In
today’s world of constant communication, media penetration and digital
advancements, a person could feel a bit, well, overwhelmed. There are so many
ways to reach someone. Me? I have one home phone, one work phone, two mobile
phones, one Skype account, two electronic fax numbers, five active social media
profiles, six email addresses, six instant messaging accounts. . . and a
partridge in a pear tree. . .
otherwise known as Twitter. So how
does someone get my attention? And, how do I stay engaged? And, what
communication influences my decisions? A starting point is messaging relevance.
Content
must be relevant to be interesting and captivating. The best example, often
cited, is Amazon’s recommendations. After buying many books on the site, I now
have a seemingly unending supply of possible choices, recommended just for me.
But this technology is not limited to just purchasing decisions, today
behavioral targeting is everywhere. As the technology for tracking Internet
usage has evolved, the ability to tailor messaging to very specific segmented
audiences has become extensive. Big brother-ish? Yes. But from a consumer point
of view, relevant content is much more engaging. And as a marketer, it allows me to specifically customize
campaigns to meet my client’s needs. So the reach an ad will have is far more
targeted with the results far more cost effective. A win all around!
We
are all accustomed to communicating at an entirely different level. In an October 2011 The Global Media Intelligence
Report, Emarketer emphasizes this trend, stating “… the average consumer is
an experienced multitasker, accustomed to using several media platforms every
day—often simultaneously. For advertisers, success … depends on mastering the
increasingly complex interaction between multiple strands of marketing. . .”
Just like me and my many touchpoints! There doesn’t seem to be a good statistic on how many
ads/messages an average person sees a day—references quote figures from 500 to
5,000—either way, it’s a lot. So it’s important to cut through the clutter.
It’s imperative to ensure the right message is available in the right medium.
And, what’s right? Well, that’s different depending on each individual.
So how do you get your ad
noticed and in front of the right candidate? Sure you can target ads by the
usual demographics and segmentations, but you can also target specifically
based on what candidates do on the Internet, what they search for, websites
they visit frequently, what companies they like, who they are friends with,
etc.; it goes on and on. So we as marketers can deliver the right message to
the right candidate in the right place—increasing the success of the campaign. And,
thereby ensuring a better qualified and more engaged candidate. But once we’ve
engaged them, what happens next? How do we keep them engaged with all of these
messaging channels to consider? How does an organization successfully converge
online and offline messaging strategies and communications tactics to deliver a
seamless communication to the right candidates at the right time? It’s a
challenging proposition and one that requires consideration of the relevance of
each contact point and the relevance of the content delivered. As marketers, we
know how to deliver the right message to the right person, and we know the
added value lies in ensuring the candidates have the communications options
available to them that they have come to expect. Multiple messaging channels
need to be made available so that candidates can choose their preferred method of
outreach. Whether it is via email, tweet or text, a phone call or a coffee
break, to recruit the high caliber talent in this difficult labor market,
organizations need to be nimble enough to respond to these varying
communications needs. And ensure they have the right tools, and resources, in
place to enable their recruiters.
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