Growth Spark Media

What Consumers Want From Brand Content

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While consumers are cautious in their viewing and sharing of information, brands can influence purchase activity with their content efforts. Following are insights from a recent study:

1. Why Brand Content is Valuable: Information; Differentiation

  • Consumers prefer content that provides information, not promotions.
  • Content helps consumers choose between products/services and helps them make a final decision.
  • Informative content is valuable to consumers even after they’ve made their purchase.

2. So What is Good Content? It’s Accurate and Informative (chart below)

  • Accuracy in content is most important: 38% rank it number one; 65% place it in their top two.
  • Informative content runs a close second: 26% rank it number one; 60% place it in their top two.
  • Simplicity is third in importance: 31% rank it in the top two; 60% place it in the top half.

3. Consumers Prefer Content That is Precise, Relevant, Fresh

  • Consumers prefer content that is both precise and adequately written.
  • Nearly 70% of consumers say relevant content is important when learning about a product/service.
  • Two-thirds of consumers tend to make a purchase if content is fresh, includes video/images and is optimized.

4. Content That is Cause-Related/Informative/Valuable is Shared and Triggers Purchases

  • 35% shared content that raised awareness for a good cause.
  • 34% shared content that was informative, not promotional.
  • 57% made a purchase as a result of valuable online content.

Content is invaluable as it is an integral part of a consumer’s purchasing decision.

Source: Adobe / Advanis, reported by MarketingCharts.com

The Age of Local: The New Marketing

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In the past, companies typically used mass media (ex: TV, print, radio, etc.) to reach large audiences and there was limited data for digital advertising.

Today, we are in the “age of local,” where marketing wars are digital and local relevance is key for major brands and local businesses.

Follow the Money

  • Multi-location brands are spending 25% of their budgets on location-based marketing.
  • More than 50% of multi-location brands are using location data to target customers.1

New Balance of Power

  • Local businesses are investing in digital, going head-to-head with the national competition.
  • Digital ad spend overall surpassed that spent on community-based print and broadcast for the first time in 2017, and this trend is forecast to continue through 20222 (see chart):

Getting to Digital Proficiency

Location is a critical element of digital marketing. Determining the best investments for local coverage is expected to be an increasingly important part of a marketing plan.

Studies:
1LBMA (Location-Based Marketing Association) Global Location Trends Report;
2Borrell Associates
Source:
MediaPost-The Marketing Insider, reported by Lynn Tornabene; LSA (Local Search Association) Insider, reported by Joe Morsello

ROO:  Digital Out-of-Home’s New Success Metric

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Marketing is the first step in the sales process. Sales conversions typically now take more time, making Return On Objective (ROO) a more realistic standard on which to weigh your efforts versus the common form of using Return On Investment (ROI).

Return On Objective (ROO): a flexible approach based on a specific set of objectives.
Return On Investment (ROI): measures sales made before and after an investment.

ROO versus ROI:

  • ROO is a better measurement, as it relates to defining long-term objectives – increasing top-of-mind awareness, establishing expertise/reputation, strengthening customer loyalty, building market share, etc. – and then tracking results.
  • ROI is a short-term measurement concept, as it correlates directly to a monetary value – using sales promotions, turning over inventory, tracking sales/returns frequency, etc. – and doesn’t monitor customer loyalty or how it is taking longer for consumers to travel through the sales funnel.
  • Buying behaviors continue to change and the market is growing more complex as new channels and technologies emerge.

Benefits of ROO:

  • ROO is objective rather than sales based, so you can target any goal and adapt accordingly.
  • ROO enables teams to prove campaign impact when it’s not feasible to tie them directly to sales.
  • ROO encourages you to take a look at the effectiveness of your marketing methods, so you’ll know what’s working, even if sales don’t spike instantly.

Measuring Results with ROO:

  • Improved business and customer awareness.
  • Increased market share.
  • Better engagement with online channels and social media.

Emphasizing ROO measurement is integral in achieving long-term marketing success. Implementing programs with objectives helps take customers through the purchase decision – the ultimate goal.

Source:  Business2Community, reported by Joshua Breyfogle; ScreenCloud; AudienceMetrix;
Empower MediaMarketing; firstagency.com; Henry Wurst Incorporated, reported by Joe Contrino

 

Nielsen: Out-of-Home Most Effective in Driving Online Activity

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A Nielsen study shows that Out-of-Home (OOH) is the most effective online medium in driving online activity among U.S. adults 18+, and delivers four times more online activity per ad dollar spent compared to Television, Radio, and Print.

Out-of-Home Connects the Real and Online Worlds:
After seeing advertising on OOH, almost half of adults 18+ used an Internet Search engine to look for more information, nearly 4 in 10 visited/posted on Facebook, and 1 in 4 used Instagram and Twitter.

With More Time Spent Out of the Home, Mobile Search is on the Rise:
Sixty-eight percent of mobile use happens while people are on the go. In addition, businesses use OOH to make a connection with consumers. A combination of these factors results in an audience that is primed for OOH communication that triggers online activity.

Out-of-Home Delivers Four Times the Punch in Generating Search:
OOH generates 26% of Search activations initiated by offline media, yet accounts for 7% of the advertising spend, indexing at nearly four times the expected level. OOH’s over-performance continues with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, where the index value is greater than four times the expected rate.

Marketers who include OOH in the media mix and integrate it into their digital marketing strategies can benefit from this offline-to-online channel, building a more connected consumer journey.

