Catalyst Marketing

Ignore the Hype: Why Great TV Ads Still Drive Sales

There is an undeniable trend toward advertisers and marketers changing their budget allocations to put more money into digital. And I think that makes good sense. But. I read a lot of content on LinkedIn and from marketing/advertising focused outlets and I’m starting to see another trend. Lots of extreme, sky-is-falling kinds of statements about the state of traditional advertising, especially TV. Headlines like “TV IS DEAD” or “ADVERTISERS PULL ALL TV DOLLARS IN FAVOR OF DIGITAL SPENDING” will get a lot of attention and clicks. But is it true? Is TV no longer a useful or, dare I say, an effective advertising medium?

I decided to do a little research and see what advertisers are saying. And I am not surprised to find that not only do advertisers still believe in the effectiveness of TV as a medium, but they know that the content itself (ahem, a great ad) is also still necessary in order to be effective.

Let’s unwrap that a bit.

Regarding TV as a medium, I found this study from Advertiser Perceptions that says that a survey of marketers and agency professionals involved in advertising and media decision-making still feel that TV has the biggest impact regardless of product vertical, region, or budget. Wow.

On to my second point. Great creative. I believe strongly that you can buy eyeballs but you can’t make ‘em look. What do I mean by that? I mean that you can buy the very best advertising space – say a billboard in Times Square, or a :60 Super Bowl spot. But if you don’t have a compelling story and even more compelling message, those dollars will be wasted because people want to be entertained. And once they’re entertained, they’re engaged. And in advertising’s case, they’re engaged with your brand.

Nielsen and Nielsen Catalina Solutions (NCS) did a study on this very subject. They found that of almost 500 CPG companies that ran advertising in 2016 and 2017, the stronger the creative (for non ad folks, this means the better the advertisement), the greater its contribution to sales lift. Reach (or size of audience reached) was considered to be a much lower contributor to sales lift. So, like I said, you can buy eyeballs in the form of reach, but you can’t make ‘em look without great creative.

By no means am I saying that people should not include digital ads in their media mix. It is an absolutely necessary part of an overall media plan. What I AM saying is, don’t completely cut out TV because you’re concerned about media waste. And don’t skimp on investing in a smart team to tell your brand’s story in a compelling and entertaining way. It will pay off.

You know that song, “make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold”? Sage advice. Who knew it even applies to the advertising industry?

4 Marketing Strategies for Innovative Homebuilder Marketers

Today’s savvy homebuyer is also an avid consumer of leading brands like Amazon, Netflix, and Instacart. These companies are changing the game for other customer-centric industries, like homebuilding.

Here are 4 marketing strategies to help you meet rising customer expectations:

1. Prioritize the Mobile Experience
   When a homebuyer is doing an online search for new homes, you want to be sure you’re showing up so you’re included in their consideration set. To reduce advertising costs long term, it’s important to augment your paid digital media plan with a sound SEO strategy. According to MRI Doublebase, 83% of homebuyers used Google in the last 30 days.Google is constantly updating its algorithm to better meet the needs of its users, so it’s no surprise that Google is starting to prioritize the mobile experience over the desktop experience when deciding whether to rank your site on page 1 of search results. According to Google, “mobile-first indexing means that Googlebot will start using the mobile version of websites for indexing and ranking, to better help (primarily mobile) users find what they’re looking for. Google’s crawling, indexing, and ranking systems have historically used the desktop version, which can cause issues for mobile searchers when the desktop version differs from the mobile version.”Look at your site critically and focus on updates that will enhance the mobile experience, such as compressing images to ensure faster page speed load times, simplifying the navigation to optimize clickstream paths and removing pages with “unuseful” content to reduce bounce rates.
2. Create Lead Magnets
   Not everyone who’s on the market for a new home is ready to buy immediately. The average home buyer spends an average of 10 weeks looking for a home before buying. In addition, they will typically view 10 homes. So, it’s important to stay top of mind by providing helpful content and resources, or a lead magnet. You can gate it and ask for contact information in exchange for giving homebuyers something of value.It is a more effective call to action than simply asking people to “join an interest list” or promoting an enter-to-win promotion that may attract unqualified buyers.Types of lead magnets:
   1.  Guide / Report
   2.  Toolkit / Resource List
   3.  Cheat Sheet
   4.  Video
   5.  Quiz / See Your ResultsMust-haves for lead magnets:
   1.  Specificity: solving a specific problem with a specific solution for a specific segment. It’s better to promise “One Big Thing” than a bunch of little things.
   2.  High perceived value and high actual value
   3.  Easily consumed

   Before you start developing lead magnets, consider the audience segments you are targeting. It’s important to segment your prospective buyers and identify common pain points and goals so the message has a greater likelihood of being more engaging.

