Humans: predictable creatures in a digital world.
In today’s world, the effervescent and mercurial partnership between the internet and digital marketing has allowed brands and business to scale at an unprecedented speed. This, along with the ever-evolving and growing number of strategies, placements and opportunities, means the fight for a consumer’s attention, let alone a quantifiable action, is at an all-time high.
So, how have advertisers and marketers alike evolved (or not) to be as fluid as the industry they’re in whilst positively returning on their client’s (or their own) investment?
The answer may lie in an important yet oft-overlooked area (while we obsess with funnels and modelling and talk about why Successful Susan will buy a £4,567 brolly) and it is simply down to consumer (read: human) behaviour and the psychology behind the sell.
With a data-led approach (which for a long time was seen as the pillar that supported even the most feeble of strategies and creatives) in a world now so obsessively aware of their online data trail, the cracks are beginning to show. The advent of a cookie-less environment spells out the need for a new and improved approach that needs to be adopted as quickly as a highly Instagram-able dappled Dachshund puppy at an influencer convention.
Humans are relatively predictable creatures. We all follow a routine of some sort, and it’s within this routine in which there are opportunities to be explored. From the moment we wake up to the minute our heads touch the pillow there are prime advertising opportunities with our mindsets receptive to a beautifully crafted, well-placed ad.
Humans now crave and expect a certain level of attention, be it from their peers or their favourite brands. Behaviours have evolved to prioritise relationships. It’s as superficial as Tinder and as deep as a 4 am kitchen chat after a night out.
So how are brands and businesses harnessing this in their marketing strategies? By making almost every stage, content and messaging hyper-personalised. By focussing on what the consumer feels is most important to them, using a behaviour-focussed approach in their targeting creating relevant product ads and sequencing, speaking in a colloquial tone relevant to the area or the audience, be nurturing and not forgetting the increased use of chat-bots to shorten response times and qualify a query and get the consumer to where they needed to go. All of this eventually adds up to a positive impact on the bottom line.
This also swings the balance of intent vs. impulse/spontaneous purchasing. Done successfully, one no longer has to have the intent to purchase but instead is so moved by your brand and product that they will buy without even having an initial need-state but will fit that product into their lifestyle with a long-term view.
So the next time you’re building out a strategy or campaign, watch your behaviours.
To learn more about Humans in the Digital World, get in contact tody.
