Leveraging the Interactivity of Social Media

Since the emergence of social media, communication between brands and consumers has changed.  Social media is the platform that gives consumers the power to take a story, image, or video and increase its reach tenfold.  It’s the platform for them to speak directly to the brands they love in real time and get a response.  It’s the platform for consumers to express their loyalty to a brand to their friends and family through shared posts and hashtags. 

Not all content leads to buzz-worthy sharing.  Many factors contribute to sharable content, even beyond the content itself.  The time of day, day of the week, length of post, and format (image, video, text) are all variables that impact how the content will be received.  When it comes to the content, the most sharable content is when it evokes certain emotions, like awe or anger.  Other viral content that is more interactive includes quizzes or lists.

Social platforms are also great for brands.  Marketers can engage their consumers with two-way dialogue.  They can use the social platform for crowdsourcing, taking consumer opinions and using the feedback to make improvements.  Consumers appreciate being heard and crowdsourcing is a great way for marketers to receive valuable insights from their customers.  Have you ever given feedback to a brand?  Chances are you only interact with brands you are passionate about and communicating with them through social media only makes the brand-consumer relationship stronger.

Advergames: Providing Valuable Content or Deceptive Brand Messaging?

Advergames are online games used to advertise products, brands, or organizations across a brand’s digital and social properties.  Over the last few years, marketers have explored the different ways to create content.  The phrase “content is king” is still alive and well as marketers have assumed the role of publisher, creating more than just brand messaging to communication with its audience.  Content has been created in the form of articles, images, and videos.  These formats can be engaged with, but don’t involve the same level of commitment as a game, which brings us to the advergame.  The average time spent with an advergame is 7– 30 minutes!  That is significantly longer than other forms of advertising and even native placements.  Why wouldn’t all brands create advergames to engage consumers and integrate some subtle brand messaging?  Here are some brands that have created advergames: Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, Lucky Charms, Sour Patch Kids, Starbucks, and Expedia.

Do you think advergames are a good form of content?  While I think most are harmless, some are subtly marketing unhealthy food to children.  Children spend about an hour each month playing advergames and are 77% more likely to visit pages with advergames and spend 88% more time on those sites.  The bright colors and entertaining images appeal to children, but they don’t understand that it is an advertisement.  Children are easily influenced by the things they see around them.  While the FCC has some restrictions on marketing to children that apply to traditional media, digital media regulations are less defined.  Some food companies have chosen to feature healthy foods in their advergames, but many still market unhealthy choices.  Does the product or brand in the advergame make a difference on whether or not you would want your child exposed to them?  Or are all advergames concerning for their ability to unsuspectingly advertise to children?           

Multi-Screen Viewing: Growth in Online Video

Over the last few years, marketing has evolved tremendously.   Traditional mass media has shifted to digital targeted media.  Although the way we communicate with brands has shifted, the essential elements of traditional media are still alive and thriving.  As of 2013, time spent with digital (including online and mobile) has surpassed time spent with TV, by just under 40 minutes.  Even so, the time we spend with TV is significant.  TV gives us the whole package- sight, sound, and motion.  We enjoy watching movies, TV shows, documentaries, news, sports, and special events on our large flat screen TVs.  As the increase in time spent with digital increases, we are no less interested in that same content, but are choosing to watch it elsewhere. 

Consumers are taking their video viewing online.  Time spent per day with digital video has increased over 800% in the last four years.  Consumers can purchase smart TVs, stream through devices like Apple TV or Roku, or access content through their cable provider on their laptops and smartphones.  Consumers are not only taking their traditional video needs online, but they are engaging with short-form video content as well.  YouTube is the second largest search engine and everyday over 100 million internet users watch an online video.  So what is important about this shift in video viewing for marketers?  That’s right, more ad opportunities.

Video ads see 3x higher CTRs than standard banner ads and usually appear in a less cluttered environment.  Video ads are accomplishing two advertising goals.  First, they generate awareness by reaching a large audience with a cost-effective CPM.  Second, they generate traffic at a higher rate than other digital ad formats.   Due to the increase in video advertising, ad views have spiked over the last year and will continue to grow.  As the industry evolves and content remains “king”, online video and video advertising is going to part a larger role in marketer’s budgets and digital strategies.   

360 Web Design

A brand website is usually the first place consumers go to learn more about a company.  While brands have many properties, such as social pages or blogs, a brand website is the most basic, yet complex marketing tool.  Consumers expect brands to have websites and they expect the site to reflect the same brand image as in-store and across other platforms.  Designing a website requires integrating many factors, from color selection to content models.  These days, it takes site visitors less than two-tenths of a second to form a first opinion about a site.  That means brands need to have a visually appealing site that will keep users engaged beyond that initial second. 

In order to build a quality, engaging site, marketers need to make the site visually appealing on the outside and functional on the inside.  Aspects of the site that are consumer facing include colors, fonts, format, images, and content.  Consumers need intuitive design and easy navigation.  They want to visit the site, engage, and leave without feeling frustrated.  When sites are too cluttered or have difficult navigation, it leaves consumers a negative opinion of the brand.