3. Get Personal
   Thanks to Amazon, consumers are used to seeing products and offers based on prior purchase and browsing behavior. In the era of “if you like this, you may like that,” consumers and companies benefit from added convenience and incremental revenue, respectively.According to Accenture, 81% of consumers want brands to understand them better and know when and when not to approach them.A recent study shows:• Personalization drives impulse purchases: 49% of customers bought items they did not intend to buy due to a personalized recommendation from the brand they were doing business with. For homebuilders, think upgrades in the design center.

   • Personalization leads to increased revenue: 40% of U.S. consumers say they have purchased something more expensive than they planned to because of personalized service. For homebuilders, think bigger floorplan or bonus room option.

   • Personalization leads to fewer returns: Only 5% of impulse purchases (mentioned above) were returned, and 85 percent of impulse buyers were happy with what they bought. For homebuilders, this means fewer cancellations or revisions to sales contracts.

   • Personalization leads to loyalty: 44% percent of consumers say they will likely repeat after a personalized shopping experience. For homebuilders, a happy homebuyer can be your biggest advocate and invite friends and family to purchase from you.

4. Know What’s Working and What’s Not
   These days, it’s not enough to attract drive-by traffic to the sales office. Especially if the majority of those traffic units are lookie-loos and waste your sales person’s valuable time. Marketers are being held accountable to cost per acquisition metrics to justify marketing budgets.To further increase the return on your marketing investment, more sophisticated marketers implement technology that track and report analytics so they can measure conversion rates and cost-per’s by channel. In fact, CMOs estimate that in the next three years, analytics’ share of the marketing budget will triple to 17.3%. Technology that enables data gathering, consolidation and reporting is no longer a nice-to-have.Once you get a handle on what’s working and meeting your success benchmarks, deploy a test-and-learn plan to continually improve your metrics. Test new communication avenues, messaging, promotions, layouts, etc. Then, measure response and document outcomes. Applying new learnings to future initiatives will result in even better marketing performance.

Homebuilder marketers have an uphill climb. But by focusing on mobile, creating compelling assets, personalizing communications and implementing the right tools, you will have some of the foundational elements of a sound marketing plan.

If you want to learn more about how to improve your marketing to homebuyers, please contact us

How to Get 20% More From Your Agency

During my career I’ve had roles in corporate marketing departments and at advertising agencies. Switching back and forth has provided perspective into maximizing the agency-client relationship. There are absolutely “favorite” clients and fingers-crossed that I have been considered one. Here’s the secret recipe:

1. Prioritize Partnership

As an agency, there is nothing worse than being considered a “vendor” by a client. Vendors sell hot dogs. Agencies build relationships. And the best partnerships are created when a marketing agency is viewed as an extension of the your team. Share goals, strategies and business updates with your agency. This will keep them invested in your business and allow them to bring proactive ideas to the table.

2. Put Thought Into Requests

This is really about documenting your needs and requirements. So, write a brief, send an email or set up a call at the start of every project. Ensure that you have thought through the strategy, target audience, channels, priorities of communication, timing and budget ahead of time. Being organized before you start a project is going to increase success for everyone involved.

3. Give Constructive Feedback

Agencies want to make you happy. At Catalyst, we aim to delight you. However, it’s usually going to take a couple of rounds of work to get exactly what you want. Focus on explaining the problem without solving the problem. For example, let your agency know the logo needs to be more prominent, versus telling them to make the logo bigger. This is because the best solve could be adding a drop shadow or color change to the logo. You don’t know until the designer (or writer or planner) explores the request.

4. Make 80/20 “Urgent Requests”

When you raise your hand to work in advertising, you expect late nights and long hours. Crazy requests come up. But when every phone call is a fire drill, it’s easy to burn your agency out. The work will suffer and the best people will ask off of your business. When you have a project where you can control timing, stay on top of it. And ask for rushed work when you really need it – about 20% of the time.

5. Say Thanks

Yes, you are paying your agency and they work for you. But I can’t tell you how far a “thank-you” goes. I had one client send my team cookies for completing a near-impossible request. Another wrote a thank you note to the president of our company. These small gestures made everyone on the team work exponentially harder for these clients. Want to get 20% more from your agency? Be nice, say thanks and everything else is gravy.

