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Advertising, SEO

A Quick Guide to Digital Marketing for Your Cannabis Company

By on

November 21, 2022

- Category : Advertising, SEO

- Tags : 2022, agency, automation, beauty

Cannabis is no longer the countercultural staple it used to be. With legalization sweeping the nation and statistics saying that nearly 1/5th of all Americans have used cannabis, this substance is becoming an essential part of our everyday lives. 

If you run a cannabis company, you might be wondering how to use cannabis marketing ideas to boost your business. The legal cannabis business is new, so there aren’t many tried and true marketing plans out there.

Keep reading, and we’ll give you the top cannabis marketing tips to succeed in the market today.

Get Everything Online

First things first, you need to make sure you’re making use of online marketing. 

Attention simply just doesn’t go out into the “real world” anymore. You can buy the biggest billboard in the world. People won’t notice it because their attention is all on their phones. 

Digital marketing can be as complicated as a pay-per-click plan or as simple as making posts on social media. No matter what your budget is, you can promote yourself through the world of online marketing.

Consider Using SEO

SEO, or search engine optimization, is a little marketing technique you’ve probably never heard about. But to make it big in the digital age, you’ll have to understand SEO tactics.

SEO is all about optimizing your page to appear high on search engine results. Plenty of businesses are buried just because people don’t want to scroll down a page. Less than one percent of all users make it to the second page of a search engine result. 

If you want to stand out, you have to be one of the top results. 

The key to SEO is “keywords.” These are the specific phrases that people use when searching for a particular good or service. Search engines look at specifics, not generals, so you’re far more likely to succeed if you can figure out exactly how your potential customers are searching for your products.

There are many tactics to improve SEO, but the most common is to produce blog content that repeatedly embeds specific keywords into the content to boost search engine results. However, don’t use too many; Google calls this process “keyword-stuffing” and will punish your ranking for this.

Seek out Display Advertising

It’s hard to get the reach and impressions you deserve when marketing cannabis on Facebook or Instagram isn’t possible due to community guidelines. Cannabis companies face marketing challenges and adversity online. But there are solutions specifically tailored to advertising Cannabis or THC products online. 

One of these solutions is Programmatic Display Advertising. This solution allows us to run ads for our cannabis clients to those with interests in all things THC! We can target those with search intent to prospect new customers or run retargeting ads to those who have already visited your site to encourage them to come back and check out, often times with a click-enticing offer.

Set up Email Automation

Your foundation for a well operating THC company selling online should be strong email marketing and email automation practices. Klaviyo is our favorite ecommerce email marketing platform and bonus points: they whitelisted cannabis to run on their platform (as long as you’re not making outlandish medical claims of course).
Through establishing proper flows like a welcome sequence, abandoned cart flow and customer winback sequences, as well as ongoing timely email campaigns you can expect 20-30% of your revenue to come from this channel. 

Brand You or Your Company

Running a company doesn’t mean running a brand. A brand has a specific identity; a company is made into an identity. 

Making yourself into a brand is key to spreading your business. You’re letting your customers advertise for you by branding your business correctly. 

Just take a look at the perfect example of branding apple. Their sleek designs align with their message of simplicity, progress, and efficiency. In their stores, employees wear t-shirts and are instructed to speak to customers casually. 

The result of this is that every apple product is immediately identifiable. It relates to a way of living. As soon as someone sees one of these products, they’re reminded of Apple. 

You can create a great brand by making advertisements that don’t just focus on the bottom line but are memorable, quotable, and feature unique visuals. You can even put these visuals on shirts, creating walking advertisements. 

Know Your Customers Well

Cannabis is so popular now that you can’t rely on one type of person to populate your business. 

Many cannabis businesses focus on a sort of “stoner” image. This can work if your customers are young, countercultural figures. However, it’s not the only game in town. 

More and more older people are using cannabis to aid symptoms of certain health conditions. This means a discomfort-relieving, family-friendly image is possible for new cannabis companies. 

You’re engaging in niche marketing when you find out exactly who your customers are and market to them. In the 21st century, this is a crucial tactic. People are tired of big, general advertisements aimed at everyone; they want someone to appeal to them. 

Take the time to get to know your regular customers by name. If you can identify them and provide them with specialized services, they’re more likely to recommend their friends. 

Don’t Make Claims Without Evidence

While cannabis is legal in many states, it’s not legal everywhere. It’s also a drug. We don’t mean this in a moral way; it’s a medical product, just like Nyquil or Advil; drugs have certain restrictions placed on them. 

