How we do it and why it works.
We’re a Swiss Army knife.
When we sit down with a client for the first time, we’re looking to answer two things – who is this client and what do they need? Once we answer that, our Swiss Army knife shines bright. Whether it’s our owned and operated products like ad space on AL.com or sponsorship of an AMG-produced video, we can often times craft smart solutions with the tools housed right under our roof. Other times, our products and audiences may not be the perfect fit. In those instances, we utilize technology and partnerships we have to build the kind of custom marketing solution the client needs.
There’s nothing cookie-cutter about our campaigns. They’re tailored to you. Combine all those things with the one thing that makes our box of tools more special – the people behind them – and you have a recipe for success for our clients. But more on that later. Let’s look at how we build a great campaign.
Marketing is storytelling.
First, what is the story? Second, who needs to hear that story (segmentation)? Then we look at past experience to remind us how we reach these people (al.com audience), or how we reach those people (extended reach network) – as a publisher, we have proprietary audiences that simply can’t be accessed anywhere else – so whatever your audience need, we have them.
Then we look at the other tools in the Swiss Army Knife. If we need content marketing, site content, commercial video or anything else, we can produce it. Next we look at the kind of partner you need or want us to be. We act a lot like an agency for some of our clients (except we don’t nickel and dime you for creative or bill you hourly for setting up analytics). For other client’s we can be super hands-on when you need us, and super hands-off when you don’t.
What does good marketing storytelling look like? Let’s consider some examples.
Our ability to help clients challenge the status quo is one of the things that makes us a better partner. We’re not order-takers. In order for us to be a good partner for you, we’ve got to challenge you and tell you why a strategy will or won’t work. We have to put your goals at the center of what we do. Your job is to run your business the best you can. Our job is to be a strong, consultative partner in your marketing efforts.
We’ve had big success with a major grocery retailer with a North and Central Alabama footprint. After digging in with the client on their goals, we settled on running a multi-tactical digital campaign that’s built around recipes which we highlight through content marketing, high impact units on AL.com, and videos on AL.com. When setting up the goals for the campaign, instead of focusing on the metrics of importance three years ago (a high CTR), the client was savvy enough to shift their metrics strategy to something really unique – they focused on video and content engagement. Their content strategy addressed all segments of customers they have – from the busy mom looking for dinner and value, to the single millennial who shops one meal at a time. In the end, it worked so well, the client signed back on and increased their budget with us.
Another example of smart storytelling is around an orthopedic surgery practice. In assessing the client’s goals we opted to pivot their strategy from tactical SEO building to monthly blogging around relevant ortho topics that we knew people were searching for – from senior living and hip replacements, to tips for keeping your child safe during football season. We tied that content to a distribution strategy through social media – letting us target individual market segments – and we had a winning combination.
Bottom line, you can’t afford not to have us in your corner.
First, we’ll admit we certainly have a technology edge on certain platforms, and we have serious extra bench strength thanks to the Advance Local network we’re a part of. But honestly, by and large our tools are similar to everyone else’s, however sharper or more fine-tuned they may be. What really makes us special though, is the team that’s behind all of this.
Our Client Success Team is a different kind of special. They’re the gears behind our campaigns. They know how to take these marketing tools, and tool-them-together in a way that simply makes them work better than they do anywhere else. This team is behind the walls focused on one thing – the success of your campaign. They’re constantly asking, “what makes this campaign successful” and they’re optimizing your campaigns to make sure it is. Whether your campaign goals are determined by impressions, click-thru, engagement or views, reaching those goals is entirely dictated by all of those things moving in harmony. Our client success team makes sure it happens.
What makes us good is we know how to accomplish our client’s marketing goals. What makes us great is our people. If you’re already a client, thank you for your partnership. For everyone else, it’s time we talked.
