The Future of Marketing: Cling to Your Core and Your Customers

Robin Fisher Roffer is a marketing force to be reckoned with.

She’s crafted campaigns for brands people use and rely on every day. CNN using their Gulf War moment to launch into the permanent limelight? Her lightbulb. The evolution of the FX brand? Yep, hers, too. Bloomberg Television’s web expansion? Uh huh.

And, oh yeah, she’s written a few books on branding.

But perhaps most amazingly, she made a PowerPoint presentation delivered to a roomful of people sitting in uncomfortable chairs at the Custom Content Council Conference in Charleston today absolutely captivating.

Robin‘s message?  Put your audience in the center of everything you do, serve them, and build loyalty by making them the hero in your brand story.

She outlines a four-pronged approach for engaging your audience that she calls her “four sparks”:

1. Declare the big idea

Boil your brand down to its bare essence and figure out what it is you’re really selling. Find out what your audience likes most about you and put your marketing muscle behind that. Hang your hat on the one thing your organization really stands for and build around it. Sometimes your brand’s mission might not come to the surface until a crisis hits.

Your audience likes you for a reason. Is it breaking news? Thoughtful features? Industry analysis? Figure out what your audience values and make that your mission or tagline.

2. Celebrate the audience

“The main character in any brand’s story has got to be the audience. But how many times do you see the product being the main story,” asks Roffer.

Use your content to make your audience the center of attention and celebrate their life and their work and embrace them in every way you can.

3. Motivate fans to create content

Allow your audience to have a real voice and participate in creating content around your organization. They have a voice, give them a microphone. This helps to ensure you’re putting them at the center, and your goal is serving them.

• Invite them – actually invite them – to create content
• Make it fun, simple and easy to share
• Be on trend – relate your idea to pop culture
• Reward participation

4. Evolve to increase relevance

Evolution is essential to survival. But so is staying true to your organization’s essence. Roffer’s tips?

• Don’t blow everything up and start over
• Observe what’s working and what’s not
• Build on the brand’s strengths and successes
• Reflect the brand’s true nature

Loyalty is the result of celebrating your audience. And to celebrate your audience is to serve.

[image: binaph]

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