Websites not only have to be appealing to the consumer, but the backend design must be high quality as well.  For example, building a responsive site with SEO in mind is going to increase site visits.  Incorporating SEO at the start of a design will increase performance within search results, enabling more consumers to find the site.  Responsive design is a must as mobile and tablet adoption increases.  Responsive design allows the consumer to view the same content, formatted automatically for the best view across desktop, tablet, and mobile.

                Designing a site while considering both the front-end and back-end components will result in a quality, functional website.  The user experience is extremely important, but needs the back-end to function correctly as well so both parts can work together to deliver the best performance.   

Shift to Total Market Strategy: Integration over Segmentation

Marketing is most effective when the messaging, format, and device are targeted to the right audience, at the right time, on the right platform.  The shift from traditional media to digital media generated a shift from mass media to targeted media.  Mass media had one message and pushed it out to the general market.  Digital (and emerging media) allows for more relevant, targeted messaging.  While the evolution of digital devices has transformed the ways brands communicate, the audience is transforming as well.

                Based on the US census, racial and ethnic minorities make up about half of children under the age of five.  Within the next five years, it’s projected that minorities will make up more than half of children under eighteen.  This rapid expansion of minorities is signaling to brands to reanalyze marketing strategies and rethink communications.

                Multicultural marketing is a buzz word that is popping up in every marketer’s boardroom.  Previously, multicultural marketing has been an afterthought or a separate initiative during key time periods, such as Black History Month or Hispanic Heritage Month.  With the shift in population growth, marketers can’t ignore the demographic trends any longer if they wish to be successful.  Rather than an afterthought or a separate, isolated initiative, multicultural marketing needs to be built into all aspects of everything a marketer does.  It’s projected that by 2043, minorities will become the majority in the US.  In order to have a total market strategy, marketers need to develop integrated marketing strategies, strategically targeted to market segments.

Shopping: Where In-Store and Online Collide

Emerging media broadly categorizes new and evolving media, usually driven by advances in technology.  While mobile devices are no longer new, they are a platform that allows for new media to emerge.  Think about some of our most common activities, such as social networking, taking pictures, checking in at our favorite locations, or shopping.  Mobile devices have made these activities easier, more convenient, and has created additional value to them. 

Let’s take a detailed look at shopping.  Mobile devices have impacted the way consumers shop in a variety of ways.  First, mobile proximity payments are starting to take off.  It’s convenient to pay for your coffee and bagel with a swipe of your phone.  No credit card, paper slips, or cash required.  Business Insider Intelligence estimates that mobile proximity payments will increase from $1.8 billion in 2013 to $190 billion in 2018.  This could allow for brands to instantly include coupons or additional communications with your digital receipt.  The phone can easily load gift card points and store order preferences. 

Next, mobile phones have proved to be vital when shopping in-store.  Many retailers have mobile

apps, but the new trend is to include in-store mode, which leverages the phone’s location technology to provide relevant information based on where they are inside a store.  Rather than needing to seek a sales person’s assistance, shoppers can reference an in-store map to determine where they are in the store.  It can also include sale items or offer coupons.  Users with in-store mode are twice as likely to use a retailer’s app and engage with a marketer.

Lastly, mobile devices are used for price comparisons and mobile purchases.  While in a store, consumers use mobile devices to shop other stores with similar products.  Mobile purchases are also on the rise as consumers get more comfortable shopping on mobile devices.  Overall, mobile is just one device, but has a great impact on how consumers think about shopping.  Since our mobile devices are always on us, marketers are leveraging technology in order to create a better brand experience with consumers.   

ModCloth’s Engagement Strategy Analysis

             ModCloth is an online clothing, accessories, and décor retailer.  It was founded by two high school sweethearts and built on a foundation of love for vintage and retro style.  In just a few short years, ModCloth has grown from a college dorm operation to a 300 employee business with offices in three cities.  Growing in popularity among women 18-34 and being an online-only retail vendor, ModCloth does everything online.  From internal web analytics to social media to digital advertising, ModCloth has an integrated online strategy.  The next few paragraphs will explore which analytics and social platforms are used, as well as how the data collected is put into action.

Gathering Information

            ModCloth gathers customer information in many ways.  First, ModCloth collects information provided by the customer.  This includes name, email, phone number, shipping address, billing information, and payment details.  This information is provided when making a purchase.  Related to purchases, ModCloth also stores purchase history, shopping behaviors and preferences, and membership information. Additional information could include location or geography through the mobile application, reviews on products, or social media interactions made through the ModCloth site.

              Second, ModCloth collects data through third-party tools, including Omniture Site Catalyst, Quantcast, and Google Analytics (ModCloth, 2013).  These tools automatically collect non-personally identifiable information from browsers based on cookies.  Information collected includes IP address, pages viewed, site navigation patterns, devices used, and geo-location information. 

