Gone are the days of an omni channel customer experience. Brands that engage are communicating with their audiences and potential audiences across a multitude of channels – channels that get them closer than ever to the consumer. Channels that build trust, that demonstrate authenticity and a transparent, consistent set of brand values are where we should all be focusing our attention in 2021.

The dominance of digital, and of channels such as SEO and social media marketing cannot be ignored – brands must find the right mix of content to build loyalty and engagement, and of course to be able to cut through the millions of marketing messages consumers receive on the daily. Marketers are expected to do much more – often with less resources than ever before. The challenge marketers face is that consumers trust paid content less than they ever have. Which is where traditional media – or the new mainstream media – comes in.

We know that consumers value social proof more highly than ever, and the digital thirst for content is insatiable.  Consumers expect brands to be having regular, consistent conversations with them before and after they buy – and editorial features in traditional and modern media remains one of the most powerful tools at our disposal. Editorial media, by its very definition, is designed to inform, educate or entertain. It’s designed not to sell overtly, but to add value and create discussion. And it fits beautifully into the various channels we all know and love – SEO & email marketing, social media marketing, even influencer marketing channels.

Gone are the days of an omni channel customer experience, and gone are the days of traditional media being just free to air television, radio, magazines and newspapers. Modern mainstream media is diverse and, contrary to popular opinion, growing. Advertising revenues have shifted, but have grown almost $8 billion over the last 20 years. More than half of Australia’s population still prefer to source their news and information offline – that is, on those traditional media channels of television, radio and print. And 56% of Australians still access their news and information once a day, via one of the many channels that are available to us today.

We know that consumers want brands with faces, with values and with opinions. Real people with real voices. And we know that the combination of new mainstream media coupled with the distribution channels of social media, email marketing, video marketing and more is incredibly potent, for both large and small brands across the country.

Source: Alphabeta, Digital News Report

Related Posts