You have to make sure that you don’t make any claims that cannabis can treat things that it hasn’t been proven to treat. Anecdotal evidence is not enough, and any story, book, or documentary about cannabis “curing cancer” should not be followed; you need to go by scientific studies. 

Generally, cannabis hasn’t been found to cure anything. However, it can treat the symptoms caused by plenty of problems. When it comes to conditions like arthritis or anxiety (where the symptoms cause medical issues), it’s highly effective.

Make sure you don’t claim that cannabis treats “pain”; you’ll enter some murky legal territory. Instead, suggest that it “alleviates discomfort.”

While claiming certain things like this will undoubtedly increase attention, it’s not worth it for the legal ramifications. 

Marketing for Your Cannabis Company

As you can see, marketing for the world of cannabis obeys many of the same principles as marketing for the rest of the business world. The big exception is that there are specific claims you can’t make for cannabis.

For more information on marketing, whether for a cannabis company or otherwise, contact us today.

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Advertising, Beauty Marketing, eCommerce

Beauty Marketing 101: The Dos and Don’ts

By on

October 21, 2022

- Category : Advertising, Beauty Marketing, eCommerce

- Tags : 2022, agency, automation, beauty

You’ve created top-notch beauty products and are ready to show them to the world, and you couldn’t be more excited about the impact they’re going to have on consumers. But how do you go about marketing them successfully?

Marketing (especially digital marketing!) can make or break your business, and it can be overwhelming trying to figure out the best tactics to use as well as the worst ones to avoid. 

Keep reading for a guide to beauty marketing that will help you promote your beauty brand while making it outshine the competition. 

Marketing for Beauty Businesses

Since the beginning of the pandemic, marketing has seen an even larger shift to online content. While in-person marketing tactics are still super useful, many of these tips highlight digital methods that will increase your sales in no time. 

When consumers think about buying something, they often go straight to the web and type in a question or specific item to be found. If you want your products to be considered, you’ll want to create engaging content that’s easy to find, offer insightful information, and build a sense of community that others want to be a part of. 

The Dos

There are so many marketing tactics that can help boost your beauty business to where you want it to be. Here’s a look at the things you should make an effort to tackle first. 

Use Social Media

Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and TikTok are essential for getting your beauty products seen by people all over the world.

Start with one or two platforms and begin cultivating a following by posting consistent high-quality images and videos of your products, giving your audience valuable information about why they should choose them. 

Create an Easy-to-Use Website

If you don’t already have a site where people can go to find out about your business and purchase your products, it’s time to build one! 

Web design for beauty companies is a key factor since so many people are purchasing their beauty products online these days. 

Make sure the website has detailed product descriptions, a contact page, and easy ways for customers to buy your items. The more engaging and visually pleasing your site is, the better!

Develop a Unique Brand

Let’s say you’re selling lipsticks. There are a lot of other lipsticks out there to choose from, so you need to tell consumers why they should choose you over your competition. This all starts with creating a unique brand.

How do your products stand out against others? What makes your company special? For example, maybe your products are all made of organic ingredients, or you donate a percentage of every purchase to an organization that’s important to you.

Look for things that make you unique from other beauty retailers, and highlight those things so customers are more likely to purchase from you. 

Include Testimonials

Consumers are much more likely to trust a product if they read reviews from real people telling them it’s great. 

When people leave positive reviews for your product or post on social media raving about one of your beauty items, take advantage of this! Post testimonials on your website and your own social media page so consumers can read and view them when doing their own research. 

Utilize Tiktok and Instagram Ads

TikTok is a social media app that has more than 500 million monthly active users. It allows users to create short videos with fun effects and then share them on the platform. TikTok is an excellent tool for beauty brands to advertise their products because it is a visual-based platform.

The TikTok app has become one of the best platforms for beauty brands to advertise their products. It’s a visual-based app, which means that it’s perfect for marketing makeup, skincare, and other beauty products.

Deploy Google Shopping Ads

Google Shopping Ads are a great way for beauty brands to increase their visibility and sales. They allow you to promote your products on Google Search and Google Product Listing Ads.



The Don’ts

While there are marketing strategies that help your business make its mark, there are also things to watch out for. Here are a handful of marketing points to avoid. 

Focus on Follower Counts Instead of Audience Relationships

If your beauty business is all about social media, it can be easy to get wrapped up in how many followers you have. But when you’re only focused on your follower count, you may be gaining more followers without those followers turning into buyers. 

People want to feel valued and like a real part of your beauty company’s community. One of the best ways to foster this sense of community is to make an effort to interact with users, whether that’s by liking their comments, responding to direct messages, etc. 

