Most Marketing Sucks, But Yours Doesn’t Have To

I know that headline might come off a little strong, but the data doesn’t lie. According to a survey conducted by research firm Kantar, as much as eight out of ten people said that ads are annoying, and according to Inc., 96% of consumers don’t trust ads. Nowadays, your average consumer is savvy and discerning, and they know when they’re being sold to. So much so that people are finding new ways to avoid seeing advertisements, from paying for ad-free content to downloading ad blocking tools in their browsers. According to Hootsuite, as many as 38.8% of Americans use ad blockers; that’s dramatically impacting the reach brands can have when trying to reach their audience via digital marketing channels.

So why does marketing get such a bad rap?

It’s too pushy and intrusive, and there’s way too much of it

The average American is exposed to anywhere between 4,000-10,000 ads per day, and these ads show up everywhere we turn. Many consumers find the inescapability of these advertisements intrusive into their lives, especially when so much advertising now relies on the personal data of consumers.

Messaging is inauthentic or irrelevant

So much marketing messaging is created solely to sell rather than provide value. That might sound obvious - of course marketing messaging is meant to sell, what else would it do? But that thinking is short-sighted. The marketing content you create should feed into cultivating your entire brand, showcasing the value you can provide your consumers, and therefore fostering loyalty among your audience.

Incorrectly playing to the algorithm
The algorithms that drive search engines and social media sites are extremely complex and well-designed to help users find the type of content that is more relevant to them. It’s difficult to optimize your content for the algorithm effectively, and plenty of people do it completely wrong. Some of the practices that inexperienced marketers use (such as keyword stuffing, an attempt to manipulate search rankings with repeated uses of words or phrases) are extremely outdated and when utilized, only serve to dilute the quality of content that is out there.

What can you do about it?

Be genuine and embrace your authenticity

I’ve written previously about the importance of brand authenticity, especially among younger generations of consumers. Before you even think about what types of content you want to use to advertise your brand, take a step back and think about what your brand stands for. That brand mission should drive your marketing tactics and will help you garner loyalty among an increasingly astute consumer base.

Provide valuable content

Any marketing content you put out there should provide some value to the consumer - otherwise, why would they interact with it? This could be content that provides thought leadership on a specific topic, a tutorial, or a free product offering. Be thoughtful when putting this content out there; consumers are smart and know the difference between gimmicky marketing and authentic value-adds. When you provide value to your consumers, you’re continuing to build up your brand’s reputation which will serve you in the long-run.

Less is more

Many brands subscribe to the belief that the more marketing you put out there, the more likely you are to succeed in driving conversion rates. However, when a brand embraces providing true value to their consumers, they can be confident that the content they’re putting out there is having a stronger and more positive impact to their brand reputation than intrusive or spammy marketing efforts. A single, valuable piece of marketing content will do much more to garner loyalty than multiple and potentially annoying touchpoints.

Building a brand in the current digital marketing environment is no small feat. There are millions of competing touchpoints for your target audience, and it can be difficult to stand out. My key piece of advice is this: be confident in your brand’s mission and exemplify that in every piece of your marketing efforts. This authenticity will go a long way in helping your brand build reputation, credibility, and loyalty among your consumers.