Summer is moving out to make way for holiday decorations and that means it’s time for you to get ready to create corresponding brand promotions! Don’t worry, our end of summer digital marketer checklist will set you on the right track, well ahead of those deadlines.
Analyzing conversations for back-to-school insights
Real-time social media listening is always in season, and what better time to capture audience insight than when everyone is returning from summer vacation? The back-to-school sentiment is strong (even for those who are done with school).
And it offers key intel around what is resonating with a huge swath of potential consumers – intel that you’ll want to handy to inform efforts ahead of Black Friday sales. Pay attention to wants and needs that your brand could create campaigns around.
Right now, families are struggling to get organized, much like you are with your marketing campaigns. Helping them do better there, in any way, is appreciated. And that includes simplifying your shopping experience/time it takes to make a purchase, as frazzled folks are short on time:
Monitoring emerging trends
What’s happening overall right now though? You’ll want to look at emerging trends in your category, and be sure to monitor them as we get into the thick of end of the year. This marketer checklist item is super important.
What’s the big holiday craze going to be, beyond Fortnite v-bucks and K-Pop everythings, that is? People (as of right now) are actually talking a lot about “giving warm fuzzies” and giving back in some way:
Are there ways your brand can help consumers create warm fuzzy feelings for others? Most likely. And now is the time to start planning!
Don’t get too locked into any one idea though. For example, looking only for popular toys if you’re a retailer. Trends come in all shapes and sizes, and are not limited to a particular age group. And the Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve period isn’t the only one with holidays consumers care about.
Cuisinart discovered this while surfacing for insights to apply to their recipe offerings during the Christmas holiday season.
They were surprised to uncover an entirely new audience, and an entirely new holiday they cared about: Labor Day.
Offering recipes for this end of summer milestone brought them three times the video views of prior campaigns – along with 30K impressions. The lesson? Be prepared to be surprised. And follow what the captured conversation tells you.
Upping your customer service game
The increase in “back to work/school” business equals a corresponding number of customer service contacts. And as we approach Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the posts can reach a fever pitch. Having your customer service ducks in a row is key to avoiding big catastrophes later.
Remember, about 40% of consumers look to social media when reaching out with a complaint. And they expect a speedy reply. Brands that meet that expectation experience higher rates of online love.
Spotting and resolving issues early is your best bet. Have alerts set up for particularly troublesome keywords so you don’t spend the holidays defending your brand against a reputational crisis. In NetBase, you can set up any mention, any metric and triggered alerts around any topic you’ve analyzed:
It’s a great option to have in place to warn you about expected and unexpected conversations. And one you should definitely take advantage of.
Analyzing conversation to identify and activate influencers
Influencers and brand ambassadors are amazing additions to your customer service contingent. They can help direct or redirect a conversation when you’re facing a crisis. And they’re great for spreading brand awareness, in general.
Why? Consumers are most likely to act based on what other consumers have to say, and that trust extends to influencers (usually). You’ll want to be sure your influencer is actually influential with the target audience you plan to gear your campaign toward.
Some influencers are too broad and feel inauthentic to consumers, while others can be too niche to adequately reach your intended audience. But you should already know where these folks land on your micro to major spectrum.
Not sure of who these folks are already? A quick search of trending topics in your category will lead you to them.
You’ll not only quickly sort out who they are, but can see what they’re talking about, who they’re talking with and which conversations are resonating.
Capturing competitor conversation to inform your efforts
Wondering what your competitors are up to and think it’s a waste of time wondering? Well, you’re right – and wrong.
Obsessing around what your competitors are up is a waste of time, but as long as you know how to monitor a competitor’s activity without overdoing it, your time is well spent!
Brands should set up keyword triggers to be alerted when complaints are directed toward competitors. If you can swoop in and help their clients when they fail, it will get noticed (both by the clients and them, so use it appropriately or prepare for war!)
And analyzing conversations they’re having with consumers could help you capture a fuller understanding of a certain segment’s unmet needs. This could inspire an entirely new product or service offering, enabling your company to be first-to-market with something incredible.
Or you can just track mentions over time to see if you’re losing/gaining share of voice:
The intel you can glean from a competitor analysis is limited only by the amount of time you spend in the product toying with the insight. Reviewing competitor data consistently, and well ahead of your next campaign, offers critical benchmarking info that you’ll want to have top of mind. Be sure to do that.
So, once you get your head back in the game and are ready to analyze your customer base online, be sure to keep these tips in mind. And when you’re done with these, we have more.
Reach out for a demo or we’re happy to tell you more about it when we see you in October for NetBase LIVE. You’ll be there, won’t you? Register now!
