The Evolution of Marketing Strategy: Embracing New Platforms and Data-Driven Insights
Amidst the kaleidoscope of marketing changes and rising competition, businesses must wield their visionary lens to unlock the doorways to success. As new platforms like Threads and TikTok gain prominence, marketers face the challenge of evolving their strategies to optimise the full potential of these emerging channels. Let’s delve into the evolving world of marketing and explore how businesses can transform by embracing data-driven strategies, while using the very insightful and thought-provoking Harvard Business Review editorial as a reference.
The Changing Face of Marketing Strategy:
Traditional marketing strategies centred around print ads, television and radio campaigns, but today’s digital age has ushered in a new era. With the widespread adoption of social media platforms, content marketing and influencer partnerships, businesses must adapt their strategies to meet the evolving demands of consumers.
In the Harvard Business Review editorial, experts highlighted the need for marketers to embrace change and innovate continuously to stay relevant in the highly competitive marketplace. The integration of Threads and TikTok into marketing strategies reflects this dynamic shift, as brands seek to reach and engage with younger, tech-savvy audiences.
Embracing New Platforms: Threads and TikTok
- Threads: The Rise of Private Social Media
Over the years, Instagram has witnessed a surge in popularity, offering marketers an incredible platform to captivate their audience. With features like the Instagram story viewer, Instagram reel downloader, and more, it’s a goldmine for creative marketing opportunities. Threads, a new private messaging app developed by Instagram, presents an opportunity for businesses to tap into the rising popularity of private social media interactions. Brands can leverage Threads to forge more intimate connections with customers, leading to increased brand loyalty and customer retention.
As noted in the Harvard Business Review editorial, private messaging platforms offer a personalised space for businesses to communicate directly with their audience. By creating exclusive content and tailored promotions, marketers can create a sense of exclusivity and belonging among customers, fostering a stronger brand community.
- TikTok: The Power of Short-Form Video
TikTok trends’ explosive growth has revolutionised content consumption, with short-form TikTok videos becoming a dominant force in marketing strategies. Brands that embrace TikTok’s vibrant and creative community can capitalise on viral trends and challenges to gain significant visibility.
The editorial highlights the importance of authenticity and relatability on TikTok. By creating engaging and entertaining content that resonates with the platform’s audience, businesses can tap into the potential of this emerging platform to enhance brand awareness and drive organic reach.
The Data-Driven Advantage: Leveraging Insights for Effectiveness
Data-driven insights have become an indispensable component of modern marketing strategies. The Harvard Business Review editorial emphasises the significance of leveraging data analytics to understand customer behaviour, preferences and pain points.
By analysing data from various sources, including social media engagements, website traffic and customer feedback, businesses can gain valuable insights into their target audience. These insights fuel the development of targeted marketing campaigns, ensuring that businesses reach the right audience with the right message at the right time.
Adapting to the Changing Landscape: A Holistic Approach
- Integrating New Platforms: Seamless Omnichannel Marketing
The integration of Threads and TikTok should complement existing marketing efforts rather than stand-alone initiatives. Businesses must adopt an omnichannel marketing approach to create a cohesive brand presence across multiple platforms.
As the editorial points out, an omnichannel strategy ensures consistent messaging and a seamless customer experience. By combining Threads and TikTok with other social media platforms and traditional marketing channels, businesses can maximise their reach and impact.
- Storytelling and Authenticity: Building Emotional Connections
In the age of digital marketing strategies, storytelling and authenticity are paramount. The Harvard Business Review editorial underscores the importance of crafting narratives that resonate with the audience on an emotional level.
Businesses should leverage Threads and TikTok to share authentic stories that reflect their brand values and mission. By creating relatable and emotionally compelling content, marketers can build stronger connections with consumers and drive brand loyalty.
If businesses start to integrate new platforms with a holistic omnichannel approach and leverage storytelling and authenticity, they can truly grow in the dynamic and competitive marketing landscape. With this new approach, they can make the most of the changing trends, get to learn and grow as adaptable marketers. As the Harvard Business Review editorial suggests, a proactive mindset and innovative strategies will empower marketers to stay ahead of the curve and deliver exceptional results.
Unlocking the Power of TikTok Advertising: Strategies for Small Businesses
TikTok has exploded in popularity in recent years, emerging as one of the fastest-growing social media platforms with one billion active users worldwide. Initially popular among younger demographics, the platform’s unique approach to content creation and sharing has captured the attention of people of all ages, making it a valuable marketing tool for small businesses.Read more
TikTok: This content marketing strategy will blow your mind
TikTok is a well-known social media app that enables users to create, watch, and share 15-second videos captured using mobile devices or webcams. The app is renowned for its highly engaging user base and addictive nature because of its customized feeds of amusing short films set to music and sound effects.
10 Marketing Strategies You Need in 2022
Over recent years there has been a significant change in the way we promote a business and how we leverage marketing to drive sales and generate leads. Digital marketing in particular is now in full swing and has accelerated with the pandemic and recent advancement of technology. It’s critical that your business not only plans its marketing for 2022 but develops an implementation plan to ensure every marketing strategy and tactic is followed through in order to reach both short-term and long-term business objectives.
