Each of today’s Alexa 10 most popular US websites involves social networking and/or a peer review function:
Now more than ever, visitors to your site expect to be able to generate content to voice opinions and exchange ideas.
Need a second opinion on whether to buy that new dress? Social Retailing™ may soon allow you to “virtually” try on clothing in-store and transmit a live video feed of your image to any email, cell phone or digital device for immediate feedback from friends or family.
Unveiled at the 2007 National Retail Federation’s annual conference, IconNicolson’s concept uses Near Field Communication technology to superimpose clothing on a shopper’s mirrored reflection. The concept then melds live video feeds with text messaging, IM and email interface capabilities right in the fitting room.
Customers can choose from a full complement of styles, colors, patterns and accessories—even if the store doesn’t have them in stock. Clothes can be ordered, purchased and shipped without stepping outside the fitting room.
Through advanced technological design and the immediacy of online social networking, the Social Retail™ concept promises to extend the best of today’s tangible offline and intangible online customer experiences.
Cost Benefit
The online system allows for improved shrinkage and inventory management as well as database development of what’s hot and what’s not, which is sure to be a hit with buyers charged with picking seasonal winners. And, the added benefit of instant approval from friends or relatives could make impulse buys more impulsive than ever.
But Will It Fit?
It remains to be seen whether consumers are so accustomed to entering personal information online that they’re prepared to seed databases across the country with information about friends, family members and themselves.
And let’s not forget why the customer drove to the mall in the first place. It’s difficult to imagine virtually modeled clothing even remotely approaching the experience of the real thing. After all it is all about “You” in this brave new social media world.
You’ve seen thousands of billboards, but have you ever been moved by one? Responded to a call to action? Chances are you can count the ones you remember on one hand, the ones you’ve liked on a couple of fingers. So, is outdoor advertising effective? When used appropriately, yes.
Outdoor advertising has its own strengths and weaknesses, and its own set of rules. Here are some guiding principles to help you get the most out of your billboards:
Remember the 4-second rule. On average, drivers have four seconds to digest the information on an outdoor board. Four seconds. Short headline, visual, logo. Time’s up. Try it tonight on your drive home. At the point you can clearly see a billboard, begin counting: One-Mississippi, two-Mississippi. Stop when you’ve passed the board.
Keep it short and simple. To make an impact, the information on the board must be a single concise message, ideally conveyed in 7 words or less. Unless your phone number is somehow repetitive or easy to remember, leave it off. Most drivers don’t have a pen and paper to write it down, and even if they did, they shouldn’t attempt to do so while driving. Leave the www off your url; it’s unnecessary. Boil it down to one short, impactful statement.
Make it big and clean. You can’t just resize your print ad and expect it to work. The font must be simple and large enough to read. The more copy, the smaller the font, the less likely drivers will be able to read it. Clean, san serif fonts 10″ to 24″ high on a contrasting background work best.
Test your concept. Don’t hesitate to ask your creative firm for proof of concept prior to production. If you’re producing your own creative, the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), Lamar Outdoor and Clear Channel all have simulators to test your creative from a street-level view.
Billboards build awareness. They’re a great way to reinforce your print or broadcast ad, or simply get your name and logo in front of commuters on a daily basis. But they are not a targeted medium. Unless a billboard is solely directional, it must be used in concert with other media efforts to be effective.
Agencies strive to develop campaigns that get noticed. Leo Burnett Worldwide created a cliff hanger that has Chicagoans looking up and taking notice. Watch the commercial that debuted during the Sugar Bowl.
Alterian’s recent survey of more than 500 direct marketers found 85% planned to increase online marketing expenditures in 2007.
Remarkably, of those direct marketers, marketing services providers and agencies queried, 70% said they perform little or no results analysis to determine the effectiveness of their online campaigns, despite the availability of accurate testing and measuring tools.
One Analytic Does Not Fit All
Optimized online marketing effectiveness is accomplished by testing, measuring and analyzing data from a variety of metrics, then redeploying the campaign reflecting lessons learned from the assessment. Analysis generally falls into one of two categories, quantitative or qualitative.
Quantitative Optimization
Quantitative optimization involves testing different design versions and allowing your customers’ response to identify the more favorable layout. These tests are often referred to as A/B or multivariate testing. Proper assessment and subsequent application of quantitative data can substantially enhance campaign conversion rates.
Qualitative Optimization
Live usability testing and focus groups are examples of qualitative research techniques that can be used to validate quantitative findings or expose information quantitative analysis is incapable of providing. Qualitative research can help ferret out usability issues, behavioral tendencies or navigational inconsistencies that can quickly distract or lose today’s impatient online visitors.
Or Just Ask
Understanding where and why conversion rates drop off only provides part of the story. Often the customer will alert you to obstacles to success you haven’t even considered, if you just ask. Online surveys can complete the picture and reveal additions or modifications impossible to gather from behavioral data alone.
Too Much Data, Lacking Expertise or Time
Honing the design, messaging, timing and other aspects of your email campaign based on proper assessments of empirical data is crucial to optimizing online marketing results. However, analytical tools are often inaccessible, arcane or overwhelmingly voluminous.
Consider working with a competent design firm that can help assess your marketing efforts and optimize the return on your online investment with appropriate brand considerations and design aesthetics.
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