Engagement or "participation marketing," is a strategy that directly involves consumers and encourages them to add their 2 cents worth in the co-creation and development of brands, rather than being treated as passive receivers of messages.
Wouldn't it be awesome to have a say in just how big the next generation of 'Big Macs' should be? Or how about helping shape a new super-car that's being polished for the production line or tailor-make a fresh range of garments alongside your favourite fashion designer? Maybe you would you like to tell Lady Gaga just how 'gaga' she should be in her next music video.
And so, would any of the above motivate you to splurge on some retail therapy and unleash your credit card? The research below suggests so and sheds light on why. But hold the phones, remember that regardless of whether you would actually be buying any of these prodcuts, engagement marketing - more than being a sales conversion strategy - is a process of polarising casual readers into brand ambassadors by default, so sharing benefits tend to ripple out exponentially.
With that said.... GraphicMail has looked back 50 years into the past, to a 1966 article in the Harvard Business Review, which gave some insight into effective engagement by reporting on a large study of word of mouth persuasion. Conducted by Ernest Dichter (the father of motivation research) it revealed the mysteries of how to use email, mobile and social media to build brands and why the opportunity for consumers to customise products and services through engagement marketing boosts incentive for brand introduction and entrenchment.
Dichter outlined four cognitive genes behind why consumers communicate about brands, which are entirely relevant today:
1. In about 33% of cases, it is purely because of novel product-involvement efforts. The experience is so pleasurable that it simply must be shared by those who participated.
2. About 24% were motivated by self-involvement, such as sharing knowledge and opinions as a way to gain attention or demonstrate that an individual has inside- information or to assert their superiority.
3. The next 20% of engagement sharing is generated when the speaker wants to reach out and help others, to forge new friendships and utilize their expertise for compassionate purposes.
4. And finally, around 20% is made up of message-involvement; when the message itself is so humorous or informative that it deserves sharing, regardless of the brand or topic.
The old pattern of prescription retail is changing, however thanks to a more mutual web culture and better tools to facilitate online purchasing, voting and even customisation of products. E-Commerce is morphing into a two-way dialogue.
The result is both more engaged shoppers and less raw material and distribution waste as manufacturers and retailers are better able to estimate demand before products are supplied. Recommendations are said to have a great average impact on global purchases, running to 80% for some items. Companies promoting their own brands, whether utilizing email, mobile or social channels, needs represent the right culture and values and be aware of its status in the community by engaging in fact-based dialogue where consumers’ say carries some weight. What today's e-shopper wants, is a complete reversal of the age-old commercial model; he or she want sthe power to have their lifestyle define the products that they use, as opposed to having their lifestyle defined by those products.
Business are more frequently shuffling product development consumer engagement into their marketing strategies, which has the potential to tap into the full 100% petri dish of viral customer brand communication. The four motivations explain why some brands have been successful in using email and mobile marketing, as well as social media to stir engagement. It suggests that brands need to deliver entertaining communications as well as functional and social benefits and works best when the brand is associated with an offering that is innovative and differentiated in a way that truly resonates with customers.
GraphicMail helps with the integration of communication channels and engagement marketing by offering feature-ripe opt-in bulk email and mobile promotional tools, enhanced with social sharing capabilities to make building-up your consumer participation a simple task.
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