Editorial Articles

We all love a good old fashioned email joke; if it’s funny enough, we’ll happily forward it to family, friends and colleagues. And if its not, it’s quickly consigned to the (digital) bin. The same can be true for all manner of emails we receive, from interesting and enlightening content to more practical information like special offers and vouchers. If we like it, we’ll share it with those who we think might like it too. If we don’t, we won’t. Simple. 

It’s no wonder that social networking has made such a massive impact in such a short space of time, because of the ease at which we can share more than just email contact. Sites like Facebook (which has just passed 500 million users globally) have revolutionised the way many of us interact with our pool of contacts, giving us a dedicated platform from which we can wax lyrical about our likes and dislikes, and share everything from funny film clips and holiday photos to bite-sized updates about the minutiae of our lives.

Brands have very quickly cottoned on to the power of social media, many investing heavily in engagement programmes with the aim of using the growing web of personal consumer networks to spread positive brand messages, connect with customers and ultimately sell more products. But I’d argue that while social media, if harnessed well, can be an important part of the mix, there are other opportunities for brands to access and interact with personal networks which have the potential to be even more lucrative.

A widely overlooked example would be for brands to target consumers in the workplace. Just because an individual is sat behind a desk doesn’t make them any less of a target for consumer brands. Indeed, there’s growing evidence that many of us will make buying decisions and resulting purchases when sat in front of our computer at work, because of the ease at which we can access information and ecommerce tools. Research has shown that lunchtime and the well noted afternoon ‘dip’ in productivity at around 3pm are key times for workers to move their focus away from the tasks of the day.

Even this simplest of insight, if combined with a base level understanding of an individual, can drive personal and targeted marketing engagement. If a consumer brand can identify a consumer at their place of work and market to them effectively (perhaps using email, or by sending them printed material in the post), it has the opportunity to benefit from the optimum combination of relevance (of content) and timing.

And what’s more, hitting a customer in their place of work presents the brand with an opportunity to engage with their personal network. Physical marketing material could be passed to colleagues; email forwarded to family and friends. But what is most pertinent here is the ability of the individual to filter the brand messages they receive, in order to pass on information and offers to their personal network, based on relevance to each ‘contact’. Unlike social media, which arguably bombards everyone connected to the individual with the same ‘forwarded’ content, the fact an individual hand picks what they share and to whom can elevate and amplify a brand’s communications.

The rush to embrace social media has meant many brands have ignored creativity in other areas of their marketing communications. But a little lateral thinking, as in the case of targeting ‘consumers’ in the workplace, could lead to exciting opportunities which, while not strictly ‘social media’, embrace and maximise the potential within an individual’s personal network.

Nick Washbourne
Business Development Director, Market Location