Underestimate the Power of Quality Content

With so much content out there vying for people’s attention, people want to spend their time reading and watching content that’s going to offer them something of value in return. 

Try to make any content you put out (blog posts, videos, social media live streams) as informative and engaging as possible. Give a tutorial, answer questions from followers, or create other educational content that draws consumers in and leads to them trusting your brand. 

Respond Negatively to Feedback

It can be difficult to know how to respond to negative feedback, whether it comes in the form of a negative social media comment, angry customer service call, or poor product review. 

Remember to always respond in a professional tone, as you’re representing not only yourself but your entire business. Work to give every customer a positive experience, but also remember not to take negative comments personally. 

Forget About SEO 

SEO, or search engine optimization, is a crucial part of any marketing strategy. If your website or blog posts don’t rank highly in a Google search, it’s going to be trickier for potential buyers to find your business. 

Optimize your content so that it contains the keywords necessary to show up in searches. If you’re unsure of how to get started with SEO, there are experienced and professional companies out there who are more than willing to help!

A Beauty Marketing Guide to Unstoppable Success

Don’t let beauty marketing leave you feeling stressed and uncertain. By following these marketing dos and don’ts, your business will flourish. 

Looking for assistance with your digital marketing strategy? We can help with everything from your website design to social media, Google Ads to email marketing. Reach out to us today to find out how to get started on your beauty business’s path to success. 

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Advertising, Marketing, Social Media

Heart Worthy Instagram Ideas for Beauty Brands

By on

May 6, 2022

- Category : Advertising, Marketing, Social Media

- Tags : 2022, agency, automation, beauty

About 1.22 billion people use Instagram each month, with users ages 18 to 34 taking up 60% of Instagram’s audience. Meanwhile, nearly 60% of adults use Instagram daily, nearly 30 minutes a day.

Adding Instagram to your cosmetic social media marketing strategy can help you expand your reach online. With the right Instagram ideas, you can help your beauty brand stand out from the crowd.

Not sure where to start? Read on to discover the top Instagram content ideas you need to add to your beauty brand marketing strategy this year! 

Create Helpful Tutorials

When creating content for Instagram, it’s important to focus on quality over quantity. Posting quality, helpful posts will help you stand out from your competitors. It can also help encourage consumers to come back to your account for more tips.

Once they realize you post the beauty tips and tricks they need, they’ll follow your account for more!

Start by creating helpful video tutorials for your audience.

Consumers don’t want to learn about the products you offer; they want to know how to use them. Tutorials have high engagement rates. They can also help you promote products without off-putting sales language.

Instead of sales language, you can highlight the value you’re offering through your beauty products.

For example, you can show consumers how your beauty products can hide acne or create a natural look. You can demonstrate how they can line their eyes or contour their faces, too.

As you start reviewing these Instagram content ideas, keep your unique value proposition in mind. Highlighting your unique value will set you apart from competing brands. 

Pay attention to the questions your customers are asking. Then, create tutorial content that helps demonstrate an easy solution. 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Truly® (@trulybeauty)

Post Quality Images

Successful beauty social media marketing relies on high-quality images. Otherwise, your brand might look cheap. Make sure to avoid unbranded stock images, too.

Consider working with an experienced social media marketing agency to start creating graphics for your brand. 

You’re no longer limited to posting still images, though. In fact, nearly 87% of all Instagram users post Stories. About 60% of millennials either post or watch Stories, while 70% of Gen Z watch Stories. 

Meanwhile, 36% of businesses use Stories to promote their products. Businesses are responsible for creating one-third of the most-viewed Stories as well. A quarter of Gen Z and millennials use Stories to find products and services to buy in the future. 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by IL MAKIAGE (@ilmakiage)

Share User-Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is content your customers have posted regarding your brand. You can start mixing UGC into your feed for more authenticity. UGC can show on-the-fence consumers people love your beauty brand. 

Consider sharing before and after photos of people using your content, too.

Otherwise, start working with influencers! Influencers can promote your beauty products, helping you reach new customers. 

Make sure you’re choosing beauty influencers who already have strong, loyal followings. 

Host a Contest or Giveaway

As you explore the latest beauty brand marketing ideas, consider hosting a contest or giveaway. Contests can help you boost brand engagement. You could even start reaching people who are unaware of your brand.

For example, you can tell your followers that tagging three friends in the post will add their submission to the contest. As more people tag their friends, your post will appear in their notifications. Then, you can get even more people engaged with your brand. 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Queen City Green (@queencity_green)



Remain Inclusive

Make sure you appeal to all consumers. Inclusivity will ensure you don’t neglect any portion of your target audience. 

