The Worst Advice We’ve Ever Heard About Digital Media Strategy
By Emily Kalen, Media Manager at Carrot
Let’s face it, when it comes to a digital media strategy, it can be hard to know where to turn. There are so many platforms, ways to buy media and advertisers competing for limited attention. To make things even more complicated, platform and channel offerings are evolving at the speed of light.
One thing we can all agree on is that earned media doesn’t always cut it and breaking through the noise into the hearts and minds of consumers is a daunting task. So before betting the farm on the paid media strategy meant to bring your brand to the next level, keep these things in mind. In this article, we talk about some of the worst advice we’ve ever heard about paid media, and give our take on how to pivot and make these strategies better.
Bad Advice #1: “More is more.”
Not always. When it comes to media buying, it might feel like big advertisers have all the fun. Who wouldn’t want millions of dollars to spend on advertising every month? For most brands, advertising budgets are finite and need to work hard to justify future investments. The good news is that interesting campaigns can be built at any investment level, and making an impact isn’t driven by scale alone.
Better advice: Decide what objectives really matter. Is reaching 50% of women 18–34 what matters most for your brand? Consider alternative measures of success. Digital media allows us to analyze many other things like consumer sentiment, time spent with content, or even lift in foot traffic. Being critical and really pressing on what objectives to push (and when) will help refine your paid media strategies.
Bad Advice #2: “Figure out what works, and keep doing that!”
The saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is inherently resistant to change. Neglecting the need to try new things and experiment with new methods creates a sea of sameness and stifles growth. Take clickbait for example. We all know what headlines and keywords grab people’s attention, but we all know this is low-hanging fruit. There’s no chance of standing out when you play by the rules.
Better advice: Don’t ignore what works, but testing and learning is a crucial process. Change is good, challenging yourself is healthy, and finding what doesn’t work for your brand can be just as insightful as what does work for your brand. Try new platforms, new ad products, and new ways of thinking. Get used to investing in these tests because they are necessary to keep up.
Bad Advice #3: “Base your target audience off the existing consumer profile.”
Most brands can easily describe a demographic that they feel describes their customer base. Knowing your consumer through and through is part of marketing 101, but can easily become one-dimensional. It’s easy to say your consumer is male or female, a millennial or a baby boomer, a parent or a student — but often, there is a lot more to the story.
Better advice: Target media based on mindsets. Start with your basic consumer, then figure out how to time your outreach to them to make maximum impact. In digital, we have the luxury of hundreds of touchpoints with consumers. The time of day, day of week, or channel you reach them on all play into the mindset your ideal consumer is in. Think harder about why your consumer does what they do, and translate that into a digital environment.
Bad Advice #4: “Repurpose it on a new channel.”
We know, we know. We’re all guilty of repurposing content here and there. Creating completely new assets is a massive undertaking, but when the opportunity arises, take it. Radio isn’t a podcast, TV isn’t mobile, print isn’t social. Using content made for other channels in digital environments can seem flat at its best, and in worse cases, make your brand seem out of touch and lazy.
Better advice: Avoid systematic repurposing of content. When new assets are completely out of the picture, at least optimize your content for new channels. A great example is with mobile video. Think about the experience when watching a video on your phone; your phone is often muted, the screen is much smaller, and your attention span is a lot shorter. Simple changes like adding subtitles, cutting up your content, and revealing the brand early on can turn a television commercial into mobile video success.
All in all, improving your brand’s digital media outreach is hard work. There’s no silver-bullet solution for every brand, and best-in-class advertisers certainly don’t play by the rules. Keep these things in mind and avoid taking the easy way out to really elevate your digital media strategies.
