The Best Media Buys to Get Your Customers’ Attention

We keep trying to figure out the next big marketing wave so that we can ride it first. But there’s a lot of benefit in maximizing what’s here now.

In the Media Consumption 2011 Infographic, Ad Age, Magid Generational Strategies and MBA Online present an hour-by-hour look at media habits based on age. And four things quickly caught my eye.

RADIO:  The Early Morning Commute

From 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., radio is the number-one media outlet, with Generation X consuming the most radio, followed closely by the Baby Boomers.  This lets me know that the morning commute could yield a captive audience and a smart marketing choice depending on the product.

TELEVISION:  A Distracted Captive Audience

In the evening, television is the number-one media outlet. From 5 p.m. till bedtime we are in front of that tube, with Baby Boomers racking up the most time, followed closely by Generation X (age 30 to 46). If you are going to advertise on local TV stations, there’s no reason to run your ad until everyone is home to see it.

But keep in mind that this a distracted captive audience that may be multitasking their media engagement.

In fact, the study says percentages in each section do not add to 100, since members of each generation may use more than one media type during that time slot. You know the deal — searching the Internet while watching television or texting on your phone.

INTERNET:  Engagement With The Internet Is  Steady

Online engagement in various forms (news, entertainment, social media) shows up in the top three activities throughout the day for Baby Boomers, Generation X and Adult Millennials. The Internet is a smart marketing option with a learning curve.

But the fact that it gets our steady attention throughout the day says that online positioning matters.

PRINT: What’s Happening With the Newspaper?

The newspaper ranks much higher among Baby Boomers than any other group. That’s good to know, because if you want to get the attention of a Millennial, then a newspaper ad is probably not the best choice. But if you’re going for his grandparents, it could be a great way to get their attention.

About the Author

Jamillah Warner (Ms.J), a poet with a passion for business, is a Georgia-based writer and speaker and the Marketing Coordinator at Nobuko Solutions. She also provides marketing and communication quick tips in her getCLEAR! MicroNewsletter.

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Pay More Attention to Your Website Users

When it comes to customer engagement, many big-name brands do just enough to stay one step ahead of their competition, and because of their past momentum they are able to maintain a lead for some time. However, smaller and more nimble organizations focused on creative uses of technology are starting to overtake them. Think Etsy vs. eBay, or Yodlee vs. Mint.
There are plenty of articles out there focused on how small businesses should approach building a Web presence, but they tend to focus on topics such as search engine optimization and how to leverage social media. I have found this is the wrong focus. We need to bring it back to simple user experience. Here are five tips on what to think about as you build or redesign your site:
1. Take off your marketing hat. This may be counterintuitive, but the tendency when focusing on marketing is that websites often become self-indulgent. Instead, focus on user experiences your customers need, want, and enjoy. Help them get things done.
2. Consider your business goals. What do you want to accomplish with the application and how will it provide value for your customers? Consider this before you think about how you are going to build the site or have it built.
3. Focus on gathering data and feedback from users. Sit down with as many customers as you can and watch them interact with your site. Have them give you feedback about where you can improve the interaction. If for some reason you can't do this quickly, use a simple survey tool such as Survey Monkey.
4. Focus on what you do. If you're a business-to-business company, you don't need to build a game. If you are selling handmade kids' clothing, you should not build a social network. Stick with the primary purpose of your business. Consumers know one thing for sure: If you build an application that does not have direct utility related to your business, it is probably an application designed just to market to them, and they will probably let it fail.
5. Plan for frequent updates. Most successful websites have an avid audience because they created a great user experience first, and followed with great updates and improvements. You'll build fans and evangelists by showing responsiveness to customer feedback once the application is launched.
Anthony Franco
Co-Founder and President
EffectiveUI
Denver
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