Show diversity in your posts with UGC or models of every skin tone, body type and sexuality. After all, it’s not just about marketing, it’s the right thing to do. Your customers are different and unique in every way; treat them as such.

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Glossier (@glossier)

Use Stickers for Interactive Content

As you start reviewing your list of Instagram Story ideas, don’t forget to create interactive content. You can use polls, emoji sliders, and quizzes to encourage people to engage with your brand. 

You can also use these stickers to learn more about your target audience.

Maintain Brand Consistency

Make sure you’re remaining true to your brand as you begin applying these Instagram ideas. Brand consistency will help awareness and recognition grow.

Use the same color palette, font, and imagery styles throughout your posts. Make sure your Instagram branding matches what appears on your website, too. 

Go Live

Looking for more Instagram Story ideas? Consider going live! Live video sessions are a great way to engage your audience in real-time.

For example, you can host a weekly Q&A session to let consumers ask questions about your products.

Remember, offering them immediate help could encourage them to trust your brand further. 

Respond ASAP

Once you start using these Instagram ideas, make sure you remain accessible.

One of the top benefits of using social media is having the ability to communicate with your customers. People who love and use your brand can reach out through direct messages or by commenting on your posts. As you receive questions, feedback, and complaints, make sure to respond in a timely manner.

If people have to wait too long for you to respond, they might get frustrated.

Quick responses can show consumers you’re there to help. 

Create a Branded Hashtag

Create a branded hashtag and encourage your customers to use it when posting about your products. Then, you can start building your library of user-generated content. Having a branded hashtag will show other consumers how many people love your brand, too. 

Analyze and Adjust

Once you start using these Instagram ideas, review your analytics. Which posts help you generate the most engagement? Review how many comments, impressions, shares, and saves you generate. 

Think about the content format (Stories, still images, etc.), hashtags, and topics you’ve used as well. 

Then, use your data to determine what kind of content to create in the future. You’ll know exactly what kind of content your followers want from you, too. 

Adjusting your Instagram content strategy accordingly can help you generate more leads, followers, and sales. 

Lots of Likes: Start Using These Effective Instagram Ideas Today

Improving your beauty brand marketing strategy with these Instagram ideas can help you reach new customers. As brand awareness grows, you could start gaining a loyal following. In time, consumers will start to rely on you for their favorite beauty tips and tricks.

You don’t have to develop your beauty brand marketing strategy alone, though. We’re happy to lend a hand. 

Need help? Reach out to our team today to get started. 

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Advertising, Marketing

CBD Advertising: This is How to Market Your CBD Products Online

By on

June 30, 2020

- Category : Advertising, Marketing

- Tags : 2022, agency, automation, beauty

If you run a CBD company, you got in on the business at the right time.

The CBD industry is poised to explode in America. With the country-wide legalization of hemp in the 2018 Farm Bill, loads of entrepreneurs have already begun to dip their toes in the extremely profitable world of CBD products.

Touted as some kind of wonder drug, CBD appears to work wonders on various medical conditions, both physical and mental. Unfortunately, CBD still suffers from a reputational association with its psychoactive counterpart, THC. 

For that reason, the need for CBD advertising has never been greater. Today, we’re going to discuss how to market CBD products online so you can take your CBD business to the next level.

Products that help with anxiety, depression, inflammation, and even epilepsy shouldn’t make people skeptical. Fortunately, we believe that better CBD advertising can change that. Here’s how to do it.

First Of All, What Is CBD?

If you’re looking at getting into the CBD industry, here’s what you need to know:

Cannabidiol, or CBD for short, is one component of both the hemp and cannabis plants. As stated above, it seems to be a powerful substance for treating many conditions, so it’s been turned into an extremely profitable industry. The CBD oil sector is expected to be worth in the neighborhood of $20 billion by 2024.

That doesn’t mean that it hasn’t had its struggles. Because it’s so new and studies are still being conducted, most of the evidence of the benefits of CBD is anecdotal. This restricts CBD companies’ ability to advertise the way they’d like to, but there’s still a lot of optimism associated with this magical little substance.

For those that have a stake in CBD already, you know about these struggles. Let’s talk about how you can better advertise your CBD company to take it to the next level.

Finding the Best CBD Advertising Strategies

CBD advertising is a little bit different than in other marketing areas. You have to be smart and crafty to advertise your CBD products the right way. It’s all about understanding the challenges and coming up with interesting ways to move past them.