The Power of Scarcity in Marketing and the Behavioral Economics Behind It

My first experience with “scarcity marketing” happened back in 1982 when I wanted a Cabbage Patch Kid for Christmas. I was one of the lucky ones but it was a close call… Since then, the sophistication of scarcity marketing has increased. But the behavioral economics have remained constant. When consumers feel like a product or service is only available for a limited time or in a limited quantity, it has a higher perceived value. And it’s this value – or fear of missing out (FOMO) – that ultimately drives the sale. Entire business models and brands, like Groupon and Zulily, have been built based on this understanding.

You don’t have to be a behemoth brand to leverage the psychology of scarcity. However, there are a few important considerations.

1. The Product or Service Being Sold

There are certain products you need to buy like toilet paper. And there are certain items you want to buy like the Black Cement Air Jordan 3 sneakers. In general, “wants” tend to be more self-expressive purchases, making it easier to tap into the psychology of scarcity. Experiences like vacations or dining also fall into the “want” bucket. Which is why tables during Restaurant Week are completely full weeks ahead of time.

Creating scarcity around the right SKU/service will also ensure success. There’s always demand for Four Roses. But would you like a bottle of 2017 Limited Edition Four Roses Small Batch instead? It’s only ten times more expensive than the every-day product.

2. The Offer

Limited Time? Or Limited Quantity? The type of offer you run should be grounded in your brand strategy and your marketing calendar. Limited time offers are perfect for seasonally relevant programs like those holiday drinks you-know-who serves from Oct. to Dec. On the other hand, limited quantity makes sense if inventory or resources are actually or artificially capped. Even with a quantity of 20,000 never-ending pasta-passes, Olive Garden sold out of the passes in one second.

A slightly different twist on limited quantity and collectability is executed by L.O.L. Surprise Dolls. There are plenty of “mystery” dolls to purchase – but the buyer doesn’t know if they are purchasing a popular doll or an ultra-rare doll. My daughter’s friend has over 50 of these but only a few are rare.

3. The Execution

An awareness driver of some sort must be used to create scarcity. This can be done via multiple mediums including public relations, traditional advertising or even social media. Grass roots efforts are another way to create awareness. You probably remember when Spotify launched their free service was available only by invite.

Finding a way to incorporate real-time numbers into your execution will also help with closure. Typically this is easiest to do in the digital space. Whether it’s the number of people viewing an offer, the quantity of product left or the time remaining on a deal, featuring the right number drives scarcity. Which is why Southwest lets you know that there are only 2 Wanna Get Away seats left to Cabo San Lucas.

As with any marketing tool, scarcity needs to be used wisely. Otherwise you may end up changing your consumers’ purchase behavior in an unwanted way. Like never ordering pizza or visiting a Bed, Bath & Beyond without a coupon.

Looking for ways to incorporate scarcity into your marketing plan? We’d love to help.

5 Tips for Trade Show Success

Considering attending a trade show? Don’t get lost in a sea of exhibits. Instead follow these simple tips so you stand out and maximize your investment.

1. Do Your Homework
   Did you know there are an estimated 50,000 exhibitions globally every year? Make sure you select the right show based on your sales and marketing goals. (And your budget.) Be sure to confirm that your key prospects will be in attendance and set up meetings with them 4-6 weeks in advance. If they’re not going, and they’re VIPs, consider buying them a ticket.
2. Set Show Goals
   For most companies, trade shows are more about networking than selling. However, that doesn’t mean you can overlook the importance of setting clear strategies, objectives and goals. An integral part of this process is gaining alignment with all the key stakeholders in your organization. Once you have established these measures for success, bake in tactics that help you ensure results. Like sponsoring an internal contest for those employees running the booth.
3. Design A Disruptive Booth
   Is everyone else zigging? Then you should look for a way to zag. Material, size, footprint and color are all ways your booth can stand out in a crowd. However, it’s critical to be smart about the booth design. The look and feel should always represent the brand and be “on equity” with any available marketing style-guides. Other elements, like interactive displays, can be incorporated into the booth to drive engagement and further disrupt at the show.
4. Create Buzz
   Do you ever power walk past the lifeless exhibits to get to the ones with all the people? Of course you do…everyone does. Be sure to be a busy booth by passing out a desirable and noticeable tchotchke. A person carrying around your giveaway advertises your booth at the convention. And when they take the promotional item home, it extends your brand’s reach even further. Raffling off a higher-end giveaway is a must-do for lead generation. And hosting an activity, like a putting challenge or happy hour, is a great way to drive engagement. Refreshments are also guaranteed to attract a crowd. Last but not least, look for ways to publicize your booth and its location in convention materials or in other relevant mediums.
5. Do Your Homework, Again
   The convention is over but the work is not done. It’s important to follow up on all leads generated at the show. It’s also important to measure success against the set strategies, objectives and goals. A key part of this evaluation is to identify opportunities for the next show.

