Author: Kurt Schauer
Direct mailings and e-mail newsletters have long since established themselves as proven and reliable response channels. The following workshop report shows how the synergies between dialog and online marketing can be used effectively and how customers can be offered a seamless brand experience through targeted content.
You are familiar with the problem: potential customers are becoming increasingly difficult to reach these days and are reacting to advertising with growing rejection. Too many stimuli, too many promises – the result is an „inflation of advertising acceptance.“ But which advertising channel is the right one in this overcrowded market?
Advertising used to be simple:
You defined the target group, chose the right channel, sent the correct message, and repeated it ad nauseam – BAM! Advertising success was achieved, and the product was bought. But that no longer works today. Potential customers must now be reached at many different touchpoints with the same message – and multiple times. This requires clever, networked solutions.
A look at recent marketing history shows a clear development from push to pull marketing. In the early years, especially in the 1950s, advertising was characterized by „above-the-line“ strategies (push marketing), which relied on classic media such as radio, television, and print. At that time, product demand was enormous, and advertising focused on pure product presentation.
In the 1970s, market segmentation began: companies tried to meet individual needs. The 1980s emphasized the unique selling proposition (USP), and in the 1990s, advertising increasingly aligned with social and technological change.
The turn of the 21st century brought a paradigm shift: „above-the-line“ communication was replaced by information-oriented „below-the-line“ marketing. The internet and globalization changed the advertising world, and interactive communication channels such as emails and performance marketing came to the fore. SEO, Google AdWords, and email marketing dominated the scene, followed by social networks and Web 2.0 from 2010 onwards.
Today, the focus is on new, useful, and entertaining content that prioritizes customer value. Online marketing, content marketing, and viral strategies reflect societal change – from pure consumption to a value-oriented lifestyle, shifting from „having“ to „being.“
What needs to be done?
Due to the complexity of marketing, many decision-makers tend to spread their advertising budget widely, often with unclear, measurable success. But why not abandon this principle and instead invest specifically in measurable results?
The solution lies in content marketing. Those who publish their own content can foster interaction and dialogue with the target audience. Content marketing informs, advises, and entertains through meaningful content that directly addresses the target audience. It is essential that the content is linked to the company’s and brand’s values. Companies thus become storytellers and brands become meaningful content.
There are five dimensions that play a role:
- Value: The content must possess an individual character.
- Depth: The content must convey meaning and added value.
- Orientation: It should offer a clear direction and perspective.
- Collectivity: The content must be placed within a larger context of tradition, responsibility, and interconnections.
- Transcendence: The content should have symbolic meaning that goes beyond the everyday.
How to proceed?
To publish interesting content, companies should rely on their own expertise and authenticity. Meaningful goals help to maintain focus and develop a suitable strategy. Content is then collected and defined in a topic plan – always in line with corporate and brand values. For the selection of the right communication channels and the implementation of the content, it is advisable to draw on the experience and know-how of an advertising agency. To reach the target audiences, the content must be easily discoverable and search engine optimized. After publication, reactions are analyzed and incorporated into the next step of the strategy.
What to do if there is supposedly no content available? Or if the benefit of content marketing in the B2B sector is questioned? There are solutions here too: Often, testimonials, project descriptions, user reports, and case studies can be used to convey knowledge and experience. Customers – even in the B2B sector – love stories from existing clients. A mix of storytelling and expert knowledge, combined with technological know-how and innovation, can be crucial here.
Ultimately, customers are less interested in products and services themselves, but rather in the benefits they derive from them. It’s not about persuading customers, but convincing them. The key to modern brand management lies in the connection between product features and customer needs, as well as in aligning the brand message with customer values. The formula for success is simple: Content creates relationships, relationships build trust, and trust increases sales.
Dialogue and Online Marketing as a Seamless Brand Experience
In dialogue and online marketing, direct mailings and email newsletters offer unparalleled opportunities to make response and interaction measurable and actionable. Let us remember: through content marketing, brands become content and companies become storytellers.
The crucial question is: Can the user be addressed at the right time through the appropriate channel? And how can a consistent brand experience be created? The answer is simple: through targeted clustering and qualification of customers. Who needs which product or service, and when? An individual approach is then developed, based on personal characteristics or previous behavior – using existing data (from CRM or ERP systems) or purchased data. It is crucial to communicate across multiple channels in a content- and time-coordinated manner. But beware: an inflationary use of data can quickly lead to customer loss. It is advisable to set clear goals, derive milestones from them, and form targeted clusters. To ensure the success of a campaign, performance should be regularly measured and optimized.
Here again, the most important points summarized:
- The brand experience must be consistent across all channels.
- The customer’s benefit is paramount.
- Content creates relationships, relationships build trust, and trust increases sales.
- Customers are less interested in products and services – they are interested in the added value they derive for themselves.
Instead of relying on push communication or the difficult-to-measure spray-and-pray approach, content marketing can achieve advertising success in a budget-friendly and risk-free manner. Through a clever strategy, potential customers can be targeted specifically. However, this requires skill, courage, diligence, and perseverance. As aptly formulated by R. Rose, Content Marketing Institute:
„Traditional marketing is telling the world you’re a rock star. Content marketing is showing the world you are one.“ (Source: THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS by Dominik Ruisinger )
Do you have questions?
Hubertus von Kolkow
Head of Brand Consulting/Strategy
