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Are brands positioned to deliver the Oprah experience?
Measuring magic and what magic means to brands
Attending Cision CommsCon X event a few weeks ago (June 25th, 2019), I was inspired to think: ‘It’s time to get some new ideas and teach the old dog some new tricks’.
Experts speakers at the conference highlighted the huge gap they see today between how companies tell their stories and how they measure the success of brand communications. And addressing this gap is – apparently – all about ‘channelling the Oprah magic.’
Channelling the Oprah magic
Think about Oprah: she is a brand, but she is also a thought leader. What she says, people do. So how can businesses oprah-ify their comms? Here are five key take outs from the event :
Add value
When you are communicating with customers, ask yourself if you are adding value. Are you solving the problem, putting a smile on your audience’s faces or helping them find the resources they need? If you aren’t, then your offer can never really be magical. For Jenn Day, Search and Engagement Lead at Colgate Palmolive, the magical formula to adding value is about being focused, balanced and curious.
Going viral
For William Bonaddio, Social media Editor-in-chief at McDonald’s UK, virality doesn’t start at the marketing campaign. Virality must be built into a product development stage, and centre on an idea or message that resonates with your audience. Take for example McDonald’s latest ad campaign for its new Big Mac with Bacon which saw the campaign creative centre around lively debate on whether a BigMac with bacon could still be called a BigMac. It encouraged audiences to join the debate on social using the hashtags #NotABigMac or #StillABigMac – Conversion around the campaign generated over 500,000 digital engagements and conversations, showcasing how virality is an organic way of further securing customers engagement.
The magic’s in the measurement
Chris Talago, VP PR & Comms at Oracle, defines comms magic as finding a meaningful way to do multiple things in different markets but also talk about measurement ratios, impact and people’s influence. Measuring is going to be different in every market, but the bottom line is that you can’t make the magic without audience research and measurement. Together they are the foundation for every successful communication vehicle.
Focus on getting in touch with your regular customers twice a week
Remind your consumers of the role that you play constantly. It is considerably easier than many may think. First and foremost, it’s about your one-to-one strategy and using your customers as brand advocates. If you understand and show value to your loyal customers across different comms and sales channels, you’ll see the benefits right away. But you should also be collaborative with customers to see what they want and include them in conversations. Remember, it’s a two-sided relationship.
Do not be shy about to use personalised content
At its core, your content marketing strategy is your ‘why’. Why you are creating content? Is it to nurture and create exclusive content for customers who are your greatest advocates? Are you tailoring the content copy to your visitors whether they are coming from the company website or surrounding area? Ask yourself the question: where do they fit within your product life cycle? Who you are helping, and how will you help them in a way no-one else can.
If you want to inject some magic into your PR and Communications, contact Fieldworks to find out how our award-winning campaigns can deliver ROI to support your wider business objectives.
