Are you feeling invisible in your market? Are your social posts getting buried in newsfeeds? In today’s crowded field, it can be difficult to stand out among your competitors. Capturing the attention of your target audience is not always easy, but there are new opportunities to increase brand awareness and be seen before your competitors.
With decades of experience spanning multiple marketing specialties including integrated strategies, digital, public relations and trade show and event marketing, our team members share some knowledge you can apply today. Whether you are trying to boost your followers on social media or creating enlightened content to educate your audience, here are eight clever ways to grab viewers’ attention and increase your visibility in the marketplace.
Earn Their Attention
Time is valuable. To keep a viewer’s attention, content must be worthy of their valuable time and effort. How do you do that? Take a deeper look at what your audience cares about by asking yourself: What is important to my clients? What are their problems? What will make their lives easier? What will make them smile?
Try this content shortcut:
- Think of a question your customer might have.
- Type your question into a search engine.
- Look at the search results and figure out how to answer the questions more specifically for your customers, in a more engaging or understandable manner.
- Start crafting your content by determining how to answer this question completely. Do you need a chart or diagram or video? Do users need step-by-step actions to change a certain type of battery? A YouTube video?
- Remember to use relevant search keywords.
Social media
Make your social media posts so inspired that viewers MUST reshare them. Dare to be different and creative with your posts. Think of out-of-the-box content ideas, such as giveaways, trivia questions or polls. Have other team members like or share company posts to get more reach. In general, amping up your pace on social media will provide more reach. Aim to post two to three times per week by offering a mix of photos, videos, industry articles and graphics.
Trade Shows & Events
It is one thing to attend or exhibit at industry events, but are you also promoting your participation on social? Promote your attendance or booth with a pre-show eblast and post at least a month in advance. Get a photo of the booth at the show, along with working shots during the event. Shoot some live video or interviews of your team. If you are just walking the tradeshow, snap some photos of event signage, speaker presentations to show that you are a thought leader and ‘in the know’ of industry trends.
Dynamic Visuals
The old adage of “a picture is worth a thousand words” continues to hold true in today’s digital world. Make sure you use lots of photos of smiling faces. People first become engaged through the people that represent the company. Everyone responds positively to a smile — they are proven to boost social bonds, which is exactly what you want to achieve through your messaging.
Photos
Remember to snap photos. A good photo increases engagements and grabs the viewer’s eye. Whether you are attending an event or simply see something going on around the office that is interesting — grab your camera and take a picture!
Videos
Quality video grabs the eye and is always engaging. It can be used in a variety of ways to tell an intriguing story. Have you joined the trend of subject matter expert (SME) question/answer videos? These videos deliver excellent ways to showcase your company and present yourself as a thought leader amongst your competitors.
Interaction With Your Customers
It is very easy to hide behind a computer by sending endless amounts of emails throughout the day. Customer interaction goes beyond a basic email. Remember to follow up with your clients, whether it is by phone or a face-to-face meeting. Stay active and engaged on social media by interacting with followers through comments or likes. Attend industry events to network among fellow professionals.
Add a Personal Touch
In today’s digital world, making your emails creative is imperative. Adding a personal touch – whether it is the viewer’s name or personalizing the copy with information on your company — can enhance your content and make the reader feel engaged. Try using LinkedIn to send personalized videos to prospects using https://www.loom.com
Stay Engaged
Pull your audience in and make them want to click, view, comment and share. Make your social media posts so inspired that viewers MUST reshare them. How do you do that? Know your audience. Think about what they want, not what you want to push. Commit to growing your audience by trying different styles of posts and visuals.
Keep Up-to-Date
Stay on top of industry standards and ahead of your competitors. If your competitor is gathering hundreds of followers on social media — don’t you want to do the same? Complete a regular market analysis to see what others are talking about. What are the latest trends in your market? What ideas can you create to stay ahead of the curve?
Don’t Forget Direct Mail
Direct mail offers endless creative possibilities and high response rates. Emails may offer only one line to get you to click, while direct mail uses size, textures, even smell — the sky is the limit! Utilizing creative mailers, such as a board mailer, hot sauce or even a whoopie cushion, can be a highly effective way to break through the clutter.
Thanks to these team members for sharing their ideas:Megan Schreckenbach, Kristy Bonner, Kelsey Whitmeyer, Anna Scordos-Brooke, George Foster, Ashlee Wykoff and Katie Muck