            Omniture and Google Analytics are both web analytics tools that measure web site performance, such as visitors, traffic sources, devices, conversions, and much more.  The main difference between the two is that Omniture is an engine-independent paid service, with dedicated support.  Google Analytics is free, but is associated with Google and does not provide dedicated support (Yu, 2010).  Quantcast is a tool that measures audience and traffic data across millions of websites.  This tool is free and can be used by marketers to view data on their own website or to analyze competitor websites.  Below is an example of the demographic overview for LinkedIn.  Since ModCloth has their site monitored by Quantcast, they can (and have) chosen to hide their directly measured profile audience data from public view.

            Through these tools, ModCloth can monitor visitor traffic, audience demographics, devices used, as well as sales and conversion data on the site.  In addition to sales, ModCloth has many desired actions for their customers.  Actions include writing a product review, sharing products or purchases through social channels, and posting on the ModCloth blog.  Collecting this information provides ModCloth with valuable user behavior and preferences that can be used to improve performance.  All user and website data collected is used to improve the customer experience and ultimately increase engagement and sales.

Measuring Engagement

            ModCloth’s guarantee is to provide the best possible online shopping experience.  They have strived to create a community around their brand and have many touch points and opportunities for engagement.  They also pride themselves on their dedicated customer service.  Measuring engagement is measuring success for ModCloth.

            ModCloth allows its customers to reach out through multiple channels, including a unique twitter handle (@ModCloth_Care ) and two online chat channels, one for customer service and one for fashion style questions (ModCloth, 2013).  Both Google Analytics and Omniture report traffic to each of these webpages and monthly data can show if inquiries are increasing or decreasing over time.  Reviewing the details of these questions can bring popular issues to light, which can then be incorporated in the FAQ section of the site, decreasing the number of customer service requests.

            In a marketing blog, Kate Morris (2012) writes “they have great products, even better customer service, and their community really is what makes their business” (para. 2).  One of the things she included that sets ModCloth apart is its surveys.  Below is an example of a survey given to someone shopping on the site.  Rather than a boring questionnaire, it is simply a “which would you choose” fashion question.  ModCloth collects these user preferences and uses them to purchase new items.  What better way to find out what people want to buy?

            Another way ModCloth encourages and tracks engagement on their site is through the “Be the Buyer” program.  This program encourages users to browse sample styles and vote on the ones they would like to see sewn and sold at ModCloth.  Then users can browse items actually created through the program as well as items coming soon.  ModCloth uses this data to select which items it will buy and sell.  Through analytics, ModCloth can see engagement metrics and use those to optimize the experience.   

            ModCloth’s site is extremely integrated with social media.  Every product page includes the ability to share through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or email.  ModCloth has even launched its own in-house Pinterest page.  Called “Style Gallery”, users can upload photos of themselves wearing or styling their purchases.  According to ModCloth cofounder, Susan Koger, “This is the place where she comes to buy stuff but also to be part of the community and feel part of the brand” (Gannes, 2012).  Building an online community around the brand is an important goal for ModCloth.  Measuring the traffic, time spent, pages per visit, and percentage of new visits through Omniture and Google Analytics can provide insight on how engaged users are with the site, and which pages are most engaging.

            According to ModCloth’s Social Media Manager, Natasha Khan, the three main social objectives are brand awareness, brand loyalty, and increased traffic to the site.  In terms of return on investment, she states “We measure brand awareness with virality and reach metrics; we measure brand loyalty with engagement and customer care metrics; and we measure traffic to ModCloth.com through tagging and tracking of links using Google Analytics” (Loomba, 2012).

            Overall, ModCloth uses multiple web analytics tools to measure website performance, audience data, and engagement metrics.  Using these tools, ModCloth optimizes its clothing and accessory collection, enhances its social media interactions, and increases engagement.  The data ModCloth collects varies from customer purchase information to browsing behavior and buying preferences.  This information helps to paint a more complete picture of the ModCloth customer and helps ModCloth customize its site to improve the customer experience.

            Since ModCloth looks at multiple pages for engagement metrics and has many social extensions, the Google Analytics application Ducksboard would be a helpful tool to combine all that data in an easy to read, high level dashboard.  Below is an example of the dashboard.  Ducksboard can integrate site performance, social media, customer service, conversion rates, and more through its customizable platform (Ducksboard, 2013).  This tool puts actionable data at a glance to quickly implement optimizations.

References

Ducksboard. (2013). Retrieved from http://ducksboard.com/

Gannes, L. (2012, November 19). ModCloth launches an in-house Pinterest. AllThingsD. Retrieved from http://allthingsd.com/20121119/modcloth-launches-an-in-house-pinterest/

Loomba, A. (2012, August 15). Exclusive interview with ModCloth’s social media team. Thoroughly Modern Marketing. Retrieved from http://www.thoroughlymodernmarketing.com/exclusive-interview-with-modcloths-social-media-team/

ModCloth. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.modcloth.com/help/privacy

Morris, K. (2012, August 28). Positive Outing: Review of ModCloth. Distilled [Blog]. Retrieved from http://www.distilled.net/blog/marketing/positive-outing-review-of-modcloth/

Yu, D. (2010, May 26). Google Analytics vs. Omniture: Independent analysis. AimClear [Blog]. Retrieved from http://www.aimclearblog.com/2010/05/26/blitzlocal%E2%80%99s-dennis-yu-on-google-analytics-vs-omniture/