Traditional volume-based marketing tactics, such as flooding audiences with ads and emails, no longer capture consumer attention effectively. Studies show it takes an average of eight touchpoints to make a sale, many of which frustrate potential customers. To truly engage, marketers must focus on strategies rooted in genuine consumer insights rather than assumptions.
Here are five essential drivers marketers should leverage to create meaningful connections and stand out:
- Entertainment: People seek enjoyable experiences, not just content. Viral campaigns like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and humorous brand voices, such as Pit Viper’s irreverent style, prove humor and fun boost engagement. Research by Oracle indicates 90% of consumers remember funny ads, and 72% prefer brands that use humor. Adding wit or surprise to campaigns creates memorable moments that foster attention.
- Education: Consumers value practical, easily digestible information. Brands like HubSpot and Casper build credibility by offering quick tips and insights related to their fields. Educational content that addresses real problems encourages informed decisions and builds trust. Using customer feedback to tailor this content strengthens connections further.
- Social Clout: Sharing content that enhances a person’s online image drives organic reach and loyalty. Campaigns like Fenty Beauty and Apple’s “Shot On iPhone” utilize social proof effectively. Enabling easy sharing and highlighting user-generated content encourages organic promotion while making the audience feel valued.
- Sense of Accomplishment: Recognizing progress through features like badges, streaks, or milestones taps into the human desire for achievement. Brands can keep users engaged by celebrating small wins, similar to how educational apps or fitness platforms maintain motivation through visible markers of progress.
- Incentives and Rewards: Well-designed loyalty programs that offer meaningful and earned rewards increase purchase frequency and retention. Starbucks exemplifies this with its gamified rewards system. Research shows 66% of consumers alter spending based on the ability to earn rewards, emphasizing the importance of relevance and authenticity in incentive design.
Ultimately, marketers must move away from brute-force volume tactics and adopt a consumer-centric approach grounded in research. Prioritizing entertainment, education, social validation, accomplishment, and authentic rewards enables brands to reclaim attention in a noisy digital landscape. Before launching campaigns, brands should engage in comprehensive consumer insight programs to identify which drivers resonate most with their audiences, ensuring marketing efforts earn genuine engagement and loyalty.