By: Stacey Furtado
Monday:
- The quote: “Marketers who don’t follow the lead of their customers and put in place a strategy to bridge the in-store experience with digital will soon find they’re losing business to the savvier competition, according to Pete Stein, CEO of Razorfish.” Giselle Abramovich – (CMO.com)
- Why it matters: Consumers are no longer just using their computers to influence purchases prior to shopping, they are using their mobile phones while shopping. With smart retailers working hard to tie together a seamless digital and in-store experience, Facebook is taking note. According to its Q1 earnings call, mobile ads now account for 59% of the social network’s ad sales. With mobile-only users doubling from last year at 341 million, there’s plenty of reason why. Look for more brands to move towards mobile ads on Facebook in Q3 and Q4 this year, especially retail brands.
Tuesday:
- The quote: “A Ladies’ Home Journal study found that female shoppers value peer opinions over any kind of paid placement—and the vast majority of those surveyed said the experience of someone they knew directly led to a purchase decision.” – Melissa Hoffmann (AdWeek)
- Why it matters: Given the purchasing power of women, this study on their word of mouth tendencies is an extremely informative read. With so many inspiring new companies blossoming utilizing the word of mouth power of female consumers, it’s time more brands start listening and investing in them.
Wednesday:
- The quote: “As an example, Julie Bornstein, CMO at Sephora, has seen social media change how people buy beauty products. Recommendations from friends have always been important, but now these recommendations spread “quicker, faster, and further” at every stage in the funnel. The decision on what to buy increasingly comes from advocates who share their experience in a way that pulls in new customers and informs their purchase decision. Sephora’s response has been to bring all the stages of the funnel together into a single place, creating its own online community where people can ask questions of experts and each other about brands, products, and techniques.” – Mark Bonchek & Cara France (Harvard Business Journal)
- Why it matters: This approach from Sephora is what the best social brands are doing. Digital communities, whether through owned channels like brand websites or social networks like Facebook and Pinterest, should function as a party of a brand’s ecosystem. With each adding its own piece, these digital assets can create a community that is both useful for customers and informative for the brand. Social Marketing won’t ever be an exact science, but companies like Sephora that are willing to be early adopters always seem to come out on top.
Thursday:
- The quote: “A women’s luxury fashion brand wants to raise awareness for the products it sells in-store. A marketer can use Audience Insights to find how many people on Facebook live near these stores, as well as their interests, their past purchase behavior, and how they tend to shop (online vs. offline).” – Emil Protalinski (The Next Web)
- Why it matters: Facebook launched the much-anticipated Audience Insights this week. The platform, available within Ads Manager, gives insights on demographics, page likes, location, language, Facebook Usage and Facebook Activity. Focusing on trends across the site rather than interactions on a given page (like Page Insights), the new feature focuses on aggregate data instead of the individual information of brand fans. This will allow advertisers to more easily bucket categories for their campaigns that can later inform segments that help them better understand who their fans are.
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Friday:
- The quote: “Reading fits squarely with Warby Parker’s brand. Before the recent glasses comeback, eyewear was associated with book-loving dorks. From its beginnings, Warby Parker has taken advantage of that connection, finding inspiration from literature and using it as the connective thread in its marketing.” – Rebecca Greenfield (Fast Company)
- Why it matters: I’m a big Warby Parker fan and this is a perfect example of why. While other companies are out there creating extensive employee advocacy programs, Warby Parker is busy on the other side of the wall actually building a brand its employees are proud of and are active participants in. Along the way, its consumers became advocates, too. This is a great read about how a small thing like a book club turned into a partnership with some pretty cool companies like MsSweeney’s and built an open and encouraging environment for its people.
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