”Marketers who spend more on interactive marketing can increase their resulting revenue, said the Interactive Advertising Bureau and MarketShare Partners, an analytics and technology firm, in a report released August 2”
[img src=”https://corp.yonyx.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Interactive2.jpg” width=”” height=”” align=”right”] Why is this form of marketing taking on such widespread appeal? What is the reason for the fixation for this kind of advertising and connecting? When customer survey results are published, most of them had one common link – an astounding 60% of customers would rather have a live human interaction rather play ‘press the buttons’ with an automated voice. Video marketing provides this human feel. It enhances the brain function which allows us to gather information and make it more believable when we see another human face. The movement of real people in the videos supported by their voices further makes us believe that the content therein is meaningful and finds credence with the viewer. The emotions expressed in these masterly videos strike the right chord and we find ourselves drawn to them and are also somehow compelled to send them on to friends and contacts. Such is the fascination of these interactive videos.
As soon as such videos are live, potential customers have probably already veered their decision in a direction without even having actually spoken a representative of your company. The interactive video helping you promote your service or product has already molded the thought process of the customer about his / her future course of action with regard to your company or brand. The potential customer has already had a first-hand view that is either invigorating or dull, depending on how well the video is crafted. In fact, this reciprocal tool has benefited the customer too providing him / her with a spirited and zestful virtual aperture in to a product or service he / she is looking to acquire. Knowledge at the fingertips! This customer probably provides feedback immediately providing first hand precise data that proves invaluable for the company marketing the product or service. If the customer decides to buy, he or she becomes an endorser of your product or service and is sure to spread a good word about it. They have made a splendid choice, and they must tell others about their keen business sense!
As a company if you are still relying on the insipid and boring means of communicating with the world outside, you can be sure that you will be staring in to the face of a rapidly dilapidating bottom-line and very soon a failed business. All the traditional set of tactics and strategies have lost their sheen and ability to be effective and will leave you with a bunch of highly disgruntled and cynical customers, just waiting to cut loose. If you have been smart and tech savvy, produced one of those fancy and informative interactive means of communicating with them, you will most certainly be the flavor of the season and find your company touching new heights in sales and you having an impressive customer base that continues to increase.
However, as discussed in a previous exposition, these cannot and must not be one-offs. You just cannot rest on your laurels since not only are you trying to capture the mind of the customer you want to remain in his / her world in a sustained manner. You want the one customer, to spread the word about you, bringing in more customers. Interactive campaigns should be designed around being thought provoking and exciting enough that the instinct to share takes top spot. I remember viewing one such campaign for a leading mobile service provider. You know what I did – shared it with at least 6 of my contacts! The advertisers who have had their ‘light bulb moment’ will make their campaigns sharp and edgy with interactive tools that are sure to ignite some sort of pointed discussions with the product or service being the focus.
Piggy-back on the success of social media – drive your campaigns through these via your customers who are active on these sites. Create expression and meaningful insights for your customers making these campaigns rewarding for them. They in turn will reward you by investing in your brand in a way that has the potential to soar the popularity of your brand overnight. Social media has wider reach, permeating through all segments, industries and levels – which means a huge platform to present your product or service with just one click and also getting you instant reactions, comments and feedback that prove to be the life blood for any such campaign. This media form, allows you to keep your brand current all the time, always approachable and viewable, providing food for thought and allowing your prospective customers the power to make an informed decision. Transition from a little known brand to the market leader, the benchmark!
The value of interactive marketing is that brand owners become more aware of how they place their brand. They become more responsible in the kind of content and data they use, since they will be in the public eye, especially when leveraging the functionality of social sites. Also because feedback – good and ugly – will be instantaneous, it will allow the marketer to enhance the good for further growth and root out the ugly before it causes the whole campaign to fail. Whatever the reaction, the good news is that your crusade is being viewed, it is getting its space and you are increasing the number of brand ambassadors. Keep it sharp, edgy and thought-provoking!
When you produce a digital message, what you are really doing is allowing the customer to take charge, which is a very smart move. The potency of this kind of marketing allows the customer to have the power of choice at his / her fingertips and also a better understanding of what you are trying to sell before actually embarking down the buying road. You are letting the customer lead by giving them the information that is not only relevant but also the closest to a real human interaction. The very basis of ‘interactive’ is that the viewer is able to provide some kind of instant feel or reaction to what he or she is viewing. This is what makes interactive marketing so relevant and personal.
As experienced marketers, you will be able to collect data about customer preferences depending on the kind of choices, responses and feedback they provide. This data is invaluable in formulating future strategies and updating the content of the videos to make them more relevant informative and eye-catching. It will also alleviate any present and potential bugs that could play spoil sport and keep you from reaching your target figures. Producing superlative quality marketing strategies, will directly ramp up your sales and provide the required boost to the profit margins of your company. It all ties in – great marketing interactions produce happy customers who pump up your sales.
Don’t forget, your clients are very busy people and they would rather have all the information they need on the go. Make your interactive marketing video available to them on the mobile phones, the tablets or any other handheld devices which will make them more inclined and willing to view these marketing efforts. The video quality – sound, color and clarity – must be compliant with the small screen of any and all of these gadgets. You also increase your target customer base when you can have anyone play the video on any device from anywhere. That is the pinnacle of reach for your brand! Give the consumers what they want – time saving, ready access, interactive information, element of wow, usable content – and you will amass for yourself not just a healthy bank balance but also invaluable information regarding consumer behavior and mindset. With this information at your disposal, the current campaign’s success will pale in comparison to the resounding success of the next and way in to the future!
