The year 2020 affected many areas and spheres, including marketing. Some companies experienced difficulties and had to cut their budgets. Others have started to invest more in advertising and other marketing tools.
Of course, internet marketing has changed dramatically in recent years. Some tactics are gaining popularity while others have been on the market for a long time. We have collected the most relevant tricks that will surely help you reach your target audience – in this case, students.
Video Content Is The King
High-quality content attracts not only consumers but also search engines. It doesn’t matter if it is advertising or not.
Speaking of types of content, videos are no doubt more engaging than photos. According to surveys, 95% of consumers watch videos explaining the properties of the product as well as the capabilities of the service. This means that the placement of videos and the promotion on YouTube creates an additional interaction between customers and the company.
Videos allow businesses to:
-Tell the story – content based on personal experience is essential, as stories of victories and defeats strengthen the connection with the client;
-Explain the benefits of the product or service;
-Provide customers with something educational.
Interactivity
Youth likes content that is useful and entertaining at the same time. It must encourage action, so turn to quizzes, polls, slideshows, photo stories, as well as multi-format texts with infographics, videos, timelines. And don’t forget about challenges – all of them drive further engagement with the company.
Lots of students prefer to work as social media managers these days, but the job is often time-consuming and demanding. Luckily, one may always turn to an essay writing professional to manage it all. Indeed, outsourcing is a perfect way to combine school responsibilities and work tasks.
Multichannel Marketing
Young clients are conscious of their choices. They are weighing the pros and cons carefully before buying and choosing a particular company or brand.
They actively interact with each other, study comments and reviews and communicate with company representatives on social media. Therefore, building a brand reputation on all platforms is the key to a good position for a company in the market. Here are the main channels:
-SMM (social media marketing);
-SEO (website promotion in search engines);
-YouTube;
-Сommunication in thematic groups in messengers;
-Digital advertising.
It is necessary to be in touch with the audience at every stage of the user journey: send push notifications, mailings, publish posts on social networks, post articles on a blog and so on. All of these make it possible to lead users to purchase.
Influencers
Today, a brand is not only a company that provides services or products, but also its faces and ambassadors. For example, we associate Dior with Natalie Portman and Jennifer Lawrence, Chanel with Keira Knightley, Pepsi with Beyonce, and Clinique with Emilia Clarke.
Influencer marketing doesn’t lose its relevance: cooperation with bloggers and celebrities whom the audience trusts, brings its results.
Podcasts
Podcasts allow users to receive information in a convenient format, and brands – to increase awareness and convey the company’s values to the audience.
Unlike videos, it is convenient to get acquainted with podcasts in public transport, on the street, or while driving. Nowadays productivity and multitasking are of great importance, and it’s amazing that podcasts can be combined with other activities. They are also appreciated by those who like to listen to music through applications.
Native Ads
Advertising is considered native if there is no clingy “buy the product” in it and the information about the brand is presented so organically that it’s not irritating. In addition, this advertisement is useful for the reader thanks to its educational and informative features. It attracts with its value.
Making unique ads can help you reduce rejection and avoid banner blindness. In fact, the average user may not even understand that the material is sponsored. So, what are the native ad formats?
-The ones in the news feed, namely sponsored posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or videos on TikTok. It is typeset as regular content only marked with an advertising label. The secret is that a user sees the post while scrolling the feed, and doesn’t get annoyed by the ad;
-Recommendations. Have you ever noticed sponsored content in your “Read also” section? Here, branded materials are placed among other content that meets your tastes and preferences. This can be an interview, a step-by-step guide created with the participation of the brand;
-Branded content. A typical example is a sponsored helpful article that includes hidden ads. The form can be different from infographics, tests, videos to a series of photos.
A good native ad has practically no drawbacks. But the ability to create such an advertisement is a real skill. Make an effort to create something extraordinary, use storytelling, lists and ratings. Native advertising can be a breath of fresh air and we lack it so much on the banner-crowded internet.
Responsible Business
Today’s consumers are more aware of the environmental impact of their shopping habits than ever. People are trying to learn about the production of goods and their environmental friendliness.
Many brands have already taken a step towards greener policies to reduce their impact on the planet. However, social responsibility means not only being green. Clients no longer expect the brands to simply avoid harmful practices, they want them to make a real change and deal with injusticе.
Brands are becoming ethical in all of their business practices and use their resources to make a difference in the world. How? They protect the environment and reduce waste, use alternative sources of energy and biodegradable materials and fight poor working conditions for employees. Those who don’t are left behind as the modern generation chooses brands that align with their own values.
All in all, what a company does to change reality for the better may be more effective than product advertising.
In Conclusion
A huge bonus to customer loyalty is employee motivation. It goes without saying that the friendliness and professionalism of the employees are essential for excellent service. From the customer’s perspective, a poor employee attitude can be the number one factor for abandoning the brand.
Your employees are the face of the company, so make sure they want your business to be as successful as you do. This can be done by motivating them and ensuring they align with your brand’s mission. Achieving a high level of employee engagement is the first and most important step in improving the quality of service.
