We would love to cover many topics, but for now, we’ll focus on what not to do in the digital realm of advertising. Special guest Lindsay Huffman, Glint’s digital strategist, joined the podcast crew to gab. If you didn’t get a chance to watch or listen to the podcast, you’re in luck. Click here.
Never blend the brand.
To avoid getting lost in the sauce of the digital world, establish standards for your brand. How do you do that? Create consistency in your font types, colors, tone, etc. Establishing consistency helps a brand find its unique voice and personality. The two concepts give a brand a distinctive edge, allowing them to stand out against the competition.
Never use someone else’s content.
This point goes hand-in-hand with the first. It’s easy to Google an image and insert it in your ad, blog, or website. However, doing so has serious repercussions. First, you may jeopardize the brand voice and personality you’ve worked so hard to establish.
Second, you are potentially putting the company in hot water by taking credit for another creator’s work without giving them the proper acknowledgment. According to the U.S. Copyright Office, if you use a copyrighted work without authorization, the owner may be entitled to bring an infringement action against you. Creating content that’s yours is a great way to ensure your brand stays consistent and the company stays out of trouble.
Never assume the audience is “everyone.”
When creating a marketing strategy, a brand’s biggest mistake is to assume its product or service is for everyone. As ideal as that notion may seem, it is not realistic. Creating a digital strategy requires a deep dive into your current audience. You want to identify your current demographic. You want to learn: where they are from, how old they are, what need you are fulfilling for them, etc.
Understanding your audience will also help you determine where they hang out online. Knowing what sites they frequent will help in setting up your digital ads. Additionally, and possibly more valuable, identifying your audience will help create content unique to your brand and consumer base. Take the time to discover. It’s worth it.
Never create something that works against the algorithm.
Oh, the algorithm! It’s simple — keep your ad readable. Content and design are two of the most important elements of a successful ad. Ensure your content is clear and concise by keeping your copy short and sweet. Consider using high-quality images, too, to convey a strong message.
You want to create an ad that stands out, attracts leads, and increases click-through rates. Your ad should tease the reader and entice them to want to know more. But it’s not just about creating the ads. It’s also important to check how your ads perform regularly and adjust your strategy accordingly. That’s the beauty of advertising on digital–the ability to be nimble.
Never lose the brand voice.
Retaining your brand’s voice is difficult, specifically regarding maintaining consistency in the brand voice on social. A best practice is to have a content creation schedule. Tracking posted content allows the social media team or person to adjust future content to match the brand voice. Competing voices can kill brand credibility!
Additionally, your brand voice should have a human touch to it. Take Wendy’s social media presence, for example. The brand became a social media game-changer and “one to watch” in 2017 with its spicy, unconventional content. At the beginning of 2017, Wendy’s had just over one million Twitter followers. The brand added 1.2 million new followers by the end of the year. Its success is not only due to its established “sassy” brand voice but also its responsiveness. Wendy’s responds quickly to customer complaints and comments regularly on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
We hope this bite-sized guidance will inspire you to try new things. If that’s not in your wheelhouse, Glint Advertising is your partner.
