Marketing has changed more than almost any other profession in the last decade. The Internet explosion of the 90s coupled with the second wave of online innovation that included social media, blogging, online communities and mobile changed the rules for marketers.
The new game for brands and marketers is disruption.
However, disruption does not necessarily need to be radically over-the-top. Disruptive marketing can be accessible for any size or type of organization and for both B2B and B2C.
Let’s explore some ideas that are at the core of disruptive marketing strategies.
Quality
An estimated 172,800 blogs are added to the Internet every day. That’s a lot of content. Which blogs get noticed? Over time, it’s typically the ones that consistently produce and promote outstanding content. We tell our clients that content marketing is a long tail strategy that will pay off, but not overnight.
It comes down to quality, consistency and strategy.
Before any content is developed and shared, there must be a strategy. Key questions to ask are: What are the goals for developing quality content? What resources are available to develop it? Who are we targeting (our buyer personas)?
In order to develop targeted quality content, we implement our digital marketing process collaboratively with our clients. This process informs the development of an editorial calendar, a keyword and SEO strategy and a promotion strategy. We want to make sure we are developing content that resonates with the target customer and is optimized to be found.
According to a report by the Content Marketing Institute and Marketing Profs on B2B Content Marketing 2014 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends – North America, 58% of marketers plan to increase their content marketing budget over the next 12 months. And they are smart to do so. Content marketing can be disruptive if quality, consistency and strategy are at the heart of it.
Data
We love data over at Kalpana. Data – especially original data – is marketing gold.
Data visualizations are hot – from infographics to videos to interactives.
Producing quality (back to that again!) data visualizations require a process that involves research, brainstorming, concepting, prototyping, design and testing. However, the results of a quality data visual can be tremendous and help you to stand out in a sea of mediocre infographics.
Here is one of our all-time favorite data visuals produced by JESS3 and Brian Solis – The Conversation Prism.
Relevance
Relevance is trickier. Ideas and trends move fast.
We believe relevance does not necessarily mean chasing the latest fads.
It comes down to a brand’s alignment with the following factors:
- Connects to the emotional needs of its customers
- Is authentic to its brand in each and every move
- Tells a story that resonates with its audience
- Is innovative in its business model, product and processes
- Is truthful and always keeps its brand promise
- Has a distinct ethos that permeates internally and externally
Let’s put it in context and take a look at a less well-known brand, Cuyana, an online clothier.
Cuyana’s philosophy is “Fewer, better things,” which connects emotionally to the woman who wants a leaner closet of high quality items that will last.
Their website projects a unique and authentic ethos through its Cuyana philosophy video, copywriting, design and graphics.
They have an innovative business model that sells direct-to-customers. Their prices are reasonable, yet their products are high quality due to an innovative and efficient production and supply chain process.
They are truthful. Just order one of their leather totes. The craftsmanship and quality are superb and made to last (fewer, better totes!).
Mobile
We saved the best for last. Consumers are spending a lot of time on mobile. They are searching, purchasing, educating, checking-in, socializing, downloading, viewing… you get the idea.
Social media is nearing a tipping point, where over half of usage is via mobile devices.
What does this mean for disruptive marketing? It means your strategies for digital advertising, social media and content marketing need to be mobile.
The ubiquity of mobile means we should all be thinking about designing for the mobile experience.
We could write a lot more about mobile, but we’ll save that for another day… another blog…
We hope these ideas on disruptive marketing were interesting to you. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Drop us a line at greetings@kalpanamarketing.com.
This post was written by Brenda Bryan, MA, President of Kalpana Marketing.