January 4, 2019

Is your brand leaning into the right marketing moments in 2019?

January 4, 2019

Is your brand leaning into the right marketing moments in 2019?

Is your brand leaning into the right marketing moments in 2019?

Hello 2019! The new year is full of fresh opportunities to tap into trends, understand what your audience is searching for and discover unexpected ways to reach new people. With the right marketing plan in place, your brand can add value to your audience’s lives at exactly the right time. On that note, we recently read this super insightful Think With Google article on how to lean into the right moments over the next 12 months. Here’s how Google recommends identifying those pivotal marketing moments that are relevant to your brand and creating a marketing plan to capitalise on them.Finding the right marketing momentsStep 1: Find moments by starting with a broad listFirst and foremost, it all begins with finding those right moments. The reason why we should be targeting specific times is because special moments throughout the year can have a big effect on people’s shopping habits. Therefore, it’s smart to run dedicated marketing campaigns during these times. To zero in on the right moments for your brand, start big with a broad list of events that happen throughout the year. Write down all the holidays or special moments that come to mind. These can include:

  • Obvious holidays
  • Seasonal changes
  • Award shows
  • Sporting events
  • TV finales
  • Any other day that’s different from the rest

Step 2: Add moments related to sales or engagementOnce you have your broad list, push even further by thinking about the less obvious moments when your brand can shine. Look for when you have spikes and dips in sales and engagement during the year and ask yourself if these coincide with any moment or event. Step 3: Add moments your audience is interested inNow you have your complete list, find out how your audience is searching. Using surveys or tools like Google Trends, dig deeper into the data to find out if these searches align with a particular moment. Step 4: Leverage moments that align with your brandAnother great way to refine your list is to look at your brand identity. Look at each moment’s themes and messages and see if they fit your brand. Find the moments people automatically associate with your brand to help you identify when your product is most in demand.For example, plastic utensils are most in demand during AFL season and bug spray is associated with summer. Therefore, revving up marketing activity during these times will see the most success for these particular brands.Step 5: Get creative with your brandFinally, think outside the box about how your brand could match up with cultural events that don’t seem like an obvious fit at first. For example, a water brand can help concert attendees stay hydrated, so it would be worth looking into concerts and festivals throughout the year and creating a marketing campaign around this theme.Making a plan and creating assetsStep 1: Map out your moments and assign each a goalWhen you finish refining your list of holidays and moments, you’re ready to make a marketing plan and create assets. The best brand messages align the business goal with a moment, so start by mapping out your moments and assigning each a goal. Map out all your moments on a calendar so it’s easy to keep track and prepare for them. Then, assign each moment one or more business goals such as:

  1. Traffic
  2. Brand awareness
  3. Sales and lead generation
  4. Social media followers and engagement
  5. Brand image and reputation

Step 2: Plan your marketing materialsOnce you’ve mapped out your moments and assigned goals, you need to think through what materials and assets need to be produced and why. Don’t forget that people often research products and deals well before the actual holiday or moment.Consider whether you should add any promotions or sales, thinking beyond the obvious. For example, if you’re an online business have a look at the shipping cut offs for holidays like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and then plan your promotions accordingly.Step 3: Create your marketing materialsAfter you’ve finished your plan, craft your creative marketing assets. Start with your messaging, which should blend your business goals with your moments. For example

  • A yoga studio driving sales after New Year’s Eve by promoting their classes as a way to stick to fitness resolutions
  • A hybrid car company raising brand awareness during the spring season by associating their brand with nature and rejuvenation

Then, add calls to action to your marketing assets that encourage people to engage with your brand. For instance, try asking them to follow your brand on social media or to sign up to your email list.Step 4: Optimise your websiteHowever, all this planning won’t be worth it if your site isn’t fast-loading, mobile friendly or optimised for search. Thanks to the prevalence of smartphones and spread of WiFi, consumers are always shopping. In fact, in nearly one quarter of shopping occasions, shoppers say they turn to their smartphones first. You also don’t want your site to crash if you suddenly get an influx of visitors. So you need make sure your site can keep up. Then, when it comes to finding your website in the first place, using tools like Google Trends to research keywords that are popular during your moments and relevant to your products is a good idea. Step 5: Measure resultsFinally, after your marketing campaign is complete, assess how well it helped you reach your business goals. Ask yourself what went well and what you can improve on next time. Does you brand need help leaning into the right marketing moments in 2019? Bang Digital take a holistic approach to digital marketing combining technical intelligence and marketing know-how. Get in touch today.