The Problem Thus Far

There are a lot of challenges when it comes to advertising a new CBD product. Here are a few:

  • Not that many people really know what CBD is or what it does. Until the public is better educated on the facts, you have to factor this lack of knowledge into your advertising strategy.
  • The public won’t know much about CBD, let alone accept it as the powerful substance that it is until research uncovers more about its benefits.
  • Despite that, the market is getting crowded.
  • There are massive branding issues for a lot of CBD product manufacturers.

Content Marketing

Developing a great content strategy for your CBD company is among the best ways to find your audience. You’ll notice with other CBD product companies that they take great care in explaining why their products are beneficial through their blog.

Since many of your prospective customers aren’t going to understand what CBD is or does, it’s important that you explain it to them. You want to have a regular stream of engaging and interesting CBD-related content coming from your company. If you establish yourself as an authority on the matter, you’ll see a boost in traffic and sales.

Social Media & Influencer Marketing

Building trust with your audience is also paramount when marketing a semi-foreign substance. You can do this by building a good following on social media and showing them the ins and outs of your day to day operations.

Giving them a peek behind the curtain will help shed light on an industry that has been closely associated with cannabis, which doesn’t have a great reputation. The more you can post about how you extract CBD oil, how you add it to your products, and how using the products is completely safe, the better you can build that trust.

To grow your social media following, you can try out influencer marketing. Since you’re likely going to start with a younger audience, it’s good to find new customers over social media. If you can’t gain their trust on your own, use the clout of someone with their own following to give you a hand.

Not only will this bring in new people, but it can help you build your brand.

Brand Building

Let’s deal with the issue of market crowding. Since there are so many new CBD companies popping up, and we’re sure to see more in the coming years, you’re going to have to take your branding to another level. Building a great brand that can both attract current CBD users and people that are thinking about using it is crucial.

Part of it will come from a great social media feed combined with a solid content strategy. If your website and socials have a great look and a consistent, powerful voice, then you can really establish your brand as a force to be reckoned with in the world of CBD.

Take a look at some other CBD companies and you’ll notice that they all have a similar vibe to them: vaguely medical, naturopathic, or associated with cannabis. If you can break the mold a little bit with something unique, you can get ahead of the competition. But, you have to make it work.

CBD Specific Marketing Pros

There’s no doubt that CBD advertising is a completely different beast than advertising for any other kind of company. The unique challenges that it presents are daunting for most digital marketing professionals, but not us. If you want to advertise your CBD company the right way, use marketers that understand the industry on a deeper level.

At Forge Digital Marketing, we specialize in CBD-specific influencer marketing, social media marketing, web design, SEO, and brand identity design. You don’t have to do the whole digital advertising thing on your own, hire a company that can help you promote your CBD products the right way.

Explore CBD Marketing Tactics here.

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Advertising, Branding

Why Advertising Has Shifted From Product Features to Brand Persona

By on

March 28, 2017

- Category : Advertising, Branding

- Tags : 2022, agency, automation, beauty

When I was but a child, perhaps about six or seven, I didn’t care what brand I wore. My mother, also, didn’t care what brand I wore. I’m not insinuating that I was a walking fashion disaster – I was not. I was simply decked in obscure, on-sale brands. However, I imagine when I have children of my own I will need those specific shoes from that specific company, honey.
    So while the generation past preferred benefits to personification, my generation has come into the branding world with a giant sledgehammer and completely re-written the rules. With the rise of social media comes the rise of brand identity. Marketing is an ever-changing game, and right now, it’s all about identifying with the product. Okay but people out there still want something that will benefit them, right? I mean, c’mon – we all know that the “in” brands fall apart one year into owning them.
    Not so fast –

Truly successful brands build a strong brand identity and a reputation for quality. Here’s a few that did just that:

Patagonia

College campuses beware – young, handsome collegiates will be wearing Patagonia’s brightly patterned, incredibly obnoxious fleece for years to come. It’s become a symbol across America everywhere that says, “Yeah, I’m involved in Greek Life” or “Yeah, I’m a stoner with a trust fund and a penchant for sleeping outside.” But, all joking aside, Patagonia actually does it job. Really damn well. Patagonia’s quality makes it a reputable choice for all age groups. If that college boy ever finds himself on a mountain, his fleece will keep him warm. That’s the magic – it’s a versatile piece that can serve as a stylish accessory or to do as nature intended it to: climb a freakin’ mountain.
   

L.L.Bean

Another product that has taken the youth by storm and yet never seemingly worn in any of the conditions it was made for: L.L.Bean. Many of LL Bean’s Duck Boots orders are going to people who will never hike or climb in them. Cue the sad music. I’ll wait. Yet with every stitch, LL Bean screams quality. It means that if your feet step off the concrete for a second and you find yourself grizzly-bear watching in Montana, those trusty stylish boots will do their thing.
   

