In Today’s World, Marketing isn’t About Doing Everything.
Marketers continue to be hyper-focused on customer-centric marketing but it must be done in a more nuanced, tactical fashion that reflects lifestyle-focused behaviors and networks in this new world. The pandemic threw the previously predictable ways of doing things into new modes of acting and thinking. This has dramatically affected consumer behavior and business functions. Using every kind of media to connect to the biggest audience possible is very expensive and does give you “reach” but does it really produce results? Amid global instability, consumers are allowing themselves to be inconsistent as they reconcile personal values with practical realities.
Reaching People is About Understanding Them.
On average, up to 30% of office workers are still working at home some of the time. This affects everything they do, from where they shop to how they focus on their families, home, and work. The effects of these behavior changes are huge —for instance, what happens to central business districts that have no one there?
According to Accenture research, consumer and business decisions can seem paradoxical—and they are comfortable with that. Two-thirds of those surveyed say making contradictory decisions is totally acceptable because of a lack of clarity about where things are going. Marketers need to identify the needs of consumers and businesses that are driving these holistic changes in behaviors.
Clarify Goals to Drive Successful Strategies.
Without clear goals, and metrics to measure the attainment of these goals, you often see a hodgepodge of random marketing strategies and tactics. Yes, the performance of the tactics can be measured, but to what end? The question of who are we trying to reach over what time and where is key in defining the goals. Even more importantly, why do they need you?
Understanding Changing Personas and the Customer Journey.
Knowing who your customers are and their broader lifestyle decisions tells you everything about where to create a marketing presence — it’s not where you thought it was from past marketing. It’s not about selling, it’s about being present to their needs as they perceive them. That means following social media that relates to their needs, whether technology-focused areas or consumer-focused packaged goods. Knowing who your customers are and why they need you is essential. It’s not easy to figure this out today and requires real insights into their needs and perspectives.
Stop hiding behind focus groups and marketing hype, and speak to people with an honest voice.
The British Consumer
Clear Outcomes and Marketing Planning.
When you focus on relating to the customer’s journey you can build a pathway to where the customer is, in what media, and with what relevant brand message. This helps build your plan and brings clarity to what measurable results you can produce. It’s defining these metrics that bring customer behavior to measurable campaigns that allow you to then see whether they work or not.
Learning is a key factor in marketing. You discover why customers behave the way they do and this allows you to shape brand message and marketing to relate to their needs and build trust and value. Discovering the complexity of the customer’s life, connections, and social behaviors will change everything you do.
To stay relevant, businesses must move past customer-centric models and embrace a life-centric view that sees people more fully.
Accenture, July 2022
Digital Campaign Systems Used Strategically.
A digital campaign system that integrates social media, digital advertising, email marketing, and website landing pages can give brand marketers a broad picture of what is working to generate interest and customers, wherever they may be and whatever their lifestyle. Being able to view this at a high level allows for rapid changes in your marketing approach to best reach the right customers.
Lifestyle Behavior Marketing: Delivering Results.
Continually learning from your marketing approach and understanding customer behavior in a more complex world of networks and connections will allow you to continually adjust your marketing approach to deliver real value to customers.