“OOH’s connection to digital media is undeniable.
OOH campaigns boost online engagement more than other traditional media …”
– Nancy Fletcher, President/CEO of OAAA (Outdoor Advertising Association of America)

Source: Nielsen’s OOH Online Activation Survey; JCDecaux One World; OAAA (Outdoor Advertising Association of America); Magna

U.S. Online and Traditional Media Advertising Outlook 2017-2021

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PwC released its Entertainment & Media Outlook Report, a study that contains projections for online and offline media advertising expenditures through 2021. The following are highlights for major media markets in the U.S.

Online Advertising

  • Online is expected to have a 9.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR)¹ through 2021.
  • Mobile online is projected to grow at a 18.7% CAGR, with wired online forecast to decline.
Out-of-Home Advertising

  • Out-of-home advertising has the strongest prognosis of traditional media, due to the healthy projected growth in digital out-of-home advertising.
  • Digital out-of-home (ex. billboard, DMV, elevator, gas station) is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.1%.
  TV Advertising

  • TV is projected to grow slowly at a 1.3% CAGR through 2021, in part due to declining TV viewing.
  • Online TV is slowing, with a CAGR of 7.4% this year.
  Magazine Advertising

  • Consumer magazines will remain flat through 2021; digital’s CAGR of 13.1% will offset print’s -9.7%.
  • Trade magazines are also expected to remain flat.
  Radio Advertising

  • Radio is expected to remain flat through 2021 with a CAGR of 1.2%, excluding satellite radio (which represents a fraction of total radio advertising).
  • Online radio will be the fastest-growing segment, with a CAGR of 8.6%; broadcast radio continues to be the dominant form, but will remain flat in growth.
  Newspaper Advertising

  • Newspapers are expected to see a decline in revenues between now and 2021.
  • Digital advertising’s CAGR of 2.2% is not growing quickly enough to offset print’s -12.6%.
  Cinema Advertising

  • Cinema is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 2.4%.
  • Cinema advertising revenues will continue to be dwarfed by box office revenues.

1 The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is the proportional growth rate from year to year for a business, used to calculate growth over a time period.

Source: PwC’s Entertainment & Media Outlook, reported by Marketingcharts.com

8 Easy Ways Businesses Should Track Competitors

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Tracking and monitoring competitors’ operations can help businesses develop their own successful marketing efforts and strategies.  It’s important to look at their clients, new products/services being offered, and keep up with price fluctuations and demands within a specific market.

1. Review How Your Competitors are Reaching Consumers
“Review… the media your competition is using to reach consumers… where they are advertising and what offers are being leveraged… [for] insight on how to plan your own marketing efforts.”   — Mike Tinz, VP-Money Mailer

2. Review Competitors’ Websites
Look on competitors’ websites to see what products/services they offer, which might be different  from those your own business offers.

3. Compare Your SEO Efforts
To move your company higher in search rankings and generate more business, make sure your website keywords are current. Search Google using the keywords your customers are likely to use and note where you and your competitors are ranking.

4. Check Out Customer Review Sites and Speak to Your Own Customers
Check what others are saying by looking at review sites in your industry.  Ask your customers what they like and don’t like to learn how to improve your own business.

5. Understand Pricing and Special Offers
“Understanding the pricing and special offers that your competition is advertising will… create a compelling proposition to drive traffic [to] your business [and] help you better understand if you are under-priced or… overpriced.” — Mike Tinz, VP-Money Mailer

6. Use Google Alerts¹ to Your Advantage
Setting up Google Alerts to arrive in your inbox for a specific company/industry will ensure you remain up-to-date on any news stories related to your business.

7. Learn How Internet and Social Media are Being Used to Communicate
Use the Internet to learn how competitors are communicating with consumers.
Follow your competitors on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., to examine their strategies.

8. Buy From a Competitor
An old-fashioned way to track competition is to buy from them directly. Visit their store or website to learn about their products/services. Utilize this information to advance your business.

It’s important to stay abreast of changes in today’s competitive business landscape.Monitoring your competitors is an integral step to ensure your company progresses.

¹Google Alerts is a content change detection and notification service, offered by Google. The service sends emails to the user when it finds new results—such as web pages, articles, blogs, or scientific research—that match the user’s search terms.

Source:  Small Business Trends, Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead; Mike Tinz, VP-Money Mailer

Children First Community Urgent Care

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Children First Community Urgent Care Website

When a clinic puts this much care into their patients, we know that we need to take equal care in creating their website. Children First Community Urgent Care came to us prior to their grand opening without any specific branding or online presence. Growth Spark Media was up to the challenge of not only growing their online branding but to also create a stunning website that exemplifies Children First Community Urgent Care’s mission statement.

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5 Star Transmission

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5 Star Concord’s Website

For a well established automotive technician with high expectations and standards in their name alone, it’s no wonder why we had to give 5 Star Transmission’s website the five-star treatment! Growth Spark Media created a custom website equal to their reputation: reliable, exceptional, and focused on delivering only the highest quality service.

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JJ Fish & Chicken

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JJ’s Fish and Chicken Website

When you’re hungry, what’s one of the most important things you look for in your next meal? That’s right, something delicious and tasty! The goal of JJ Fish & Chicken’s website with Growth Spark Media was to parrot that same philosophy and create branding that put the food proudly on display. Along with integrating their full menu within the site, GSM also emphasized JJ Fish & Chicken’s most popular food items, including price, with beautiful photographs right on their homepage.

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Alliance Buys Homes

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Alliance Buy Homes Website

Buying or selling your home can be stressful. Growth Spark Media knows that sometimes there are sensitive reasons behind needing to sell your home, which is why the website we created for Alliance Buys Homes is easy to navigate, simple, and provides easy ways to get in contact with a representative.

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1 Selleck St, 3rd Floor, Norwalk, CT 06855

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