Ready to plan your tradeshow? We’d love to help.

Why Taking Risks in Marketing is Anything But Risky

Marketing is one of those industries and professions that everyone thinks they can do. Similar to the naysayer art critic who walks into a Museum of Modern Art and proclaims “my three-year-old could do that” so goes the critique of any branding or marketing campaign.

The rub is, not everyone can do it well, and sometimes we all need encouragement – or the help of a consultant – to push that proverbial envelope.  In fact, in a crowded marketplace that experiences communication overload filled with audiences that are no longer captive… the ability to take risks in strategy and creative actually has become a requirement.

Terms like “playing it safe” “industry standard” or “tried and true” are expletives as far as we are concerned. All ideas may be good ideas in a brainstorm, but these are bad words that should never be uttered in Catalyst offices.

Doesn’t the saying go: “Well Behaved Marketers Seldom Make History?” (a quotation this hotly contested could be argued either way.)

So who do we look to for inspiration? The rule-benders, early-adopters, and the dance-to-your-own-beaters of course.

• Ludicrous ideas
  The marriage of brands and sports started back when Anheuser-Busch purchased the St. Louis Cardinals in 1953. Initially, the company experienced push-back from the league on the naming rights, but ended up opening the doors of Busch Stadium for the Cardinal’s 1954 season. Thus, opening the doors to billions of positive brand impressions and paving the way for naming rights as a lucrative – not ludicrous – marketing tactic.
• Pushing boundaries
  Ten years ago Dove challenged the world to redefine how it thought about beauty. YouTube had just become a thing, yet Dove’s video “Evolution” went viral and kick-started a wildly successful campaign spreading a social message.
• Adopting new technology
  Did you know that 50% of pizza sales today are ordered through apps? The pizza delivery industry has been hugely transformed by new technology and those who were quick to catch on were able to ride this wave of success.

The truth is, each of these bold moves was no doubt evaluated and tested, weighing out its risks and rewards. The difference is not only a new idea, but a willingness to put it all out there and trust that the data, the research, the knowledge that you have in your product or service will always win out… if we just do it. Listen to the old adage: “If you try, you risk failure. If you don’t, you ensure it.”

2017’s Top Marketing Trends

Every time you turn around, there’s something new in digital marketing. We have access to more tools than ever to learn about our prospects, reach out to them and offer them exactly the deal that’ll make them say yes. This year, we see technology continue to amplify smart marketers’ efforts.

Here are a few of the top marketing trends to study to make sure your brand’s a winner:

Automation

Marketing automation refers to an array of tools you can use to streamline your marketing process. About half of all brands are now using at least some automation in their marketing. This can include anything from drip email campaigns that start once an someone has shared their email address with you, to cookies and scripts that show different offers and dynamic content each time a shopper visits your site. As counterintuitive as it sounds, the more marketing you have automated, the more potential for you to personalize your shopper’s experience.

Influencer Marketing

A little more than nine out of every 10 people say that they trust recommendations that come from other people more than they trust a brand’s claims. And, that person does not have to be someone who they know personally; well-known online influencers can also bring you new clients. Research says people find influencers over 87% as trustworthy as they find friends and family (and 100% less likely to show up unannounced). Fifty-one percent of marketers say that influencers bring them better clients; this is because the relationship starts with the influencer, who is someone your prospect trusts.

Social Media Marketing

Wasn’t this the buzzword of 2012? Even if it was, it’s still an important trend in 2017. Some form of social media is used by about 2.3 billion people. And, 90% of those in that coveted 18 to 29 demographic use at least one network. Since a majority of people use social media in their purchasing decisions, it’s important for your brand to be present and engaged on the sites that your audience is likely to use. In the B2B realm, LinkedIn remains king. Facebook is the place to target Gen Xers and Boomers. The younger demographics tend to be found on Snapchat and Instagram.

SEO

While all the mavens once said that SEO is dead, she’s still got plenty of life in her. Around 93% of online experiences start with a search engine. This part is not likely to change soon. What is changing is what will get you to the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs). With new content, don’t worry so much about exact keywords. Search engines are smarter now and more focused on a searcher’s intent.

Mobile Video

Video’s been a big deal for a couple of years, but this is the year that you have to optimize for mobile video. As Snapchat started its meteoric growth back in 2015, they did something different: their video stories were set to run vertically on a mobile phone screen instead of making the user turn their phone on its side. With more and more people going online on their phones instead of their computers at home, successful marketers will present their content in the ways that these users like best.

