Were you left feeling a little lost after the Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp outage on the 4 October? Maybe you didn’t notice? Perhaps you were relieved to have some enforced social media downtime? As a society that relies on social media not only for entertainment and escapism but also as a direct marketing platform to engage, promote and sell to customers, there was little surprise about the media storm this outage whipped up.

However the outage impacted you, for many businesses it served as a reminder why it’s unwise to rely solely on social media platforms to engage with customers and reach new audiences. This is not only due to the impact it would have on your business if one of these platforms disappeared overnight but also because data shows that there is high percentage of people that are inactive and disengaged with social media.

So how can you effectively communicate with your audiences and target your ideal customers and clients if they aren’t all avid social media users?

Here at Brightword, we always advocate communicating your key messages and planning your campaigns across a mix of social media platforms, e-newsletters and press and media outlets. Why? Because for a potential customer to even start to think about interacting with you brand, they need to have touched upon it at least seven times. Yes, for us marketeers, seven is the magic number. Obviously, this varies depending on your business, brand, product, price point and audience, but by having a strong, consistent presence across several touchpoints – from social media, e-newsletters, collaborative marketing with a likeminded brand and generated coverage in a key media, broadcast or online outlet, you are far more likely to build brand recognition, credibility, trust, engagement and sales with your target audience.

But before you embark on a multi-marketing campaign, you need to take the time to understand your audience and really get under their skin – who are they, how old are they, where do they live, what are their interests, where do they go on holiday, where do they consume media, where do they shop, what are they inspired by and passionate about?

Once you’ve created your 360 degree customer profile it will make it so much easier to target your ideal customer with tailored campaigns and messaging that feels personal, makes a true connection and results in a new customer. You will also find it far easier to embrace multiple marketing platforms and feel less dependent on social media to deliver your entire marketing strategy.

If you would like help looking at creating your own customer profiles and understand how you can establish more customer “touch points” for your business we would love to hear from you.

Our bespoke 1 to 1 power hour sessions with a member of our experienced team are designed to give you the confidence, knowledge, and direction to move your marketing journey forward. It could be the kick start you need… click here to enquire now!