AMG Newsletter: How To Use Live Events And Voice Marketing To Boost Results

Published: Tue, 09/14/21

Dear ,

This weekend marked the 20th anniversary of the 2 planes that into the Twin Towers and the 2 planes that crashed into the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field.

On the crystal blue morning of September 11, 2001, I was working from home in my Upper Westside apartment when my mother called.

“Turn on the local news. It looks like a Bruce Willis movie.” The words rushed out of her mouth.

While she waited, I turned on my television to see smoke billowing out of the iconic World Trade Towers just before the first one crumbled.

Within the hour, I heard the sound of helicopters beating through the skies above me.

By the next morning, paper signs begging for any information about loved ones started appearing everywhere. And the sidewalk in front of the local fire station was packed with an outpouring of love in the form of flowers, candles and handwritten notes.

When I visited the World Trade Center area 3 weeks later, I remember the flood of sunlight pouring through the gap where the towers had proudly stood.

Now the Freedom Tower has grown gracefully out of their rumble to join the Wall Street skyline. For me, it’s a beacon of the resilience of New York City and the people who call it home and work here.

Since this terrorist event changed the history of this city and this country, I appreciate the annual memorial observations for those who lost their lives

Why am I discussing this with you as a marketer?
Because including significant events for your business and community matter to your audience.

And your objective should be to remember and show respect for your shared history.

So include these events when planning your marketing calendar and create relevant content and activities. BUT, make sure the event is relevant to your business and audience.

For example:
Many television stations and streaming services developed specials about 9/11. This content tapped into historic footage and combined it with new interviews and insights. It’s content curation and reimagination at its best.

Actionable Marketing Lesson of The Week

► How To Create Effective Presentations

Microphone You earn an invitation to present or be part of a panel at a live or virtual event.

From a marketing perspective, it’s your opportunity to expand your content marketing and influencer reach by being spotlighted to someone else’s audience.

So approach these invitations with respect to make a good impression. To succeed, align your presentation with the theme of the event and the audience's needs.

Last Wednesday, I participated in a panel entitled, The Future of B2B Influencer Marketing. It was part of the UK-based B2B Influencer Marketing Summit run by my colleague Gordon Glenister, author of Influencer Marketing Strategy.

To prepare for the panel, the moderator, Andrew Canter of the Branded Content Marketing Association (BCMA), sent the participants a set of questions. I went through the questions and drafted my answers. So I knew the points I wanted to make and how to say them concisely.

On the day of the panel, one participant joined 10 minutes after it went live and another didn’t show or send any message.

To Canter’s credit, he rolled with these issues and led a lively discussion. #WellDone!

Voice Notes

► VoiceLunch/Marketing has returned from its summer hiatus. It meets virtually every other Friday at 12pm EDT/ 9am EDT. (BTW, get your own FREE invite and reminders HERE!) Last week’s topic was “2021 Voice Consumer Index Research: How Can It Improve Your Marketing Results.”

Voice usage has gone mainstream in the US according to the 2021 Voice Consumer Index Research. Specifically:

1 in 5 consumers uses voice functionality multiple times per day and
2 out of 5 consumers never use voice functionality.

Further, voice-first device usage accounts for a portion of the 2.5 hours spent with audio daily. This includes radio, voice and other devices (Source: Activate 2021).

► CASE STUDY: How Mercedes Offers Voice Functionality

While about 3 in 10 people use voice assistants in cars, it’s not clear whether they use their smartphone or a manufacturer-installed automotive voicedevice.

For example, Mercedes Benz uses its own proprietary voice assistant. They partnered with Houndify to create it to protect the data and information of their high income customers. To see how owners use it, view this video created by the Automotive GURU. In 6 months, it garnered almost 20,000 views and roughly 400 thumbs up (or about 2%).

Hey Mercedes video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McJIc29WPFU

Of interest to marketers:

29% of VCI respondents use voice assistants on their phone out of home and
18% of VCI respondents use voice assistants at retail.

Marketing Take-Away:
Be prepared to meet the needs of your voice-first audience when they’re on-the-go!

Social Scene: Influencer Marketing

Many marketers limit their use of social media to posting and advertising.

Instead, create remarkable or talkable experiences. Dan Gingiss discusses this in his new book, The Experience Maker, and Jay Baer and Daniel Lemin explain this in their book, Talk Triggers.

At the heart of these books is developing such amazing customer experiences (or CX) that people tell their family and friends about your products and services. It’s word of mouth marketing at its best since your community of avid fans get others to buy from you.

For the launch of his new book, Gingiss made his influencer outreach talkworthy. The branded box he sent contained a numbered edition of the book. The cover connected to an LED light so it shines when the book is closed. The box also contained light bulb inspired tschokes.

Actionable Marketing Tip:

Tap into the power of micro-influencers. While their reach is smaller, their relationships are stronger. So use more micro-influencers to get broader reach.

Marketing Reads

New AMG Articles:

► Author Interview – Carla Johnson, RE:Think Innovation

10X author Carla Johnson sat down with us to discuss her latest book, “RE:Think Innovation”.

If you want to make and inspire change in your organization, this book is a must-read. Johnson lays out easy-to-follow steps to tap into the power of your entire employee base. At the book’s core is Johnson’s Perpetual Innovation Process.

► Voice Content: 10 Audio Content Formats Your Marketing Needs

Why add voice content to your marketing mix?

To extend the life and reach of your content marketing.

Use these 10 types of audio content formats to expand your voice marketing offering. Also they’re good to test adding voice to your marketing mix.

NYC Marketing Marketing Minute

As the saying goes, timing is everything!

During the middle of the summer, I had shopped for some last minute items before going to Nashville for Podcast Movement. At the time, stores had big arrays of backpacks. While I didn’t need a new one, I made a mental note to go back later to get a new one.

Woman with shopping bags Last week, a week before public schools officially opened in New York City on September 13th, I couldn’t find a backpack anywhere. In place of the Back-To-School backpacks, I found Halloween items.

While they had no backpacks, Staples had lots of school-related items such as notebooks, pens and other supplies. Since other shoppers were stocking up, so I bought my favorite items while they were available.

What does this mean for your marketing and business?
Not only monitor what your customers need and want, but also when they think about and make actual purchases!

Why?
Post-pandemic, consumers have learned to buy early to avoid shortages and out-of-stock issues.

So, time your marketing promotions and related inventory to:

Meet customers’ needs so they don’t go to a competitor or near substitute. Otherwise, you may lose them for good.
Maintain profitability since selling product when people are buying yields the highest price without needing to sell at discount post-season prices to clear inventory.

Plan Ahead: Mark Your Calendar

Join me at these marketing events:

► September 17 – Digital Book World Virtual (BTW—I'm speaking here!) It's FREE with registration.