As new technologies and platforms join the marketing mix over time, it can be tempting to put your tactics into separate silos. While many marketers keep their promotional channels running on parallel tracks, the truly powerful messages are actually those that intersect.
There is a lot to say about what a brand is, and what it is not. But for now, just make sure that you know that a logo and a company name do not a brand make. A business does not become a successful brand until it becomes integrated into the lives of the people the brand is trying to reach. One way to achieve this is to surround your target audience with your message across multiple channels. Interacting with your brand on multiple and varied platforms means that you are with them when they are doing different things and are in different states of mind.
For example, if a prospect only ever interacts with your brand through their business email address, you probably only ever reach them during the hours of 9am to 5pm, when they wearing their 'professional' hat, and have their attention divided over many tasks. However, if you can get that prospect to also interact with you on social media, you have the opportunity to deliver messages to them when they might be more receptive.
So, how do you get your target audience to branch out and engage with your brand on different platforms? Start by giving them a compelling reason to - the more clever the better.
A great example of this comes from the smart folks at EAT24, the food delivery app. I am personally a big fan of EAT24, not only because their service is convenient and efficient, but also because their marketing team is, quite frankly, hilarious. I actually look forward to receiving emails from EAT24 because I know there is a good chance they will make me laugh out loud.
An email I received last week was a little different - the snarky tone, brutal honesty, and weekly coupon were there as always, but this week the emailed contained something new: a push to connect on Twitter.
Participate in something funny AND get a coupon for food delivery? If you follow me on Twitter, you already know that I fell for this hook, line, and sinker and gladly headed over to Twitter:
Hey @NadavSharon, the writers at @EAT24 deserve a raise.
- Sarah Matista (@SarahMatista) December 19, 2014
In just over an hour, I got a personal reply on Twitter with my promo code.
@SarahMatista and you deserve more tacos! Use code "raise" and enjoy. - EAT24 (@EAT24) December 19, 2014
Not only am I now following EAT24 on Twitter, I've had a positive and engaging interaction with them and am likely to do so again in the future. This has the collateral effect of also making me even more likely to pay close attention to their emails in the future, since I now feel more closely connected to the brand.
This kind of integration between email marketing and social media requires a little bit of planning and creativity, but the payoff is well worth the effort. For more ideas about how you can bring these channels in line, check out our recent post on the subject.
Photo Credit: Email Engagement/shutterstock