If you’re looking to enhance your marketing, improve brand awareness and amplify your brand, here are 10 marketing strategies your business needs in 2022. Read more
How TikTok has Become the Number One Social Media Platform with Coronavirus
Amid the social distancing guidelines brought upon by the spread of Coronavirus, celebrities have taken to TikTok to share how they are passing time in quarantine. TikTok has become the new hub for stars and organisations to connect with fans and spread awareness on the pandemic.
Lebron James performing a dance on TikTok
The current international lockdown protocols have given rise to a new form of content on social media. #quarantine. The #quarantine hashtag has racked up over 2 million posts on Instagram and is made up of videos and images sharing how people are living through these stringent safety measures. From memes to at-home workouts, this form of content is flooding all social-media platforms. Despite the traction #quarantine is gaining on Instagram, TikTok is still dwarfing these figures, reaching well over 2 billion views for this exact category.
Fitness influencer Demi Bagby posted a video to TikTok with the #quarantine hashtag
Why TikTok?
TikTok is a social-media application commonly used by teens and Generation Z’s to share short-form videos. With the ease of editing, coupled with a large database of music and filters, TikTok has developed a platform for creators to share content in a way which is far easier and quicker than other platforms. The simplicity of developing quality content on TikTok allows celebrities and influencers to branch out to new and younger audiences, which is why it is becoming the preferred platform during this crisis period. The option to embed and share TikTok’s to other social media platforms gives creators more reason to use TikTok. It is not uncommon for celebrities to initially create and post their content to TikTok and then share it to their larger following on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. It is the creative accessibility of TikTok, in conjunction with the ability to share to other social media platforms which grants celebrities and organisations with the immense reach they are achieving.
Courteney Cox sharing her TikTok to her 9m followers on Instagram
TikTok during the Coronavirus Crisis
With social distancing becoming the norm for most people, celebrities are turning to TikTok to share best practices, dances and light-hearted comedic content. Many are posting short clips demonstrating social distancing and urging others encourage others to follow their lead. Gloria Gaynor, for example, shared a 20 second clip washing her hands to her 1978 hit ‘I Will Survive”, with the caption “It only takes :20 seconds to SURVIVE”.
Gloria Gaynor sharing handwashing tips to her single ‘I Will Survive’
Users of TikTok are not only limited to teenagers and celebrities. Many companies are using TikTok to build brand awareness though engaging younger audiences with creative and quirky videos. However, during the Coronavirus outbreak, organisations including the NBA have used TikTok as a platform to show fans how each player is individually dealing with the social isolation restrictions.
Organisations including WHO and NBA are using TikTok to encourage social distancing
Similarly, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has also taken to TikTok to share best practices, by launching the ‘Safe Hands Challenge’. With over 1.6 billion views, #safehands encourages users to post 40 second clips showing what they are thinking while washing their hands. TikTok’s reach to an entirely new audience allows organisations to share preventative methods that can slow the spread of the epidemic. Posts with the hashtags #coronavirus will automatically include a notice from Health Authorities with updated information.
TikTok has been widely used by celebrities and organisations during the last few weeks as a platform to share best practices, their experiences with social isolation, or just light-hearted dances. The ease of content creation and sharing ability has shown TikTok to be the most effective platform to get content across to a large audience during this period.
The Dramatic Rise of TikTok Marketing
Since acquiring and merging with Musical.ly in 2017, TikTok, and its censored Chinese equivalent Douyin, have been downloaded more than 1.5 billion times.
TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to upload short video clips of between 5 and 60 seconds. It is characterised by challenges that often become viral, spreading to other social media networks.
With TikTok alone boasting 500 million active users spending an average of 52 minutes per day on the app, it’s clear that marketers cannot afford to miss this opportunity.
Here are some examples of how brands have utilised the platform so far:
Participating in existing challenges
Trendjacking isn’t new or unique to TikTok and is perhaps the least effective method for achieving a brand’s ultimate marketing goals on the platform. However, it does assist with building an initial following, thus leading to:
Creating sponsored challenges
US clothing brand Guess is one of the only fashion retailers on the app, acquiring 38,000 followers off seven videos before launching their own #inmydenim challenge in late 2018. All in all total videos featuring the hashtag were viewed over 40 million times.
Partnering with influencers
TikTok’s most followed user, Loren Gray, boasts nearly 40 million followers of her own, and the platform is home to 22 accounts with more than 20 million followers.
When cosmetic brands eos, NARS and e.l.f. launched their combined ‘Eyes. Lips. Face.’ campaign they partnered with users such as Charli D’Amelio, number three on TikTok’s most followed. Ultimately resulting in more than four billion total views.
Overall the platform that TikTok provides is crucial to reaching Generation Z, of which 82% skip ads and more than half utilise ad-blocking software. Anti-marketing, less invasive strategies is the best way to reach this demographic. Brands need to create a sense of community and generate content adapted to suit this specific audience.
A successful example of this is the National Basketball Association (NBA) which has segmented their offerings. Match highlights on Instagram, news on Twitter, and comedy, memes and motivation on TikTok. This strategy resulted in their account gaining nearly 10 million followers, the most for a non media and entertainment or technology brand.
B2B Enterprise And The Early Adoption of TikTok App
TikTok! No…we’re not talking about a clock. TikTok is the world’s fastest-growing social media platform and its numbers are staggering. 500 million users and 1.2 billion downloads make the app ripe for user engagement. However, is it possible for the B2B ventures to adopt this TikTok? Let’s see how they can tackle this Gen-Z app.