The value of consistent messaging

The value of consistent messaging

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A new client recently asked me to review their communications strategy.

At the time, their big push was a food drive at a local event. They wanted to fill a food pantry as well as raise awareness in the community. They were using email marketing, online advertising, traditional local print ads, and local PR. These were great ways to get the word out to the right audience. But then their strategy went off the rails.

Their emails and ads all had different calls to action. Some said, “Donate.” Others said, “Give.” Still others: “Make a difference.” Most people need to hear the same message seven times before they remember it, and if that message is not consistent, it will not stick. Decide on an effective call to action and then stick with it. Repeat it over and over, in a variety of channels. Let the message come from different places, but the message itself should always be the same.

This consistency needs to carry through to your visuals as well. If your email is linking to a web page, be sure that the email and the web page have a consistent look. The person needs immediate reassurance that they’ve arrived in the right place. Colors, visuals, and mood should all support your messaging and your call to action.

 

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Facebook income targeting: how accurate is it, and does it work?

Facebook income targeting: how accurate is it, and does it work?

Jennifer Lawrence stars as 'Katniss Everdeen' in THE HUNGER GAMES.

It’s tempting to target ads based on income. After all, if you are selling high-end items, you may want to pursue those with the means directly. I have never trusted this data and believe I have now confirmed my cynicism here.

I always suspected that users would not volunteer this info and, in fact, they don’t. According to Facebook: “Income is either consumer self-reported through a survey or estimated based on a variety of demographic data such as age, occupation, home ownership, and a median income for the local area., provided by Acxiom.” Is the data they cull accurate? It’s impossible to know.

However, a client of mine recently ran some ads which targeted high income individuals specifically. I have never seen ads perform so poorly.

So I don’t know if the income data Facebook possesses is accurate. I do, however, have preliminary proof that this type of targeting does not work well. I would much rather use a lookalike audience to reach new potential customers.

Call viewers to action with Facebook video ads

Facebook video ads are a wonderful, inexpensive, and effective way to get the word out about your product, service, or idea. One of the best things about them is you can add a call to action at the end. With just a click, viewers will be brought directly to any web page you specify.

But there are two important things to be aware of: 1. you must set these up in Power Editor (for which you must use Google Chrome). Otherwise, your carefully crafted calls to action will disappear; and 2. if you set the ad up in Power Editor, it can only be 60 seconds long.