The Rocket Newsletter

October 2008

What we mean by "state" is their state of mind...rather than referring to any other type of shenanigans your customers may have been up to. Our main article discusses the various states and outlines the type of engagement approach you should consider for each of them. We believe...no...we know this provides a very neat and effective framework for your online brand engagement strategy. We trust you'll find it informative and we'd be delighted to show you how such an approach would work for your business.

'State of mind' based engagement approach

We'll assume (and you know what that does!) that you've clearly defined and segmented your target markets and you understand their needs, motivation and behaviour. The next stage is to ascertain where their thoughts and actions are associated to your brand, your products and your services. Are they an existing customer who is totally in love with you? Are they a potential customer who has no idea that you exist? Or somewhere in between?

Depending upon where they are affects the type of messaging and dialogue you should be aiming to use. We believe a framework can be applied to this whole approach which places a structure around the mix of digital media you should use - website content, social media, online PR, widgets etc - to suit the right audience at the right time. There are a number of stages which start from creating awareness, through generating interest and gaining commitment, to building a positive relationship and achieving advocacy.

The great thing is that every brand, and this includes your own, will have people at each stage of this framework already and are therefore engaged with your brand in some way shape or form. Identifying who they are, where they are and what they are saying is essential to building a picture of the current landscape. Once this is achieved the positives and negatives can be identified, prioritised and addressed with good effect to enhance your brand engagement strategy.

Be prepared to uncover some nasties

A word of warning however; be prepared to uncover some nasties. As we all know, the web has evolved to a point where the "power" is very much in the consumers' hands. People can place their opinion online very easily and this will attract others who share the same opinion. This group of like-minded individuals can grow very quickly and become a significant virtual force, which cannot be ignored. If they share a negative opinion about your brand, product or service, you need to know about it and get involved to resolve it. Ignoring it is not an option. We have found (yes...we have some real life examples) that such instances can be turned into real positives and a potential reputation issue, if managed well, can become an advocacy case study.

Creating a framework for engagement around your target markets and their state of mind can help ensure you have a joined up and coherent approach. Integrating online and offline...or should we say "inline" (yes, that's one of the new cheesy phrases doing the circuit) makes your marketing activities easier and more meaningful. There's no escaping that it is a big woolly mammoth of a task, but Propellernet's framework model allows for it to be managed in bite sized chunks...tasty!

If you'd like further info please email rocket@propellernet.co.uk or speak to us 01273 207225.

Best regards,

Client Corner - How TUI and e-tailers have increased sales compared to last year

Can it get any worse? Manufacturing and the service industry are the latest industries to feel the harsh realities of the economic downturn; large global financial institutions going out of business and the stock markets in turmoil. Yet it would appear that consumer confidence has not entirely disappeared. TUI have reported strong results and are experiencing increased sales compared to last year. This is also true of some other companies in differing sectors, including retail. There would appear to be cause for optimism...hooray!

So why is this? It appears that during this "gloomy" period, people aren't going out as much in the evenings or weekends and are not visiting the high street for impromptu shopping sprees. Instead they are spending more time at home and online. This is a key factor which organisations need to be aware of and can therefore take advantage of. The Marketing Mix (or the four P's) of Product, Price, Promotion and Place as always still hold true; if you have differentiated your product, it is affordable and provides value for money it goes without saying that it should be promoted in the right places. There is a common element within those organisations experiencing growth within this downturn; they understand where their customers are online and how to engage them. See what the VP at Sage CRM says about talking to his customer community.

As more time is being spent surfing the net, it makes sense to work out how to achieve visibility and attraction in front of those eyeballs owned by the people you wish to interact with. It's time to get creative online.

Staff Profile

Name: Nick Moores
Role: Search Consultant

Why Propellernet?
Propellernet share the same creative, forward thinking mentality as me. A great mix of individuals, all offering something unique, make for an excellent working environment and business culture.

Interesting Fact:
Not many people know that I'm a classically trained guitarist, I've played for nearly 15 years!

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Rocket News

Ad Tech 2008: We attended, listened and contributed
The biggest brands in Europe are still unsure and some are even scared of the social media that surrounds them. They know they have to use it – they just aren’t sure how to.
Jack's Gorilla Run shown on the BBC
Running to raise money for the endangered species, he's the one who looks like a gorilla and is waving his arms around at the start!
Linda beats Jack in Brighton Olympic Triathlon
After a 1500m (1 mile) swim in the sea, a 40Km bike ride and a 10Km run Linda finished over a minute faster in a time of 2hrs 52 mins 6 secs. Further endorsement that we’re the toughest agency on the planet.
Wedding bells are chiming
James Sandford is in Argentina getting married to Giselle. And, Gavin Willis got engaged to Laura. Congratulations to all.

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