By: Becki Gonsalves, Director of Global Content and Asia Marketing at Kantar

Becki Gonsalves, Director of Global Content and Asia Marketing at Kantar

The breadth of brand marketing today is increasingly complex, evolving alongside new technologies, data capabilities and societal changes. But if we take a step back, what is our goal? Arguably it is to start a conversation, to open a door to engaging your audience with the aim of sale or usage as the reply. The hello can be easy, especially in a world of targeted advertising and vast online interaction. But that’s just the start, where do you go from here?

  • Know who you’re talking to

Chances are you already have this in mind when you open the conversation. Asking questions is a critical first step, whether that is through in-depth interviews or just a simple survey, by keeping up to speed with what your audience is telling you can get to the heart of the people you want to engage. And it needs to be a constant. Keep those channels open, take time in approaching the right questions and reviewing what the data tells you at the deepest level possible. And repeat. The world we live in is constantly changing and so too are our audiences so keeping up the conversation is key. 

  • Make it meaningful

Now you know some of the needs and desires that matter to your audience you can make your interaction relevant. After all, in a personal conversation you would choose something that is going to be of interest to the person you are talking to so why not in your marketing? Use your data and audience understanding to spark up a conversation that will spark interest. There might not be a specific way for them to reply but you want to create enough intrigue for people to click or explore your brand further. 

  • Add value

Just like a good conversation, it’s important to strike the right chord. Beyond choosing a topic that’s relevant for your audience, ensure you are thinking about the ‘so, what’ to the people you are speaking to. Rather than broadcasting your product attributes, think about the bigger context of your audience needs and how you can support, inform or inspire. Six out of 10 people are inspired to seek out a product after reading content so use this wisely. Marketing that adds value and truly resonates by delivering a bigger solution and reward builds close relationships, and keeps the conversation going.

  • Respect peoples time

Just as what you communicate to people matters, so too does the amount. It’s important to think about how often you talk to your audience. There are some friends and family we talk to more often and there are others we will chat with less. Giving subscription options to your audience is an important way to personalise what your audience are comfortable and hungry for. Secondly, and similarly to conversations in our personal lives, some of these can be more in-depth and others are a quick hello because we’re pushed for time. Finding the right balance of how much time you are asking your audience to invest in connecting with you can be the difference to them staying connected to you. And sometimes a short comfortable silence and less can be so much more.

  • Welcome others to the chat

Under lockdown social media usage was up by over 60% and, whilst life is returning to a new normal in some countries, the world we live in increasingly connected online. Not only does this offer social as a platform to engage with your audiences but it also means anyone can join in with your conversation at any time. And this should be welcomed, both for the advocacy that can be born from your customers spreading the word to their own networks from their own experiences but also the continued conversation. We can now have real-time conversations with customers and prospects, being able to answer questions and progress opportunities but also to learn from the way people are interacting with you and what you can refine or apply in future plans.

By approaching your comms and content planning with the principles you enter a conversation, the opportunity for creating impactful connections can be unlocked.