Washing machines with a virtual display of what is spinning inside them, auto-adjusting thermostats, and fridges that restock themselves. This is not a collection of fantasy tech; it the contents of John Lewis’ new smart home showroom — a tangible example of how quickly the Internet of Things (IoT) is set to start transforming everyday life.
Almost any device can now be connected to the web and multi-screening is standard, with the average UK household owning 7.4 intelligent devices. As a result, consumer behaviour is evolving rapidly and marketers are experimenting with a range of new tactics to keep up. By effectively optimising content and advertising for these devices, brands are able to achieve unprecedented personalisation, boosting engagement and ultimately having a positive affect on ROI.
Yet the ever-increasing number of connected devices and platforms is making advertising impact increasingly difficult to determine — leaving marketers in the dark about which tactics are effective and warrant investment, and which do not.
To help marketers move back into the light, here are five marketing strategies currently trending in the industry and the steps that can be taken to restore understanding and efficiency:
1. Tapping into social networks
No channel fulfils the need for constant connectivity like social media, and as its popularity has grown, so has its place on the marketing agenda. UK consumers spend over an hour each day browsing an average of four social networks, highlighting the increasing importance these platforms play in how people interact with one another. Consumers not only access social media to converse with friends and family, but also to connect with brands — nearly 60% of social media users interact with businesses on Facebook — making it vital for brands to have a positive presence on these social sites, as well to build and maintain a connection with their audiences that benefits both parties.
2. Engaging with online video
Connected devices have made it easy for consumers to access video content whenever and wherever it suits them — 60% of the UK population now do so. Such vast reach has made the format one of the fastest growing marketing channels — last year digital video ad spend grew 51%, second only to mobile advertising. To ensure their spend generates optimal return, it is increasingly crucial for marketers to tailor video content and accurately measure its impact on a consumer’s decision journey.
3. Increasing location precision
Portable smart tech has driven an increase in the volume of location intelligence available to marketers, improving the precision of location-based targeting. Techniques such as geo-fencing can now go further than simply altering messages for specific countries — adapting content and ads to enhance relevance for specific users based on their real-time location. Yet just as the scope and variation of location-based campaigns is now greater, the logistics of tracking campaign performance has become more complex.
4. Rising use of native formats
There are no channel boundaries for connected consumers; they mix and match a variety of content from every corner of the digital world. Consequently, consumers are no longer guaranteed to arrive at websites via the homepage, leading to a rise in native ads embedded within editorial content. This new range of formats and placement options means it is more important than ever for marketers to make informed decisions — gaining a deep understanding of their target audience to ensure messages are both engaging and contextually appropriate.
5. Tailoring messages to devices
It’s not just channels that are interchangeable — ubiquitous connectivity enables consumers to switch between multiple devices too. For marketers, it has therefore become essential to create digital campaigns that can instantly accommodate the requirements of any device, from smartphones and tablets, to laptops and PCs. Ensuring messages are relevant is paramount, yet in the face of such extensive cross-device activity, tailoring an impactful message to a specific platform or device is no mean feat and involves numerous considerations such as message type, creative, the call to action, and more.
How can these issues be tackled?
While the challenges posed by these trends are considerable, they can be quickly and efficiently met with the right kind of illumination. Just as advertising platforms have developed to accommodate increased connectivity, so too have measurement technologies achieved a new level of sophistication to track campaigns.
These smart measurement tools can follow each aspect of digital campaigns, tracing their impact across every device, channel, and location. The insight they provide shines a spotlight on the most successful techniques — enabling marketers to focus their budgets, at the most granular level, on the methods that work for them and their audience.
With innovative new technologies that precisely gauge the effectiveness of campaigns, the smart tech revolution need not plunge marketers into darkness. Advanced measurement techniques that trace activities across the web can make sense of multi-faceted performance, highlighting the best path for marketers to take.
By Ben Sidebottom, Director, Solution Architecture at Visual IQ
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