Media multitasker – the latest buzz words for people who watch TV and use the internet simultaneously.
Data from the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA) suggests Europe is turning into a continent of media multitaskers and that this breed of consumer acts very differently to those who do not use multiple media at the same time.
The media multitaskers buy more online compared with those who do not media multitask and are more likely to change their mind about a brand following online research.
It is not just young consumers that are becoming media multitaskers, but all age groups, and businesses that acknowledge the ways online media is being consumed will reap the rewards.
EIAA’s Tips for Brand advertisers
- Embrace convergence
Consumers are increasingly meshing their media and accessing more information and performing a greater number of tasks online.Media multitaskers are more active and engaged online than others and by better understanding the nuances of their behaviour; you can adapt marketing strategies and benefit from more effective targeting of a prime audience – particularly when developing multimedia campaigns.
- Socialise campaigns
As more media multitaskers communicate via social networks and establish their virtual presence online, there are a growing number of routes you can use to target them. It is important, therefore, to make sure your creative messaging and campaign is consistent across all platforms and online elements.
- Think creatively in context
With the simultaneous consumption of TV and internet, media multitaskers will have more brand messages fighting for their attention. It is important to ensure that campaigns are eye-catching and inventive, but most of all relevant, to stand the best chance of achieving brand stand-out.
- Tap into new technologies and trends
Media multitaskers are technologically savvy and likely to be early adopters of new technology. To develop campaigns that appeal to this market, it is important to stay on top of what trends are ‘hot’ and how they might evolve in the future.
- Location, location, location
Media multitaskers are leading the way in the development of mobile internet devices and are accessing the web from a widening spectrum of locations and handsets. Bear this in mind when developing campaigns – the opportunity is there to target media multitaskers via the online medium while they are at a fixed point or on the move.
- Timing can be everything
While they are heavy users of the internet generally, media multitaskers are most likely to go online during the evening. This is worth bearing in mind when planning the execution of a campaign as they are a captive and engaged audience.
- Understand how the media multitasker and their use of media is evolving
The media multitasker is already a heavily engaged internet user and it is important for advertisers to understand how their simultaneous consumption of media is evolving and becoming more complex. The internet now offers a much more varied environment where multitaskers are making the most of information, communication and commerce opportunities.
- Communicate to convert
Media multitaskers are heavily influenced by “word of web” (word of mouth online) and look to the websites of well-known brands, price comparison sites, expert comments and reviews online to provide them with the information they need to form an opinion – especially when looking to buy online. It is important that your brand, product or service has the right online presence and is well represented in internet conversations because this will help drive sales.
- Monitor and manage brand reputation
The rise of ‘word of web’ gives media multitaskers more power to communicate their own thoughts and opinions online and means that brands can be both heralded and criticised more easily. It is therefore important to be aware of how your brand is being represented and discussed online and to learn how to manage this effectively.
- Look for learnings
Online advertising benefits from its ability to be targeted, timely and relevant. Brands are increasingly pushing the boundaries of creativity, innovation and results through effective internet marketing. Look at how others are using the internet for inspiration.
I was amused the other evening to receive a phone call from a telemarketer selling car insurance. Normally these calls send my blood boiling, and cause me to rant prolific that “I never asked to be called”. However, the voice at the other end was a reassuringly pleasant Brummy tone that I recognised well, as my family originates from that region.
After a few minutes of sales pitch, I politely said no thank you, and asked what part of the Midlands the caller was from. She replied, “Walsall”, and I asked what the weather was like up there (a traditional Brummy passtime). Her reply astonished me: “Oh, I don’t live there any more – I was made redundant a year ago, and I’ve moved to Mumbai to join this call centre… there just aren’t enough jobs back in England…”.
So, there you have it. Britain’s latest export success story – having outsourced and off-shored all the jobs, we are now off-shoring all our people.
So next time you get a familiar accent on the phone, don’t assume they are just down the road – they may be one of the increasing numbers of Britain’s off-shoring themselves in pursuit of the ever decreasing number of jobs.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) helps your website be recognised by the life-blood of the internet. Search engines, such as Google, Microsoft Bing and Yahoo index the content of your site to make it searchable by customers. Indexing allows your site to be ‘tuned’ to improve its ranking against similar sites, achieving a higher order in the search results of the targeted search engine. Statistics show that most customers rarely look beyond the first few pages of results, and it is generally accepted that a ‘1st page ranking’ is a necessity to maximise your presence on the internet.
The key driver behind SEO is to increase traffic to your site. The more people that can find your site, the more potential customers you will reach. Advertising also plays an important role. The wider your site is advertised, the better your customer base, and ultimately the higher your page ranking will be.
As search engines constantly modify the way they index websites, SEO is a continuously evolving service. As well as improving the volume and quality of traffic to your website we advocate the use of best ‘white-hat’ ['white-hat' practices refer to the use of non-abusive techniques to gain higher rankings. Some practices ('black-hat') are considered abusive by search engines, and the detection of these practices in use on your site could lead to your site being permanently blocked from results.] practices available.
As more high streets see the demise of shops, consumers are increasingly turning to the internet to purchase their goods. Evident from the latest BRC[British Retail Consortium] statistics, overall high street sales have fallen by 0.8% over last year compared to online stores which are continuing to outperform traditional retailers with a 7.6% rise in sales over the last three months.
Today, consumers want to shop and find information easily and from anywhere in the world. You don’t even have to leave your sofa to do your grocery shopping, and it even gets delivered to your kitchen!
With the current economic climate studies have shown that consumers are still spending, but looking for the right product at the right price. eMarketing is a proven form of advertising that gets your message to your customers at the right time. Sending consumer’s information, whether in a monthly newsletter or as a promotional email will prompt them to act on the offer and become interested in your business, rather than waiting for them to actively search for it.
Convenience is what consumers are looking for and the internet fits that need. If you have a service to offer or a product to sell re-evaluate your marketing budget and invest in a website. Investing in such a powerful business tool isn’t just cost effective but increases customer awareness of your business, reaching thousands of potential customers, worldwide. With so many companies vying for business a website is paramount in today’s market.
The simple answer to this question is “everyone”, isn’t it? Well, certainly there are no limits on who can have a website – availability and costs are such now that anyone could find a package to suit them. But that doesn’t answer the question. Who should have a website?
Maybe this question is pointing more to the suitability of websites, rather than availability. A website should aim to provide a business with a complimentary service, or in some cases to be the whole business. The suitability starts to break when the website starts to restrict the business in some way: an example being a local fitness centre, unable to sell treatment packages in store as the websites special offers couldn’t be put through the till.
Examples such as this are sometimes bad design, sometimes bad planning, and sometimes completely avoidable, but it highlights the need to ask the question: “is this suitable for your business?”, and the answer should be listened to carefully. A website should be there to enhance a business.
