Managing your own business can feel daunting. With all the details to supervise, including clients, employees, and contractors, you may be tempted to overlook the importance of marketing. However, spreading the word about your product is essential to your business’s survival; and in this digital age, utilizing the tools of the online market is vital to retaining your customer base. Digital marketing comprises several components, including social media advertising, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Each of these methods works to introduce your target audience to your product (an “awareness campaign”) or to convince them your product is worth a purchase (a “conversion campaign”). To better distinguish these two sides of the same marketing coin, an SEO consultant at MyCity Social, a Miami SEO Company, is happy to walk you through the process behind each campaign. Trust us because we are the best in Miami!

 

The Awareness Campaign, According To An SEO Consultant

 

The purpose of an awareness campaign is to expose your target audience to key differentiators – those qualities that set your product apart from competitor products. You may also use an awareness campaign to market your product to a new target base, one for whom this particular service or product is not yet in demand.

Advertisements arising from an awareness campaign are generally informative, not compulsive. They seek to generate interest in the product without demanding commitment. Keep the emphasis brand-specific and the messaging crystal clear. Your goal is to inform the customer about your solution so that when they later decide it is worth their money, they will come to your brand first.

 

• Use Multiple Channels

 

The way you pitch your product is essential in an awareness campaign. Utilize a wide range of delivery channels, such as broadcast radio, billboard and print advertising, or in the case of the digital market, display banners, social media ads, and streaming radio and video. All these media serve to create an impression of your product that is consistent across various channels yet tailored for a target audience. Your ads should answer the question, “Why should my target audience benefit from my product?” or, from the perspective of your customer, “What’s in it for me?” Make your message compatible across multiple channels and your brand recognizable, no matter the ad’s format.

 

• Designing An Awareness Advertisement

 

When designing an awareness advertisement, there are some key steps to follow. First, define what your brand is all about. Is it a new product or service, or something revamped? What makes it unique, and what makes it beneficial to your audience? You should be able to answer those questions, in their entirety, with one sentence. Once you have a comprehensive yet succinct “pitch,” use it to champion your awareness campaign. Next, design your ad. Depending on the channel you use, you may only have a couple of seconds in which to grab your potential customer’s attention. Take note of advertisements you have come across on social media and television, which arrested your attention and consider their method. You may have been pulled in by a funny clip or a compelling question. Such a diversion is called a “hook,” which is different from your “pitch.” Don’t feel pressed to condense your entire advertisement into only three seconds; that’s the job of your “hook.” Once your customer’s attention is hooked, tell the story of your product based on the advertising pitch you came up with earlier. Keep the content of your advertisement, both engaging and concise. All pertinent information should be relayed in less than a minute.

 

• Branded Content

 

Finally, creating branded content is a good option if you want to cultivate awareness of your product outside of a standard commercial. You can generate interest in your product by first providing helpful insights into the general topic of your product. For instance, you can write a blog post enumerating the benefits of a wintertime skincare routine, followed by a plug for a specific product from your line. Or, if your business is fitness-related, you could publish a free workout printable, yet advertise for its paid, full-length version at the end of the ad. Branded content thus gives the consumer a free “preview” of your product, such as a helpful tip or life “hack,” while also informing them of where they can discover more. 

 

• Move Consumers From Unaware To Entrenched

 

When it comes to product marketing, consumer awareness lies on a spectrum: from complete unawareness of your product on one end to total entrenchment in its pitch on the other end. The strategy of an awareness campaign advertisement is to reach all potential customers, no matter what end of the spectrum they lie. As an advertiser, you cannot expect your audience to become customers unless they move along the awareness spectrum, becoming familiar with your product enough to invest their money into it. A customer will not make an “action step” – such as enrolling in a class or making a purchase – until they have progressed into an awareness of your product’s value and relevance to their situation. By communicating the value of your product to the prospective customer, you lay a foundation for a later, more aggressive campaign – the conversion campaign.

 

The Conversion Campaign: Bringing The Customer Down The Sales Funnel

 

A helpful illustration circulates throughout the marketing industry: that of the “sales funnel.” In this illustration, your marketing strategies operate as a funnel, with awareness campaigning represented as the widest, most accessible part of the funnel and conversion campaigning serving to bring the sale to a definitive point – a sale. Keep this image in mind whenever you assess at what point “in the sales funnel,” you expect your target audience to be. 

 

• A Converted Customer Responds To Your Call-To-Action

 

Whenever a consumer has responded to your advertisement’s “call to action” (CTA), they are undergoing the “conversion” aspect of your marketing campaign. A CTA could be as simple as signing up to receive a newsletter, enrolling in a free trial, calling your business phone number, or making a definitive purchase. Conversion involves an interaction with your ad culminating in an actionable, quantifiable response. All the thoughtful efforts you have made in designing your awareness campaigns will serve your goal for consumer conversion. Only the customer who is aware of your product and recognizes the solution it offers will be likely to express interest in taking the next step. Thus, conversion campaigns follow closely behind awareness campaigns in marketing strategy.

 

• Designing An Ad For Conversion

 

If you’re looking to emphasize a call to action, and are not merely seeking to raise awareness about your product, give demonstration rather than information. Show the consumer what your product does, either with before-and-after photos or video tutorials. Your demo should be believable, truthful, and matter-of-fact. Be transparent about what they are buying, and let the product speak for itself. Despite such convincing examples, you may need to coerce the buyer a little further by offering a discount on the product or a limited-time promotion on the service. Your customers may be more likely to spend the money if it is initially at a discount; then, if they are satisfied, they will be more willing to pay the full price later on. A discounted sale is worth far more than a lost sale. Finally, a major distinction between awareness ads and conversion ads is the tone of voice in your advertisement. Be direct and imperative about the action you want the customer to do. Use phrases such as “call today” or “buy now, before it’s too late” to convey persuasion and urgency. 

 

• Tracking Your Conversion Data

 

A conversion campaign focuses on the quantifiable results of your awareness advertising. You should track the data which your conversion campaign generates, such as the number of clicks your advertisements elicit or the number of “hits” a search engine produces, besides the revenue, your ads directly bring in. A Miami SEO Company can help you pinpoint the effect your ads have on search engine results and whether you need to increase your search engine optimization. As you become more established in your marketing, you can use your conversion data to inform future marketing strategies to increase purchases or drive spending.

 

Contact Us

 

Does the marketing world still feel a bit daunting? Do you feel like you need a Miami SEO Company to help you navigate it? You don’t need to feel anxious about marketing, regardless of whether you seek to build awareness or convert customers. MyCity Social can connect you with an SEO Consultant who specializes in digital marketing. We believe that digital marketing works best when there is an established relationship between marketers and business owners. Once established, we work hard to coordinate every aspect of your digital marketing campaign to be optimized for your product, ensuring that the message of your product reaches the audience in a way they can’t ignore or refuse. Call or visit us today, and let us help you build awareness, reap conversion, and experience business success.