Page 14 - index
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BEST PRACTICES & STRATEGIES
Technology makes real-time
marketing manageable and tangible
Did you know that the term “real-time marketing” has 2. Keep it simple: Data is easy to capture and store,
already been around for twenty years? In 1995, the mar- but using it in smart and efficient ways is still a major
keting expert Regis McKenna published an article in the marketing challenge. Consumer data can be quickly
Harvard Business Journal using the current buzzword as outdated and it can be an overwhelming task to sort,
the title. analyze, and utilize it, therefore keep it simple by
focusing on the basics, like age, gender, location,
However, did we make much progress since then? Well, interest, and persona first.
I am not so sure, only that people are by now used to
having search delivered in real time, news the second 3. Don’t bore: Content on the web is short-dated. A
they happen, instant updates on their friends’ status, tweet generally has a life span of only a few minutes
video on demand, among many other instantly expected and a Facebook post only a few hours. Make your
actions. message count on social media to extend the typical
life span by making it awesome, remarkable, and
The world is simply getting used to want everything right easily shareable.
now, especially since technology is steadily speeding up
the ways consumers receive information and interact In short, most real-time marketing takes place in social
with each other. media because the path to publishing is much more
streamlined than in other media. Here, people expect to
That is a bit of a worry to marketers and their constant find real and authentic stories, therefore they value and
struggle to keep up with customer expectations. Undeni- believe more what fans say about a brand than what
ably, they face a competitive environment, where being the brand says about itself. Certainly, compelling con-
slow to respond or perceived as disconnected from real tent will not only have a longer life cycle and greater
life can be deadly for them. Anyway, it is nowadays es- reach, but also will be shared and spread enthusiasti-
sential for any brand to be able to respond fast and have cally in real-time. Therefore, the key to real-time mar-
a real-time conversation with consumers via social me- keting is not necessarily to produce more social media
dia. Only that way it is possible to produce personalized, content more quickly; it is more to curate real and au-
real-time content in a timely, relevant, and valuable way. thentic stories that are relevant to consumers and
Here are three useful tips how you can achieve that: which encourage them to share and participate.
1. Be authentic: People crave for authenticity and do The obvious next step in real-time marketing is video
not want to be fooled, so never risk losing their trust. coming along with the tweet or status update. That too
Rather invite them to join the communication and to will become standard procedure as more brands em-
contribute relevant content in real-time. Invest a lot of brace the activity in the near future, as social media
effort in platforms where you can find, curate, aggre- platforms add more video capabilities such as for in-
gate, and manipulate content to fit consumers’ need stance Twitter’s Vine application. ◊
and deliver targeted real-time messages.
By Daniela La Marca
14 Asian eMarketing July 2015: Real (Right)-Time Marketing
14
Technology makes real-time
marketing manageable and tangible
Did you know that the term “real-time marketing” has 2. Keep it simple: Data is easy to capture and store,
already been around for twenty years? In 1995, the mar- but using it in smart and efficient ways is still a major
keting expert Regis McKenna published an article in the marketing challenge. Consumer data can be quickly
Harvard Business Journal using the current buzzword as outdated and it can be an overwhelming task to sort,
the title. analyze, and utilize it, therefore keep it simple by
focusing on the basics, like age, gender, location,
However, did we make much progress since then? Well, interest, and persona first.
I am not so sure, only that people are by now used to
having search delivered in real time, news the second 3. Don’t bore: Content on the web is short-dated. A
they happen, instant updates on their friends’ status, tweet generally has a life span of only a few minutes
video on demand, among many other instantly expected and a Facebook post only a few hours. Make your
actions. message count on social media to extend the typical
life span by making it awesome, remarkable, and
The world is simply getting used to want everything right easily shareable.
now, especially since technology is steadily speeding up
the ways consumers receive information and interact In short, most real-time marketing takes place in social
with each other. media because the path to publishing is much more
streamlined than in other media. Here, people expect to
That is a bit of a worry to marketers and their constant find real and authentic stories, therefore they value and
struggle to keep up with customer expectations. Undeni- believe more what fans say about a brand than what
ably, they face a competitive environment, where being the brand says about itself. Certainly, compelling con-
slow to respond or perceived as disconnected from real tent will not only have a longer life cycle and greater
life can be deadly for them. Anyway, it is nowadays es- reach, but also will be shared and spread enthusiasti-
sential for any brand to be able to respond fast and have cally in real-time. Therefore, the key to real-time mar-
a real-time conversation with consumers via social me- keting is not necessarily to produce more social media
dia. Only that way it is possible to produce personalized, content more quickly; it is more to curate real and au-
real-time content in a timely, relevant, and valuable way. thentic stories that are relevant to consumers and
Here are three useful tips how you can achieve that: which encourage them to share and participate.
1. Be authentic: People crave for authenticity and do The obvious next step in real-time marketing is video
not want to be fooled, so never risk losing their trust. coming along with the tweet or status update. That too
Rather invite them to join the communication and to will become standard procedure as more brands em-
contribute relevant content in real-time. Invest a lot of brace the activity in the near future, as social media
effort in platforms where you can find, curate, aggre- platforms add more video capabilities such as for in-
gate, and manipulate content to fit consumers’ need stance Twitter’s Vine application. ◊
and deliver targeted real-time messages.
By Daniela La Marca
14 Asian eMarketing July 2015: Real (Right)-Time Marketing
14