VANS

Those canvas skate shoes sure make you feel edgy when you put them on. Trust me on this., I buy Vans;, I feel like Tony Hawk. Have I ever touched a skateboard? Um… no. However Vans has been around a long, long time, and while they’ve done a good job with their new designs appealing to young people and becoming “hip” once more – they also do their, you know, job. I like to daydream up scenarios where somebody throws me a skateboard and I’ve got these bad boys on. I just hop on and I’m a master. I do a sick 360 flip and everyone cheers. My trusty Vans save the day and I win the skateboarding competition.
  I digress.
So… What’s the Lesson?
Quality is a powerful tool for a product. It’s great to be known for the quality or the performance. Pair this with a strong brand identity and you’ve got a winning combination. If a consumer can a) buy a product as an expression of their identity and b) see that it actually serves a purpose beyond fashion, the consumer now has a brand that can satisfy both needs. It’s a yes from me!
    Do you have a great product or service but struggle to convey its benefits to your customers? Are you looking to build a brand that better resonates with your target audience? Hit us up today for a free consultation. We’d be glad to offer advice and strategic tips to getting your quality brand in front of your perfect people 🙂 Talk to us! http://www.forgedigitalmarketing.com
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Advertising, Blogging, Branding, Creative, Marketing

That One Time Don Draper Collaborated With David Miami

By on

March 21, 2017

- Category : Advertising, Blogging, Branding, Creative, Marketing

- Tags : 2022, agency, automation, beauty

By now you may have caught wind of this story: Heinz Tomato Ketchup is actually running a fictional ad campaign first presented in AMC’s Mad Men by the dashing, the debonair, Mr. Don Draper. Queue the girly screams.
The campaign is simple: feature pictures of mouth-watering foods missing one key component, Heinz Tomato Ketchup, of course! The tagline is equally simplistic: “Pass the Heinz.” Pass the Heinz Don Draper Mad Men Ad How did the real-world agency David Miami decide to collaborate with Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce? How do executives feel comfortable taking an idea from a TV show? Well, folks, it’s actually subtle genius. Fans of Mad Men will go crazy when they see the advertisements run in New York, and those that don’t know about Mad Men? It’s still a pretty damn solid campaign (remember how we talked about nostalgia marketing last week?). Not to mention all the exposure the show Mad Men will be getting from this campaign. That’s some serious earned media right there.
Advertising campaigns for products you may think are boring, such as Ketchup, don’t necessarily have to be. Heinz’s new campaign brings a little more imagination to daily life. After all, the idea for their campaign didn’t even start in this reality. It began 50 years ago, from the mind of Don Draper himself. Perhaps the coolest part of this campaign is the fact that the fictional agency Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, as well as Don Draper and real life show-writers Matthew Weiner and Josh Weitman are all credited in the creation of the ad. So, you know, Draper doesn’t feel left out. The campaign itself is a solid idea – As Don Draper said, you don’t need the bottle because the consumer will fill in the blanks themselves. He’s exactly right: sometimes an advertisement without the product says more. Simply suggesting that the void be filled with your brand/product engages the consumer and gives them a reason to remember your advertisement. It’s also a victory cry. We all know what Heinz is, we all know what purpose it serves. A brand so strong that “Pass the Heinz” is a phrase understood by everyone? Now that’s pretty cool.
    10 out of 10 fresh ripe tomatoes on this one. Want more knowledge on how to get your brand on the way to stardom? You might like these articles: http://www.forgedigitalmarketing.com/2017/02/17/brand-gap/ http://www.forgedigitalmarketing.com/2017/03/14/nostalgia-marketing/
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Advertising, Branding

Have You Heard of the Brand Gap?

