3 Key Points of Consumer Engagement
Since most shopper marketing takes place online, the process can feel cumbersome and overwhelming. Getting wrapped up in the fine-tuning of your online presence can easily distract you from your goals. We suggest distilling the process into 3 easy-to-understand touchpoints across the buyer’s journey.
The Awareness Stage
Ensure your target audience knows who you are and where your products are sold. Visibility today means strategic ad placement paired with compelling creative. Developing an effective awareness campaign that truly resonates with your target audience is a delicate blend of art and science, and it relies heavily on consumer data.
In today’s fragmented path to purchase, where numerous shoppable touchpoints exist, it becomes challenging to predict ad performance without the support of data and analytics. That’s why it’s crucial to cast a wide net and explore different media channels and platforms, such as social media and retail media. By testing various creative elements, messaging variations, and media platforms, and carefully measuring their impact, you can gather valuable insights. This data-driven retail marketing approach allows you to refine your approach and maximize the impact of your awareness campaign.
Focus your dollars in target markets and around target retailers. Create ads that support your physical footprint, use data to personalize your message, keep sharing content that drives website traffic and conversions and migrate those qualified leads into your CRM database.
The Consideration Stage
While conversion is the goal, the consideration phase is where you identify your value proposition. This part of the process is arguably the most important as it gives your consumers a reason to keep coming back.
- Authenticity matters. Across your entire footprint, focus on the consumer as a human being, not just a transaction. Salesforce reports that 64% of shoppers say they feel retailers don’t truly know them. The brand who can step in and connect authentically reaps the lion’s share of the market.
- Visuals matter. As the old adage goes, shoppers eat with their eyes. Would you buy a product off the shelf that was dented or had a torn label? The same principle applies with your content online. More so if it has their name on it. Salesforce’s study shows that 88% of retail and consumer goods marketers found personalization improved their overall marketing program.
- Benefits matter. Remember, you’re selling to real people who want real solutions. Useful content resonates with consumer interests when it provides answers to their questions. For CPGs, that can mean learning how to use the product in recipes or aligning with a charity.
The Conversion Stage
“All roads lead to Rome” is an old expression that means all choices, methods, or actions eventually lead to the same result. You can think of the conversion stage in the same way – everything you do should funnel consumers to a point-of-purchase.
Conversion primarily means 3 things:
- Simplicity: Make it easy for consumers to purchase everywhere you engage them. On your website for instance, that means clear, user-friendly navigation. It should only take 1 or 2 clicks to purchase.
- Incentives: Winning shoppers at the moment of buy often comes down to price. As mentioned, today’s consumers are more cost-conscious and less brand loyal than ever before. Make sure to anchor your marketing efforts with a price promotion, like a coupon or rebate, and give shoppers one more reason to buy.
- Customer Service: Offer an exceptional experience through the sale and beyond. This may come as no surprise, but the service offered (or lack thereof) can make or break your brand. Make your experience extraordinary
Whether you’re creating a shopper marketing strategy for the first time or looking to refine the process, keep it simple, create an action plan, measure your results and try again. Consider this an investment in the long-term success of your brand!
