Running alongside all this planning and thought, the companies which often receive the most attention are the ones which are up to speed with their ‘real time marketing’ and ready to pounce on opportunities, as and when they appear.
Real time marketing refers to the practice of creating and delivering relevant and timely marketing messages or campaigns to target audiences based on current events, trends or customer behaviours. It often involves leveraging social media platforms, newsjacking and monitoring real-time conversations and trends.
There are many examples over the years of some of the world’s biggest brands reacting to something which has happened unexpectedly. Much-quoted is when the lights went out at the Mercedes-Benz-Superdome in New Orleans during the Super Bowl and, within minutes, Oreo tweeted a simple image of one of its well-known biscuits against a dark background with the phrase ‘you can still dunk in the dark’.
If you need to be onboard with real time marketing, you should to be ready to respond to news or something in the media, which might happen unexpectedly. It’s important to acknowledge that not all news happens within a 9-5 window, so you’ll need to establish if members of your marketing team are happy to potentially respond to events outside of their typical working hours.
Embracing real time marketing also means being flexible and ready to adjust your advertising budgets or marketing plans, in response to changing market conditions.
Most brands which are adept at real time marketing are good at social media monitoring and ready to respond before their competitors do. It’s worth making a note of hashtags you might want to follow and keeping an eye on trending topics. You might also consider setting Google alerts on particular words or phrases – depending on what our business is involved with.
While businesses need to be brave, they shouldn’t be foolhardy… It’s sensible not to get carried away and share messaging which isn’t consistent with your brand’s overall image. It’s important to make the right impression – while still grasping that opportunity.
Of course, not all events are a surprise – there are plenty of events which might happen or are, indeed, more likely to happen. These things could include an unusually hot or cold snap or a celebrity birth.
If you are involved in a business which would benefit from a change in temperature, then it’s worth having some content ready to share if and when this happens – so you’re not caught off guard. For example, a business selling ice cream, beer or paddling pools would be advised to have content ready for when the temperature hots up.
🤤 Mmmmm got your attention?!
If brands are brave and quick enough on their feet to seize an opportunity, it allows for a more personalised approach. Here at Target Ink, we could have landing pages or pre-approved content ready to publish to link to your real time marketing campaign.
Media channels will have pre-prepared obituaries for famous people that can be released at the touch of a button… It can back fire though… In 2014, an obituary for the actor Kirk Douglas was inadvertently published on the People magazine website with ‘Do Not Publish’ still attached… In the event, he died at the grand age of 103 in February 2020.
Get in touch to find out how Target Ink can support you to make the most of your real time marketing.
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