DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES DENISE GROTHOUSE Storytelling, Emotions and Personalization HOW CAN A business stand out amongst a sea of companies vying for the same custom-ers? Our digital lives are washing us with a urry of emails, social media feeds, videos and text messages. As we search Google for infor-mation, advertisements appear, and we become visually numb to the waterfall of information. We marketers need to dive into our target customers at the granular level to provide a spark – and stop the scroll. The key is embracing our humanity, storytelling and getting personal. THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY When we experience a great story, our brains light up to illuminate the city of neurons within our minds. The lit neuron activity then increas-es ve-fold, which makes us remember, relate and care about what we just read. It’s how we humans are wired and goes way back to our Cinematic quality of video storytelling is not as important as the authenticity of a well thought out and produced video. Content does not have to be perfectly assembled to resonate. Customers want to ‘feel’ in control, and that means more than just ‘being’ in control. Google research shows that, when customers feel in control of their data, they experience signi cant increases in trust and brand preference. Feeling in control is about more than just be-ing in control. Brands need to go beyond the ba-sics to provide truly positive privacy experiences. This includes letting people know why their data is being collected, what it will be used for, and how the customer experience will be improved. All these factors combine to create transpar-ency and build trust with your customers. You can increase their feeling of control by % by utilizing the best performing practices below: Arti cial intelligence delivers results faster than any other medium, and stays on top of custom-er trends and behavior faster than humans can. As marketers, we were taught to master the funnel – a linear customer journey from aware-ness to consideration to purchase. But this model no longer applies to today’s customer journeys. In , Google looked at thousands of users’ data and found that no two journeys are exactly alike, and most don’t resemble a funnel at all. They look like pyramids, dia-monds, hourglasses and more. Digital technology and mobile devices have put people in control. In many ways, intent is rede ning the marketing funnel. This reve-lation requires a personalization mindset for every piece of content, advertisement, email or text message along the customer journey. There are two types of customers – some want to understand every detail of your prod-uct and some just want the notes in summary. Use typography to make a verbose paragraph appeal to those short on time or patience. Guide the reader through the copy by high-lighting the important text through varying font styles . The key takeaways are enhanced, summarizing the paragraphs for a quick read . “ Every interaction with a customer is an opportunity to convert, and the entire commerce journey is an ever-expanding web of touchpoints where brand building can happen at any time. ” ancestors telling stories around the camp re. Every brand has people who can share their insights, their moments of having an epiphany, and the unique life experiences that distinguish who they are today. Show the human side of your business and share the unique life stories that only can come from you. Admitting a aw can humanize a brand and increase likability. For instance, Guinness mentions that its drinks take a long time to pour to emphasize that they’re worth the wait. Psychologist Elliot Aronson discovered this bias, known as the Pratfall e ect. Simply put, admit-ting aws makes people and brands more like-able. It is a rising trend in modern marketing. • • • Asking customers how often they wanted to be reminded about their preferences Sending an email privacy digest Requesting consent to personalize a website visit based on their browsing. GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT The best marketing isn’t about the brand; it’s about the customer. According to Google studies, % of viewers think good content is personal and relevant, intellectually invigorating, sensorially stimulating and emotionally resonant. The audience must see themselves in the content to remain engaged. Viewers appreciate content that introduces them to new things, from education to product reviews. Viewers turn to social media to gain insight from content creators they can relate to and feel connected to, like getting advice from a neighbor. PERSONALIZE INTERACTIONS January is the biggest month of the year for online searches of kitchen remodeling and related terms like kitchen cabinets, kitchen countertops, kitchen designer, etc. However, Google is showing a downward trend of % in searches for the respective kitchen search terms in versus . By personalizing your advertising, you can spend your ad dol-lars more wisely in to o set the trending reduction in demand (and ultimately sales). Every interaction with a customer is an op-portunity to convert, and the commerce journey is an ever-expanding web of touchpoints where brand building can happen. Personalization e orts that are powered by automation tools are ideal for digital advertising campaigns. Arti cial intelligence delivers a variety of messaging and photography combinations and analyzes the results to determine the ideal combination. This machine learning increas-es advertisement e ciency and the return on advertising spend (ROAS) by double-digit percentages by leveraging algorithms at scale. COOL STUFF TO COME FROM GOOGLE Google has discovered that people click on D images almost % more than static ones. But for merchants, creating these assets can be a challenge, requiring hundreds of product photos and costly technology. Google will make it easier for merchants to show their products in D by applying D mapping and machine learning, automating -degree scans of ob-jects using just a handful of photos instead. With the New Google Business Messages, customers will be able to message brands through Search ads, getting timely information and increasing engagement. If a search needs to become a text-based conversation, it can. And with a -day re-engagement window, marketers will have the opportunity to develop relationships with customers, both before and after sales happen. Our digital world and online landscape will constantly evolve. Keeping a nimble and exible mindset in this dynamic world is essential for your success. ▪ Denise Grothouse has an extensive background in international business, branding and marketing. She specializes in digital and social platforms and integrating them with traditional marketing and branding strategies in the kitchen and bath industry. She is the founder of Perfect Six Marketing, and director of Public Relations for HeroPlex. 28 Kitchen & Bath Design News • January | February 2023
Kitchen & Bath Design News January 2023: 28
