Every so often the marketing world gets itself a new buzzword. Some stick. Some don’t.
Actionable analytics.
Brand identity.
Content is king.
And more recently: Surround sound marketing.
What’s Surround Sound Marketing?
While the phrase surround sound marketing is somewhat more recently catching fire, the actual concept of this form of marketing isn’t brand new. In fact, one could say it’s simply a perfect way to describe what effective marketing in the digital age is meant to be.
In other words, surround sound marketing is good content marketing. And really, it’s what it sounds like. Filled out messaging coming from different directions, all adding important elements and reaching the customer no matter where they’re in their customer journey.
Be The Brand That Always Shows Up
An effective content marketing strategy will always need to pay attention to where the customer is and how they interact with that space. Why? Because your brand needs to show up everywhere your target consumer is showing up. But you also can’t be there ready for a dance party when the room is set up for debate club.
We’re waist-deep in the digital age of consumerism. Customer’s research products and services online. They read through “Top 10” lists, watch review videos on YouTube and browse recommended products on Instagram feeds.
The customer pathway starts in places seemingly outside your brand’s realm of control. However, a surround sound content marketing program means showing up in every single one of those places without fail.
How to Start a Surround Sound Marketing Program
Step One: Customer Mapping
Before you really launch any new marketing strategy, you’ll want to begin or review your customer journey map. Begin by conducting mixed-method research to gather information from and about your consumers. This can come in the form of customer surveys and user interviews. Additionally, it’s tracking and collecting analytics on all of your current sites and marketing programs.
Going directly to the customer and asking questions is going to unlock a lot of doors in terms of how to attract new customers. Once you’ve gathered the information you can develop a clear visualization of your customer’s current behaviors.
This will allow you to maximize your current touchpoints as well as see where you need to make adjustments.
Step Two: Keyword Research and Optimization
Once you’ve developed a firm understanding of the customer journey, you can start diving into how to guide them along to the desired outcome. With a computer in every pocket, the beginning is going to include searching online for how to do something or what they’re looking for.
- What’s the best social media platform for a nonprofit?
- Marketing strategy help
- Content writers hire
To make this work for your brand, you’ll want to develop a list of keywords your potential customers will be using. These are your customer product exploration keywords. It’s what your customer types in that can lead to you!
They may not know your brand (yet). They may not know what your offer (yet). But you can get yourself introduced by ensuring you show up in the results of their search.
This is what’s known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It’s making sure when Suzy Q searches for organic natural facewash your organic beauty brand is top of the list. SEO is going to be at the core of making a surround sound marketing strategy work. It’s the keystone piece.
There are a lot of different methods and strategies for SEO. It begins with generating accurate keywords but it comes down to the effectiveness of those keywords in use with your content.
Step Three: Content Creation
You can know all the keywords that bring the consumers to the yard but if the quality isn’t there, they’re going to bounce. You need to prioritize energy into creating engaging and relevant content. This includes your product pages and web copy. But, the emphasis is on content that’s useful and engaging in its own right while it nudges customers along.
A surround sound system isn’t blaring the same sound from every speaker around the room. Some speakers add the base to an explosion, others handle the dialogue while another plays the epic movie soundtrack. They work together to build a larger message while individually doing their part.
This is why a fitness company selling equipment has a blog sharing healthy recipes, basic workout technics or even favorite playlists. They might make Instagram Reels to share short workout videos using their products and issue funny workout dance challenges.
This content doesn’t directly bring in money. However, the customer who’s interested in the products is the same person who’d be looking for healthy food ideas.
While brands have to be in a lot of places at once, you have a lot more opportunities to creatively engage customers. Be it a video, a blog, or a funny tweet war, every piece of content is creating the perfect surround sound.
Step Four: Partner Up
Part of creating content is by partnering with other people to include you in their content. This is why influencers became a thing. The beauty business uses YouTube make-up artists to review and show new products all of the time. And it works.
How this might work for you might look different. You might partner with another company asking them to review your services in their blog. Or you could guest write an article to be featured on an industry news outlet.
If you want to meet your customer literally everywhere in their world, you’ll need to make connections and ask. Don’t leave opportunity up to chance because what other people say about your brand matters to your customer.
StellaPop Can Make it Happen
From Customer mapping to SEO to partnering with others, marketing strategies and their execution can seem daunting. Or at the very least, it’s time-consuming. StellaPop offers full marketing and social media services as well as branding and design. We can help with everything from research and positioning as part of our integrated marketing strategy services as well as client persona development.
This is your brand, your business. But you don’t have to do it alone.
See Also:
Retargeting Advertising 101: Why Retargeting is Essential for Your Marketing
Brand Building: When to Start the Rebranding Process and Revive Your Business