By on

February 17, 2017

- Category : Advertising, Branding

- Tags : 2022, agency, automation, beauty

Today we’re covering the all an important concept in Advertising: The Brand Gap. Huh? Excuse me? What in tarnation is that? The Brand Gap could be defined as bridging the gap between creativity and strategy, a.k.a what you think your brand is and how it’s actually perceived by potential customers and brand loyals. How you view your marketing strategy will play a significant role in how your product sells. Don’t believe me? Think of all the brands that failed miserably because they failed to recognize their brand aura. Instead of focusing on what the consumer has decided they are, they ignore this and choose their personality themselves. You might be saying, “Ok that makes no sense – we, the marketers, decide what our brand wants to be known for.” You may think that advertising professionals sit up in ivory towers rubbing their hands together, waving magic wands and declaring that their brand is now a cool/funny/edgy brand with one clever piece of copy. Well, that isn’t exactly how it works. http://giphy.com/gifs/crystalstarr-l0ExpNqEegk5eVW2A Word of mouth can be the silent killer of many a product – how the consumer sees your brand aura, how they talk about your brand, controls your image more than you would like to think. The first lesson of bridging the brand gap is realizing that your brand is not what you say it is, it’s what the consumer says it is. (Gulp) Okay, enough words. I know how much you all love pictures. A good visual example of brands that have crossed the Brand Gap and become “charismatic brands” are: Bridging the brand gap | McDonalds These are the brands in America that we can’t live without. Maybe you think to yourself, “Um, I’m SUPER healthy, I can DEFINITELY live without McDonalds. Or Coke. Also, if you aren’t from Kansas are you sure you own a tractor?” The point is that you know these brands, they are familiar to you, and you can identify what they stand for. On a smaller scale, such as local advertising, being the “go-to” coffee shop in town could be considered a charismatic brand. http://giphy.com/gifs/season-1-episode-8-showtime-3ohfFE19LpU939JqHC So the question is, do you have what it takes to capture a consumer’s heart as well as strategically orient yourself as an essential part of their lives? A great way to start building your customer base is through TRANSPARENCY! WHAT? Here’s an article to prove it. Want to make advertisements that will help you become a charismatic brand and bridge that brand gap? Check out this one. http://giphy.com/gifs/80s-chappelles-show-kazoo-kid-4nI8xTsPdwhs4
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Advertising, Marketing

Getting Down with the Fitness

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February 2, 2017

- Category : Advertising, Marketing

- Tags : 2022, agency, automation, beauty

I won’t try to sugarcoat this: staying fit in America is hard. It’s like clawing yourself out of a deep pit of fried foods, endless ice cream and oodles of full fat coffee drinks. It’s no easy task. Many of us, myself included, fall back time and time again. There’s about a 50/50 chance I’m either valiantly running miles around the track or spooning to the bottom of a Ben and Jerry’s. There really is, on any given day, an equal chance for both of these outcomes. Don’t test me. This is why marketing “Fitness” is so hard. We are all bandwagon fans. How do you switch the consumer from seeing the gym, or your fitness class, a piece of equipment, et cetera, as “sometimes, occasionally, not really, not my thing” to “a daily practice, part of the routine, in my schedule” ?

Go digital

This one is very important. These days, everything is online, and a product’s online presence is almost as important as its physical one. A nicely designed website and social media campaign goes a long way. I’m not going to purchase your fitness product if I can’t find any information about it online, or even worse, the website is a hot mess. (Sorry, website.) Better yet? Get yourself an app.

Get those testimonials

I really like before and after pictures, and it turns out I’m not the only one. I like reading about how a person’s life completely changed after using a product. I mean, this person was a real mess, right? And then they use this new product and in a month they have an awesome job, lost twenty pounds and are having terrific luck in the stock market. Every product, especially when it comes to the fitness industry, needs to bulk up on its brand trust. Testimonials are a great way to do this. If you’re confident in your product, it shouldn’t be an issue gathering a few testimonials to drive home that you can be trusted.

Invest in photography

You know what doesn’t catch someone’s eye? A grainy iPhone shot of your product propped against a white background that could (although not confirmed) just be curtains. It’s worth it to get a few great shots of what you’ve got. If someone asks you what exactly it is that you’re selling, wha-BAM! you whip out a photo of your product in action. It’s so moving that people are crying as they pull out their check books.

 Understand that launching a new fitness product is hard work. Take the time to create a kick-ass website and a message for yourself. Invest in photos that represent the product as it should be, and what it can become to your target audience.  As a culture, we have gravitated towards the “feel” and “aesthetics” of fitness. The sleek, fresh new styles that we incorporate into our digital lives (think FitBit) and physical (those sleek new Nikes you have your eye on) have replaced the epic era that was practical red jumpsuits and sexy sweatbands. A website, message and compelling photography will help propel your brand into the spotlight. Ready to get started with those sweet photos? Check out this post on how to take better pics for your online business.
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Advertising, Creative, Marketing

Your Advertising is Boring – Here’s How to Change It

By on

January 27, 2017

- Category : Advertising, Creative, Marketing

- Tags : 2022, agency, automation, beauty

Hi there! We need to talk. I couldn’t help but notice that your advertising is falling a bit flat these days. Don’t get defensive just yet: this happens to more companies than you might think. You fall into the same old, same old pattern that everyone is doing and eventually our fearless consumer can’t tell (or simply doesn’t care) that your product is The Best Product Ever!™ because they cannot for the life of them distinguish you between all the other noise they’re hearing on the daily. Look, buddy, I’m not even going to ask you how you got into my office. I don’t have the budget or creative genius required for high-profile advertising – I’m just trying to get my message out there! Fear not, I have good news. You don’t have to be a genius or have a huge budget to put forth some truly stellar work. Unfortunately, your refusal to believe that there are better ideas out there on the creative horizon are holding you back. Let me show you how to cut the cord and banish boring advertising copy to historical archives (where it belongs.)

