sherrychen.com | integrated marketing | blogger | content creation | web design | art | design
Align Your Marketing Strategy with Your Business Objectives
Develop Quality Content that Makes an Impact!
Transforming ideas into promotional assets that inspire and engage your audience
01 IDEATE
This is the discovery stage where information is first exchanged between the creative team and the stakeholders. This is the part where all affiliated parties need to come together to discuss and understand the business objectives and goals. What is the strategy, who is the intended user or audience, what is the message we want to convey, and what kind of content or multimedia assets are needed to optimize audience engagement?
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Depending on what the product is and its intended audience, the solutions may vary and oftentimes require additional data and research to understand what are the best approaches for ensuring a greater outcome. User behavior, market trends, and desirable features are extremely helpful to determine the kind of experience for appealing to the intended audience. Surveys may be conducted to get a better picture of the factors driving a purchase.
02 CONTENT CREATION
A picture speaks a thousand words. How do you make a seemingly mundane or unexciting product or technology appear sexy and memorable?
This is one of the challenges plaguing many companies and requires much design creativity and ingenuity. The ultimate goal is to deliver a functioning product that retains a clear identity while evoking a positive response.
A Motherboard Ad Example
Transforming a PC board into something that is eye-catching .
Taking a common plastic circuit board with processors and ICs and transforming it into an appealing, urban cityscape. The result is something eye-catching while retaining elements that are easily identifiable. Combine the graphic with a catchy phrase and then you have a winner! In this instance, the phrases are: "Start with a Solid Foundation" and "Build Your Business on the Best".
Promotional Banner
Silicon makers or IC companies often display chip images in their ads. The challenge is to take a seemingly boring semiconductor chip and make it more appealing in an attempt to capture the attention of its viewers and ensure that the person would pause to take a closer look. Having a tagline or a short and clear message allows the users to quickly understand that this product can be of benefit to their business.
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Image Processor featuring GoPro
These creatives highlight the image processors used in GoPro HERO action cameras. The images are designed to evoke a sense of excitement, danger, and adrenaline rush by extreme sports athletes. The product itself is highlighted with the context of how it's used in the action camera for capturing amazing moments in time, thus the slogan "Capturing Amazing Experiences in Exceedingly Challenging Conditions."
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People are inundated with emails and information so creativity can be extremely important in getting people to take notice of what's in front of them.
A good idea is to add a bit of playfulness to any form of content and one way to make flat surface pop is to give the illusion of something else is happening in the scene. One of my favorite thing to do is the attempt to add the third dimension. This is part of the creative process which I enjoy tremendously and challenges me to think outside the box.
03 REVIEW & ADJUST
Although it's important to be able to present the designs and convince the audience; it's equally important to set milestones and periodically touch base with the stakeholders during the development process in order to prevent waste of time and deviation from the main objectives.
The Creative Process
1. Concept development - Similar to putting together an infographic, this is the initial phase of brainstorming to define the objectives and necessary components needed to accomplish the goals.
2. Design review and revision - Once the designs have been created, it is time to take a closer look at them to determine what is missing or what can be improved on. This phase is lengthy as it may require the creative teams to return to the drawing board several times before reaching the desired result.
3. Finalize - The final creative that checks all the boxes and is approved for prime time!
Example: From Sketch to Image
Example: From Initial Concept to Final Design
04 DELIVER
Once the creatives are approved, it is then ready to be presented or used as directed. Often times the design will be used in launching a new product, an existing product, or re-purposed for other marketing material.
Content Types
Written article
Presentation
Print Material
eNewsletter
Blogs related to the "Media Cloud" topics that interest potential customers
Social Media sharing and advertising
Videos created to inform and educate customers about the product features and usage areas
Other content examples
Speaking Engagement Ad
Application Note
Video
Getting the Message Out / Go-to-Market Strategies for Large Scale Activation
It's important to identify the methods of delivery and approaches for reaching the target audience.
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PR and Pre-briefing: It is not simply about drafting a press release and putting it on the web, it is about pre-briefing the industry influencers, including key journalists, analysts, and thought leaders. The reason for doing this is because these are the people with a persuasive voice and a strong following, including your target audiences, and therefore, you want to get these reporters to help tell your story and to make sure that the news you are telling will go the extra mile and be read by people who matter.
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Blogs: People want relevant, valuable content to speak to their needs. Blogging not only helps to establish the company's brand but also helps to connect the company with its audience and sets it apart from its competition. Blogs provide insights into the current market trends and give more insights into your products/services. Additionally, blogs can be used to address problems that are plaguing your potential customers and allow you to present unique solutions addressing their pain points. It's now more relevant than ever to build better connections with customers and potential customers through blogs.​
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Social Media Marketing: Socionext offers not only the opportunity to reach users and drive them to your site — users can also share your sponsored content organically, extending your reach far beyond the original post. Facebook has the most extensive list of services for performance marketers, but other platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter also offer many opportunities to reach new customers. Social media sites are a great way to reach out to potential audiences. Most of them offer precise demographic targeting where you can set your own spending while getting your message out to the key people.
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Search Engine Marketing (SEM): Be it B2B or B2C, a website is the first impression the audience sees. The website projects your brand and image. Additionally, it is "ON" 24/7and accessible around the world. Therefore, having the content searchable is vital, which means the web content needs to be tended to and nurtured for optimal effectiveness. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial such as identifying proper keywords, meta content, and best practices.
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Performance Marketing (i.e., PPC Ad Campaigns): Certain online publications and search engine companies capitalize on their audience base and user base with intelligence built into certain word searches. It's important to investigate whom you are targeting and what works the best for your ad spending.
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Electronic Newsletters: Sending out regular emails or electronic newsletters to keep your audience informed of what's new and stay engaged with your brand.
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Videos, Podcasts: It was reported that a person's attention span is only several seconds long. The use of quality audio and visual content are powerful mediums to convey your message quickly and effectively.
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Webinars, Events, Award Entries and Call for Speakers: There are many ways to promote and remarket your products/services. Various industries and organizations offer event sponsorships, as well as products and presentations to be judged for selection. Leveraging the credibility of known industry organizations helps to elevate your brand reputation.
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To ensure a successful campaign launch, it's essential to understand the goals and objectives by meeting with key stakeholders, defining business objectives, and planning for an effective go-to-market strategy.
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