Artificial Intelligence

This is the biggie. Artificial intelligence (AI) is hard to define, but for marketers it encompasses “automation, machine learning and optimization.” And it’s revolutionary. No one has quite mastered it yet, but there are some giants dropping serious cash on it to race ahead: Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google and Tesla. While none of these brand names are surprising leaders in this field, the potential for this movement  to change all brands is compelling. For those who are leery, this field will continue to evolve and improve. We see lots of potential for brands to use AI technology for customer service via chatbot, or for algorithms to forecast a shopper’s taste even before they shopper knows what they’re looking for. Keep your ears open for the best technologies, and be ready for when it’s time to capitalize on AI for your brand.

​It can feel exhausting to keep up with every marketing trend. The good news is that we self-proclaimed marketing nerds at Catalyst Marketing Agency live and breathe this stuff. Let us help you ensure that your brand is always at the cutting edge of what works and stays on top of the trends that will give you a competitive edge.

Every Marketing Team Needs Help – Here’s Where to Start

Every marketing team comes up short at some point. The industry is transforming so quickly that no team is really complete for very long. Maybe you’re missing someone who just gets how Snapchat intuitively fits for your brand, or perhaps you’re struggling to fill a new need with the number of full-time hires you have. But you can quickly bridge that gap, whether it’s temporary or on an ongoing basis. And we’ve got one easy trick that will help you do that: marketing outsourcing.

Signs You’re Ready to Outsource

While every marketing team is unique, these are common signs that indicate your team could use some help:

• Your team is logging extra hours to get things done
• You don’t have the right skills on your team
• Your business cannot grow until you grow capacity
• You feel like you can’t keep up with trends and changes
• You need extra assistance for a particular project
• You aren’t getting the results you want and think a fresh perspective can help
• You’re turning down new clients because you’re stretched too thin

If you identify with any of these, outsourcing can solve your problems.

How Marketing Outsourcing Can Help Your Team

If you have hesitations around the idea of outsourcing, just put them aside and listen to our case. When approached with the same care that you’d use for a new hire, outsourcing can immediately fill your need or skills gap and give your team a well-deserved break.

We know how dynamic the landscape is for marketers. Given that the only constant is change, does it make a lot of sense to devote precious time and resources to hiring to fill one specific gap, when the needs might shift in another six months? Wouldn’t it be smarter to access only the resources you need when you need them, without going over budget?

Outsourcing can infuse your marketing team with a fresh perspective, new skills, or exciting insights that allow everyone to perform at a higher level. Outsourcing offers you access to resources and professionals of varying skill levels. You can get the right skill you need or the perfect talent partner no matter your budget.

If this sounds good, take the next step today. Contact Catalyst to learn more about flexible marketing outsourcing opportunities.

How to Make Your Marketing More Human

Marketing, by definition, involves human interaction. One human strives to sell a product or service to another human, and marketing bridges the gap. But what happens when your marketing is as robotic as Westworld? You miss the marketing mark and end up back at square one as you revamp your efforts yet again. Let’s keep your marketing moving forward by changing your focus to create a human-centric campaign.

Cash or Character

The purpose of a marketing campaign is to make money for your business. That’s your bottom line. However, if you approach a potential customer and push your product on them, you can almost bank on their negative response. The problem occurs when marketing ignores the obvious: that humans have emotions and crave connections. We might be living in a world overtaken by technology, but at our core, we all want the same thing. Humans crave human experiences.

Human Era of Marketing

Take your consumer concept to the next level with the idea of the Human Era, which is filled with heart. Start by accepting that your customers want to do more than just buy your product. They want to buy into the meaning of your company. They want an authentic connection to your business. If they don’t agree with the mission or values of your company, then they are not going to support it financially. But how do you do this from your current marketing perspective?

• Develop customer empathy.
• Admit your company’s mistakes, as these inevitably occur.
• Sound and act like humans in marketing campaigns, going a step further to mimic your target consumer.
• Do not be boring. Be fun, energetic, fresh…be the cool company that everyone wants to work for or be a part of.
• Care about the fine details of your business, such as shipping complaints, social media trolling, product recalls, etc., with full attention.

​By taking these steps, you will build up your company to be a business that empowers its customers. You give your customers the ability to actually become your brand, which is the ultimate goal in Human Era marketing.

Your Denver Marketing Agency

​Not sure you are ready to take the next step in humanizing your marketing campaign? Consider marketing outsourcing with your leading Denver marketing agency. Contact Catalyst to jumpstart your human connection in marketing.