Leboff – Writer. Speaker. Strategist
Inspirational speaker and author of the highly sought after marketing bible 'Stickier Marketing', Grant Leboff, was welcomed to the floor at the Hilton, Southampton last month to share his thoughts around the ‘communications revolution’. What came next was two hours of groundbreaking advice in the most insightful seminar I've had the pleasure of attending.
Communications Revolution
In January 1993, there were a mere 50 websites on the World Wide Web. By 2007 everyone who owned an iPhone had access to the Internet 24/7 and with a predicted ‘37.8-million smartphone users in the UK in 2015’[1], gaining access to a channel through which to communicate has never been easier.
Access to these channels has led to a shift in traditional marketing methods. Leboff explains that for the first time in history, we all have a channel through which to communicate, which has revolutionised the way we publish and share content.
Information in Abundance
Information is abundant in today’s society. We receive information from many different sources, which has resulted in information becoming somewhat of a commodity.
Commuters for example, would have once happily paid 50 pence for a magazine to read on the way to and from work. These same magazines contain news and information we can now access for free via the Internet and so they must be given away free of charge or risk being classified as redundant.
Social Media vs. Newspapers
Social media and other community based networks have facilitated our launch into the communications revolution. Unbelievably, Twitter is now responsible for breaking the most news.
A ramification of information being so readily available is that there is now a scarcity of attention. Information must be extremely engaging in order for us to take notice, and as a business, we want to attract and maintain as much attention to our products and services as possible.
Wisdom of Crowds & Friends
Print, cinema, radio and television are tools of mass communication from ‘one to the masses’. The World Wide Web is the first ‘masses to masses’ form of communication and has led to the creation of networks through which people are sharing thoughts around shared interests and offering each other advice when it comes to buying products and services.
Wisdom of crowds refers to the sharing of information via sites such as Trip Advisor, whereby users remain somewhat anonymous. Wisdom of friends however, refers to the sharing of information via social networks with friends, families and colleagues, which research suggests is most effective.
Together, these form what is now known as the ‘social web’. Development of these two forms of digital ‘word-of-mouth’ highlights that the dissemination of information is no longer via publication, but conversation.
The Golden Rules
Leboff has crafted three golden rules for marketing within the communications revolution to act as a sense check for all activity.
Rule 1: “Marketing is no longer about winning customers, it’s about building communities”.
Traditionally, value has been measured in the form of transactional purchases. Products and services have been advertised via television, radio, print, direct mail etc. for which the ROI was measured based on an increase in sales levels.
As consumers now have access to such a vast store of information, the difficulty for marketers lies with attracting consumers’ attention, regardless of whether a purchase is likely to occur at that moment in time or not.
Consistent engagement with the social web is now of great importance for business. Whether you actively communicate with prospects and customers directly, or users are discussing your brand between themselves, engagement will encourage your brand to be at the forefront of users’ minds and spark further conversation, thus achieving further reach and improving the chances of a purchase.
The presence of your brand in the minds of prospects and customers and providing relevant content to improve their understanding of your offering, allows the opportunity for you to build trust and transparency. Over time, your network of fans will grow and they will become the best advocates for your brand.
Rule 2: “Marketing can no longer be about products and services; it has to be about people”.
Information spreads so quickly it is almost impossible to have a USP. When Apple designed the first iPad, it made sure to patent as many processes as was legally possible. 24 weeks later, Samsung launched their first tablet. In a world where ideas are so frequently replicated, businesses must work at making their customer a hero, rather than the product or service itself, concentrating on the ‘how’ and ‘who for’, rather than the ‘what’.
Coca Cola’s ‘share a coke’ campaign saw huge engagement around the world and for the very small cost of editing labels already in production to include 150 of the most popular names in each country. The campaign focused on people and time spent with friends and family, providing extra value to customers and an element of fun, inducing a focus on the experience, rather than the product itself.
In the world of digital marketing, provision of this ‘experience’ can be achieved through publication of case studies, whitepapers and additional resources of value such as webinars and videos. This content aims to provide insight and address questions businesses operating within the digital realm might have. Provision of this valued content demonstrates thought leadership and further aids the development of trust and transparency between customers/prospects and brands.
Rule 3: “Marketing is no longer a means to an end, but an end in itself”.
Leboff’s final rule is an outcome of the first two. Take the example of a travel brochure. There is no value in the brochure itself unless the recipient is looking to book a holiday. The same can be said for traditional direct mail in that once the mails have been received and thrown away (or responded to) there is no value in the mail itself.
Marketing has traditionally been used as a mechanism to drive responses and transactions. The existence of the social web allows us to target communities with the right content, at the right time, via the most appropriate channel, thus creating value within the marketing channel itself. Targeting is not conducted with the sole intention of provoking a purchase, but to evoke conversation and raise awareness through the provision of engaging, relevant content.
So there you have it, the communications revolution – an evolution in the way consumers make purchase decisions. Improving the overall brand experience with added value and insights to create networks of brand advocates.
If you are interested in learning more about the communications revolution and how you can maximise the effectiveness of your marketing activity, you can do so by visiting the Sticky Marketing website.
[1] Statista.com
Write a comment.