Trendwatch

Customers Want to Feel in Control
Consumers are becoming increasingly wary of traditional mass advertising. This doesn’t mean that they aren’t engaging with brands. They’re just doing it online, in what they feel is a more genuine way. Brands that have recognized this changing tide have done well to listen and engage with their followers online and build relationships with them. Once a relationship is built through social media outposts, trust and interest goes up and consumers are more likely to spend time on the brand’s main site, investigate offers, and convert to leads.

Customers are Converting in New Ways
Brands are realizing success by offering free or low cost apps that provide a valuable service to their audience and is relevant to their business. When consumers download these apps, often they are prompted to opt-in for push communications from the brand. Many times, it’s necessary for the app to function. Upon opting in, they are converted to a lead, but the beautiful thing is that it’s so natural. The consumer understands that it’s necessary to provide their information to receive the service they are asking for and don’t see it as giving something up because they are receiving something of value. For example, it’s one thing to download an app from your favorite retailer and opt-in to get special offers pushed to you when it recognizes that you’re in one of their stores. As a consumer, you have no problem allowing the brand to communicate with you this way. It’s likely the main focus of the app that the consumer is choosing to have and use. But it’s another thing to offer something of value, such as an industry white paper, and have the prospect fill out a form with some personal information before they can receive it. Most often, subsequent communications that are sent to the lead don’t have anything to do with the white paper they downloaded. From the prospect’s perspective, it wasn’t necessary for them to give their personal info to get the white paper. They just comply because they know how the game works and reluctantly resign themselves to the notion that they will be marketed to as a result. There are strategies to connect subsequent communications to the originating source of the lead and nurture the lead gracefully, which is highly recommended, but it will never be as natural as the app scenario.