Every now and again a new buzz word comes up. Something that sounds different, intriguing, new. 360-degree marketing falls into that camp but what is it exactly? What exactly is all the hype?
Well like most buzzwords when you drill down into them, they are just an old word re-imagined. A new way of phrasing or carrying out a task with a bucket load of common sense thrown in. That is not to say that it’s not worthwhile, more that it is a good old-fashioned marketing principle, paralleled into the digital age.
360 Degrees – All the way Round
Full circle, a circumference. To put it simply 360-degree marketing is about putting your target customer in the middle of a full circle and targeting them from all angles. It is about really understanding your customer, where are they, what do they read, what do they think, where do they absorb their news and what platforms are they active on?
It does not exclusively focus on digital however, 360-degree marketing considers that customers are still human and can be individually identified. They like human contact, many of them like old fashioned ways of communication. They have nostalgia for the good old days when people got letters in the post and did not have to stare at a screen and complete an on-line form.
Digital marketeers should remember that people still buy people, old fashioned service will never die. So how do you go about building a 360-degree campaign, identify all successful elements and deliver it well?
Research is key
As with most things in life failure to plan is planning to fail! The first critical step is to research your customers. What does an ideal customer look like, can you establish demographics, territory, job role, interests? It is often surprising what information you can build on target clients and there are some excellent digital platforms to help you understand. BuzzSumo and Pulsar are two that the Lilac team like. LinkedIn sponsored
Having outlined an ideal target, we need to build a list of how they can be communicated with. Simply put if your target customers absorb information via any medium you need to be there talking to them. Professional B2B targets for example are often best reached digitally via LinkedIn but those individuals can also be researched via LinkedIn and written to personally. That outreach can include product samples, gifts or webinar invitations. It follows that if you can identify them precisely you can also email them and telephone them. LinkedIn is a goldmine of information to build target lists, but you need a level of paid for account and you need to be prepared to put the time in.
So, you have built your list, you know how your product or service meets their needs. Is that all there is to it?
Sadly not, when communicating to any market today you must consider that we are all flooded with marketing content. Bombarded all day by people trying to sell us something. Added to this most of us are busier than ever. Most senior business leaders these days manage their own correspondence, how can you cut through the melee to be heard?
It is now estimated that it takes 7 to 13 ‘touch points’ to deliver a qualified lead, this has increased over time as we have become over exposed to marketing messages.
Multi Touch, Multi-Channel Approach
The benefit of digital marketing is that you can communicate to a target very cheaply, particularly when you have driven them down an established sales funnel. Re-marketing in all its guises plays a part here, Google AdWords,
Facebook and LinkedIn all have excellent re-marketing facilities that will communicate to your targets once they have touched your content. So, what might an outline 360-degree, multi-channel marketing campaign look like at the wireframe stage?
This example is for a B2B, high end utility equipment manufacturer looking to sell to Operation Managers and Directors working for a big national company.
Target Research in LinkedIn – Company>Job Role>Geographics>Individual
Direct mail pack containing information on new ultra-green Euro 4 Engine
Direct messaging to targets via LinkedIn platform – Inmails
LinkedIn sponsored post from clients’ corporate page direct into target newsfeed
LinkedIn & Google AdWords re-marketing presenting relevant ads for 30 days after contact
Email marketing funnel given opt in
Editorial content & display advertising placed on high profile industry magazines – on and off line
Display advertising via Google AdWords on relevant industry websites
Poster display advertising or sponsorship at Industry events
Telemarketing follow up of direct mail pack – meeting or event offer
Naturally a strong CRM system should be in place and outreach content should be AB tested to establish the best conversion rates.
The process can be exciting and fascinating, understanding the metrics inevitably leads to improvements for future campaigns. 360-degree marketing is more than digital, it is all encompassing and here today to be taken advantage of! What are you waiting for?