In looking to devise multi-platform initiatives, marketers keep in mind establishing means to apply an analysis of the value of each in a particular plan as well as measurement frameworks system to get a clear understanding of effect and return on investment in a comparative way. The range of consideration required is significant and specific insights have to be aligned to maximize return on investment.
Bain and Co., in one instance, conducted research with Google on marketing evolution that looked at the proliferation of digital channels and options which makes it more important to time messages appropriately. In a global marketers survey, Bain found that use of the various platforms available today makes timing an important element in directing messages to targeted consumers. Timing takes on the form of signals, sequence and speed, and technology exists for marketers to test each with high confidence, Bain maintained.
In one example offered regarding over-the-counter medicines, Bain stated that a leading brand mapped its customers’ past search and purchase behavior, determining that consumers who take the medication in the first two days of symptoms are more likely to get relief and become better brand advocates. So, the company worked with Google and WebMD to reach consumers who used search terms suggesting they had the symptoms in that narrow time frame. As it determined its progress in reaching marketing goals, the brand found it substantially increased search conversion and built greater brand loyalty at the same time.
Welcome to the Post-TikTok World
Another concern in using multiple platforms is that change is constant within each. Research from management software solutions provider Sprout Social looked at social media in the context of today’s trends in what some are calling the post-TikTok world. The research demonstrated that the majority of consumers, at 53%, are using social media even more today than during the pandemic-era surge. At the same time, marketers are leveraging artificial intelligence in response to meet their desire for personalized connections and deliver better customer experiences at scale.
With their new tech abilities, 81% of marketers say AI has already had a positive impact on their work, citing more time for creativity, at 78%, and increased efficiency, at 73%, as the top benefits. Sprout Social pointed out that its research suggested that marketers will shift employee time saved on time-consuming work that AI can handle such as data analysis to those functions that require human judgment and imagination. In that way, marketers can spend time and effort on functions such as personalization across platforms.
The application of AI isn’t, of course, limited to social media, and can help marketers gain insight into the use of multiple platforms to reach targeted consumers, and it can aid in the development of their outreach capabilities. To the extent that AI frees them to do so, marketers can spend more time analyzing the building on the structure and advantages various platforms offer and then develop creative content that plays to those strengths.
The Impact of E-Commerce
Consideration of how to integrate multi-platform campaigns should include e-commerce platforms if for no other reason than they continue gaining in their importance at the point of purchase decision across a wider range of product categories. Still, marketers have to tailor marketing to the realities of the platform.
In the report “Establishing the Best Ecommerce Branding to Beat the Competition,” BigCommerce makes the point that effective brand building is an important component in e-commerce operation. Still, the company asserted that, in any consumer outreach strategy, market research that provides insights into customer demographics, preferences, behaviors, and purchasing habits has to be the foundation. The priority is on shopper knowledge with an understanding of tactics that are effective in reaching those designated shoppers across e-commerce platforms as messaging gets fitted to sales channel.
In the online case, BigCommerce suggests that companies can use insights to develop targeted digital marketing campaigns, create personalized product recommendations and tailor user experience to better serve consumers, with the best approach being a focus on top markets.
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Video courtesy of Sprout Social
