DIGITAL MARKETING & CONTENT

As with all of our projects, we start off with an initial meeting so that we and our client can get to know each other. This presents the opportunity to discuss our client’s existing project ideas and objectives, which allows us to identify how we can best support the project and which benefits we will be able to contribute.

A stakeholder workshop subsequently helps us analyse the project in terms of project environment, target group, strategy and order of events. Getting familiar with the product is equally important. Together with our client, we compile project-relevant information into a briefing document, which then serves as the base for our cost calculations, the definition of project phases and a timeline.

Status quo & market analysis

Once the project objectives are clear, it is an essential step to assess and document the status quo: Where are we at right now? To which extent is the client’s current communication style compatible with their brand? Is there any feedback about our client’s previous campaigns that we can incorporate and gain important inputs from? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the product? We need to understand the product and market situation in detail.

Typical factors to establish include:

• Current communication style: What works well, what doesn’t?
• Current market position: Is the client an established market leader or just starting out? What are the market conditions and dynamics like in the client’s field of industry?
• Competitors: Are there any competitors, who are the competitors, what is the client’s current market position?
• Competitors’ communication styles: Where do competitors place their focus in their communication channels? Which channels are generally heavily used for communicating about the competitors’ and the client’s services or products?
• Possible future market positioning: Which market positioning are we aiming for and how fast do we want to get there?

These inputs are all part of our thorough market analysis so we can next identify and research the target group.

Target group analysis

Understanding our client’s target group is quintessential for understanding what motivates and mobilises their consumers and which methods will therefore help guide them to the desired action. In particular, we look at the following two aspects:

• Target group definition: Who are the customers/clients, who are decision makers and who are we targeting with our campaign?
• Target group personas: Concept and visualisation of the target group via user personas

All of these strategy-related aspects are professionally analysed as part of our profound service design process, which we implement in all of our projects. Read more about our service design process here ».

Phase A – Development

Now this is the phase where it gets really exciting for us and where we get down to the nitty-gritty of what and how exactly we want to communicate to motivate the end consumers. This requires a strong communication concept, which we don’t take lightly: What we establish in this phase forms the foundation which all marketing activities and communication are built on – and therefore influences the success of the campaign considerably.

Communication concepts have to be bulletproof and hit the sweet spot. Consumers are overwhelmed with hundreds of messages of all forms every day. To stand out, you need to present something that your target group really relates to and which is a pain point in their day-to-day life which you – and ideally only you – can provide the much needed relief for. And of course this has to be believable.

So, how do we arrive at such a strong concept? In essence, it requires three ingredients which we just briefly mentioned:

• User insights: User/consumer insights are what kick-start everything. They relate to a target group’s problem or need in relation to your product category or brand. The goal is to create suspense, which the benefits of your product or service can subsequently relieve. Important to note: insights are not benefits. They are not about the product or service, but about the person and what irks or hinders them. An example of an insight could be: “I love the taste of salt on my food, but I have to watch my salt intake, which is incredibly hard to manage.”
• User benefits: They are the brand’s answer to the chosen insight. They can consist of emotional/psychological, rational or both elements and explain how the brand’s product or service can solve the conflict or suspense created by the insight. The benefits should make the brand appear unique and exceptional. The relieving benefit to our insight on salt consumption: “The first salt shaker to ensure controlled delivery of salt for tasty, enjoyable food while reducing and monitoring salt consumption.” (In case you’re wondering which masterful tool this is: the CLIC salt shaker »).
• Reasons to believe (RTBs): The last missing step are the RTBs, or reasons to believe. They are simple and believable explanations for the promised benefits. Consumers are suspicious of odd-sounding promises; “Your bald head will be full of hair in just 7 days – I tried it myself and look at my hair now!” will not convince a lot of people. Instead, we need to highlight special features of the product, the backstory of its creation, feature endorsements and recommendations, use the company / brand name, play with design elements and deliver real facts and figures such as, “Saves 50% of iteration loops” or “Reduces production costs by up to €5,000 per production cycle” to support the message.

Phase B – Definition

Okay, so now we have the concept – how do we get from here to strong, successful marketing materials? For the next step, the concept needs to be translated into a concrete plans of actions which requires the following three components:

• Concept definition: Insight, benefits and RTBs need to be challenged in relation to user personas so that the concept is bulletproof and can be used to define the next step.
• Definition of communication phases: All phases have to be determined (such as teasing, launch, post launch…). Next, we set communication goals for every phase.
• Media planning: Which message gets sent out at what time and using which type of media?

Now finally, the part our clients love the most because they get to see visible results: the creation of content based on the previously defined parameters.

Content can include any of the following:

• Content marketing campaigns – including slogan
• Compelling copywriting – including SEO
• Animation, video & tutorials
• Social media communication & marketing
• Online shops, landing pages & apps – including ASO
• Product packaging
• Infographics & print content
• Blogs & functional content

When creating content, there are several elements we pay particular attention to, or offer as part of our campaigns:

Brand identity

Brand identity is as much as the genetic code of a brand – and the logo the visualised essence of it. Style, shape and colours determine within milliseconds how consumers perceive a brand. Influencing the brand perception therefore requires sensitivity and a deeper understanding of the matter, which is gained from experience. The subtle art of corporate design is one of our core competences which we have developed and mastered over the course of more than 50 branding projects.

Digital ads & campaigns

Marketing 101: Advertise in places where you will reach your target audience. The internet has become one of the most important marketing channels in most cases, meaning a considerable amount of marketing resources should be devoted to the creation of digital ads.

We develop goal-oriented advertisement plans that are aimed at the specific needs of a given target group. In doing so, we ramp up the effectiveness of your ads – and you’ll soon see your conversion rates go up.

Social media presence

Social media is only a buzzword if you haven’t got a strategy for it. A strong, attention-garnering and goal-oriented social media strategy requires a clear roadmap and a consistent image. We support you with the concept and production of image and video content and provide visual guidance for the look of your social media feed and ads.

When it comes to social media and ads, monitoring and analytics are not to be neglected. We analyse the success of our marketing measures and make continuous adjustments where needed to reach your target audience even better.

Web development

Companies without an online presence play with very bad cards. We help you create your digital brand image or your campaign webpage. To do that, we develop a strategy and matching expedient digital solutions together. Depending on the project, we suggest solutions ranging from customised hardcoded web solutions to CMS solutions such as WordPress.

What you don’t measure, you can’t improve on. With the use of several analytics tools such as Google Analytics & Ad Words as well as SEO and ASO tools, we provide you with a clear overview of the current developments of your web presence and various digital channels.

We analyse the user behaviour of your online visitors and generate valuable insights that help us keep your campaign in optimal conditions and to make regular adjustments for even greater benefits.