Imagine you walk into a party. You know the host, and you've become quite close but know none of their friends. It is the first time to meet them, and you want to impress! You walk in and get a drink. You can't see the host, so you are standing alone. Someone approaches you, and you begin to chat. The person asks you about yourself, how you know the host and what you do. You speak about yourself, quite comfortable in this conversation. Yet. the person quickly moves away to another group. They don't invite you to meet others. Why?
The answers may lie in the same reasons some creative doesn't convert, no matter what media spend we place behind it. We may get some response, but conversion is far lower than expectations. The need for audience engagement and reaction is paramount. In our introduction above, we have neglected to engage our audience. Was it because we only spoke about ourselves? Did we forget to engage and ask questions back?
Psychologists and Counsellors work with clients to identify a problem and then create a roadmap to a solution. The top salesmen in the world would say the same thing about getting signatures on the dotted line. Tapping into the emotional triggers that drive your customers is fundamental to success.
Identifying your customers' problems and creating a solution to the challenge is the best way to deliver a creative message. Conversion numbers increase when this is followed through with decisive and relevant landing page content. It is the most straightforward way to engage and does not require overly creative messaging, just clear and simple recognition of the task at hand.
When we look at the best marketing campaigns of the past century, the proof is in the pudding. Taking the emphasis off the first person, the "we" in the equation, and redirecting it to an action back to the customers is where you need to sit. Our examples take the "talking at" position out of the communication and focus on the "listening to" elements of the problem and solution.
Empowering consumers to take action and consider their emotional connection to products and brands started with the Volkswagon Think Small campaign back in the late 1950s and then very similarly with Apple's Think Different campaign. Since then campaigns such as Nike's "Just do it" and the Old Spice campaign "The man, your man could smell like" connect the customer's emotional state directly to their respective product.
While this approach is relevant to all media campaigns, as the digital space becomes more and more cluttered, the need to reflect back, an understanding of your client's needs is paramount to campaign success. Changing a Headline such as "We Deliver Success" to "Deliver Success" is an insignificant change in text, yet a significant one in context, immediately changing the focus to an actionable event for the reader. When content further shows insight into the client's challenges and the way to deliver success, the impact is greater conversion.
As great believers in testing and learning, the ability for campaigns to A/B test creative and landing page content in the digital space has never been easier. We suggest you try it. It could be the difference between the success and failure of your next media campaign.
About the author
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Cath is Head of Strategy at MPA. A seasoned professional in marketing and media, Cath has worked across multiple Agencies and Clients from multinationals to start-ups