Push a few boundaries.

I’m not talking about deciding to litter your copy with profanity or calling out your competition or any number of ways you may take this tip and twist it into an excuse to behave badly. I’m talking about playing on words – and to stop taking yourself so seriously! Geez! The last thing you want to do is cause an uproar and have your consumers clamoring at your office doors for an advertisement copy that brought you and your coworkers to tears (it was just so funny, you didn’t mean any harm!) a week ago. There is a very fine line between tongue-in-cheek-advertisements and now-society-hates-you copy that could land you, and your product, in hot water. This advertisement is clearly labeled towards the younger demographic but it’s also a clever play on words. It pushes a few boundaries but it offers a delicious alternative to America’s Favorite Pastime (wait, I thought that was baseball?). Make the consumer smile and shake his head. I need some camaraderie in these copies! Walk the fine line of pushing a few boundaries in your copy and you will reap the benefits.

Make ‘em cry

Okay, you say to me, I see where you’re coming from – but my product can’t be sold like that. I’m selling baby diapers, wrinkle cream, life insurance! This leads me to the second tip of the day: resonate with the consumer by going the sentimental high road. I’m a firm believer that if you are making the target audience laugh or cry you’re doing a good job. People remember the things that make them laugh, and the things that make them cry. https://youtu.be/Cjq50t_-JFo I have sobbed in public places due to the MetLife Hong Kong commercial. I wish I was joking, but I’m not. This is of course a large-budget kind of execution, but the sentiments are the same. If you can get your advertisement to resonate with the consumer you will not soon be forgotten. Advertisements that preach happy, generic smiling faces are advertisements that make me yawn, what else is around for me to look at? Here I believe is a two in one: pushes some boundaries with the imagery but also catches the eye and makes a person think about what the advertisement is really trying to say. They may stop, be intrigued, and want to learn more. If you are trying to speak upon the dangers of emotional abuse by showcasing a happy child who has already worked past their abuse, your audience will not be so captivated. After all, that child is safe and happy now, so why should they worry? Another cool example of hitting the sentimental button in a consumer’s brain.

Guerilla Marketing

This is easily one of the best, low-budget, high-recognition advertising strategies out there. And trust me when I say, it certainly won’t be boring. If you’re anything like me (and I hope you are not) when you first heard of Guerilla Marketing your initial thought was: What the hell is Guerilla Marketing? In which case my ever-patient professor went on to explain it and all was made clear. Therefore in this same knowledge-sharing spirit, let me explain Guerilla marketing to you. This is Guerilla marketing: https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wordstream.com%2Fimages%2Fmr.clean-urban-marketing.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wordstream.com%2Fblog%2Fws%2F2014%2F09%2F22%2Fguerrilla-marketing-examples&docid=ITbQopbSaxkNXM&tbnid=sVC_qo5kUxXSiM%3A&vet=1&w=600&h=399&client=safari&bih=696&biw=788&q=Guerilla%20marketing&ved=0ahUKEwiH8ZqX6dHRAhVn6IMKHZSnAfwQMwitASgAMAA&iact=mrc&uact=8 This is Guerilla marketing: http://favbulous.stfi.re/post/1278/80-creative-ads-campaigns?sf=yoklopo And this is Guerilla marketing: Guerilla marketing is essentially displaying some ingenuity when it comes to your advertisements and the environment around you. It’s difficult to find advertisements more engaging than the ones Guerilla marketers come up with. Consider where your target demographic frequents and scope the area out. Now for the fun part: making use of those spaces.The park bench is now an advertisement, the floor you walk on, the wall you lean on. It’s hard to ignore. For a low budget campaign, Guerilla marketing can be a cost-effective option that reaches a lot of foot traffic. I hope with a little creative elbow grease you can finally ditch the boring advertising copy you have burdened yourself with and enter into the world of actually surpassing your sales quota. Alright, I know, a little harsh – but a good marketer recognizes that the world is saturated enough as it is with flashy advertisements. An advertisement that can make a person stop for even two seconds and think – “Huh” – is a brand that is on its way to success.
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