyze response rates to a number of different marketing initiatives, including text messages, email blasts, webcasts, interactions with sales staff, event attractions, and any other pre-, post- and at-show marketing techniques used. Use this ‘big data’ information to determine what the best way to connect with your customers is so that you can further tailor your message and trade show marketing strategies to increase your sales.

Before you move forward with show marketing in 2015, make sure that you have your plan mapped out. When you have a comprehensive strategy using some of today’s proven techniques, you’re more likely to be successful.

 

The $1,000,000 Question…

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Digital Marketing vs Traditional Marketing?

Do you know the difference between digital and traditional marketing – and why both are equally important?

If your answer is ‘no’, read on, or risk being left behind.

So you have heard of the Internet and now you think you’re up to date with the latest trend? Well, if that’s as far as you’re knowledge extends, you have got a lot to catch up on! Heard of SEO, social media marketing, pay per click?

If not, it’s time to get up to date, and quickly – your business depends on it!

Business marketing is going through a significant and rapid change at the hands of the digital era – your brand and your reach to perfectly combine digital with traditional marketing is more important than ever.

What does traditional marketing include?
Traditional marketing is everything you have seen done in the past, above and below the line. It is the television ads, business cards, the print ads in the newspaper, promotions, brochures, posters and radio.

It relies on technology we have had for some time, and while this technology is gradually becoming less popular, there are certain parts of your audience who will always prefer it!

In general, while traditional marketing intends to provoke a response (this is its core purpose), largely, it does not offer the opportunity to be interactive and can be difficult to measure. How do you know how many people read your ad, saw your billboard, or watched television for that specific 30 second slot?

What does digital marketing encompass?
This is a challenging question to answer, because right now digital media is evolving rapidly and what it currently encompasses, and what it could encompass in just a week could be markedly different – the possibilities are endless!

Currently, if you’re exploring digital marketing, you are looking at everything from your company’s website, through to banner ads (even moving videos) on sites relevant to your audience, rankings in search engines, mentions in social media, and company-owned social media pages, videos on the likes of YouTube, and a myriad of other media. 0ne of the most exciting aspects of digital media is that the vast majority of it is completely interactive.

With web 2.0 came the opportunity to provide your feedback and input on everything, to chat live to a consultant online, and to create an avatar that lives in a make-believe computer world. As web expands and evolves, interactivity is only increasing.

What this means for your marketing, is that in some respects you are losing control – you can’t control everything consumers say about your brand. So increasingly, we are becoming more and more accountable for our businesses – essentially, if we make a brand promise, but don’t deliver on the front line, people will know!

How will this impact my marketing strategy?
The most you can know at this point is your marketing strategy needs to reflect both traditional and digital marketing tactics.

It is still very important to maintain an element of face-to-face communication, to leave a business card, and to take advantage of publications that specifically target your audience and capture a strong readership.

At the same time, a business that does not have a strong website, will not likely survive. If you don’t understand the need for some sort of social media interaction and you don’t believe in online advertising, you will be left behind.

Radsick Ad Group can help you find the answer to the $1,000,000 question!
While getting the experts on board in developing your strategy is highly important, it is also important you get up-to-date and develop even a small level of understanding of this new marketing era.
We invite you to contact us today,

 

 

What Can Social Media Intelligence Do for Your Brand?

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Brands across the globe, large and small, utilize social media to attract and engage their customers while generating a dialog surrounding their products and services. But if companies aren’t employing social media intelligence to decipher those interactions, what benefit are they receiving?

Social media intelligence takes a deeper dive into the conversations that exist online, going beyond ‘likes’ for a real glimpse into how consumers perceive a company or brand. So, how exactly can marketers utilize social intelligence to accelerate their marketing strategy and ultimately drive success?

Audience Segmentation
Part of social intelligence means that text can be scanned and interpreted by emotion, sentiment and levels of passion, whether positive or negative. This allows social users to be broken down by more than just surface value demographics like age or gender, into focus groups for the ability to tap into exactly the right audience. For marketers, this can help to create highly targeted marketing, advertising and social media campaigns, pushing them out to the right people.

Competitive Intelligence
Sure, there are ways of keeping tabs on competitors. Marketing pros can run a simple Google news search every morning, see what they’re up to on Twitter, etc. Or they could employ a social intelligence platform that provides real-time comparisons of things like consumer awareness, perception and overall sentiment across multiple organizations, brands and even product lines, making it easier than ever to know how they stack up against the competition.

Trend Analysis
Keeping an eye out for developing trends in the industry is key to creating products that people will be interested in, and marketing those products to drive sales. Social intelligence enables users to stay up-to-date on what’s happening today to develop a better understanding of changing perceptions and how trends come and go – and more importantly, why.

Customer Retention
One of the downsides associated with social marketing, is the consistently changing nature of most common and popular social media platforms. Just because a brand composes and posts a great tweet, doesn’t always ensure that their followers are able to retain the information they’ve made an effort to put out there. That’s where social intelligence can help, by providing insight into customer pain-points surrounding specific brands and products, in order to create effective retention strategies.

Identifying Influencers
The beauty of social media is that it brings users into direct contact with whomever they’re trying to impact, and offers a unique marketing opportunity for brands to reach out to and interact with their most influential followers. But how do businesses go about finding these individuals? Social intelligence platforms can help brands to determine who the loudest and most influential voices are in the online conversations surrounding their industry in order to reach out directly to those social advocates.

Brand Analysis
Marketing teams are always doing what they can to understand their place in the industry, develop new strategies for standing out in the crowd, and discern where they stand among current and potential customers alike. Brand analysis through social intelligence offers marketing teams real-time information and their brand health, while monitoring the share-of-voice within the global sphere of conversation. Social intelligence has the ability to bring marketing to the next level. Through in-depth analytics, a true understanding of emotions conveyed online, and the ability to monitor trends, both past and present, marketing professionals are able to tailor messages and understand results like never before.​
Justin Graves