Do’s and Don’ts of Successful Engagement Marketing
First off, let’s start by defining “engagement marketing” – this is a marketing tactic that has blossomed in recent years due to social media and certain brands, companies, and even NGO’s are taking advantage. People want to show that they are a fan of something or that they support a cause, how do they do this? Via social media of course. All the raw material is there, it’s just a matter of knowing what to do with it.
DO: 
Keep it simple! In order to get the most amount of people to participate, make the engagement as easy as possible. The most recent example of this would be the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The concept is foolproof. Everyone can get a bucket of ice water and dump it on their heads. The reactions are humorous, it is something that anyone can do, people can call out one another to take the challenge, and it promotes donating to the cause (ALS).
DON’T:
Be afraid to shoot for the stars. Literally – it may seem like a long shot to get a household name like Oprah or Leonardo DiCaprio to take part in engagement marketing, but it’s not impossible! There’s nothing better than gaining a new brand ambassador from your engagement marketing strategy. Some of the most famous examples of this are Jennifer Hudson for Weight Watchers, Emma Watson for the UN and countless celebrities for campaigns such as Got Milk? and PETA’s “I’d rather be naked than wear fur” campaign.
DO: 
Plan for failure. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries before your strategy sticks. Don’t consider it a huge loss, just make small adjustments and try again. Take a good look at what works and what doesn’t. One way to understand why your engagement marketing may not be taking hold is to get a test group of people to try it out amongst their friends and family for a week and then analyze the results.
DON’T:
Overload your message. This applies to all marketing strategies. Figure out what your core message is and stick to it! If you’re a small business perhaps your goal is to reach out to your niche market and gain a larger following. If you’re part of an NGO, your goal will most likely be to raise awareness and prompt people to participate in fund-raising.
DO:
Prepare for next year. Regardless of the success of your campaign, make sure that you have a plan in place for next year. Make a list of mistakes that need to be fixed (ie. not enough social media involvement) and come up with a new concept. Using engagement marketing as an annual tool to boost sales or awareness is a great tactic. Just look at the success of Starbucks bringing back the Pumpkin Spice Latte every year – it’s made to be a huge event and it’s all over social media every year.
Do you enjoy engagement marketing? Tell us in the comments section!
