The CWA Eye: Is it me you’re looking for?

Reaching target audiences effectively remains one of the biggest marketing pain-points for so many brands.

Could 2023 be the year in which companies approach this challenge differently? The CWA team certainly thinks the obstacle will be at the top of priority lists when it comes to effective social media, website content and digital events.

Our forward-thinking experts share their thoughts on how 2023 could change the way brands interact with audiences.

Social media is your friend, not your enemy

Claire, one of our talented designers, understands the power that social media will play in strengthening a brand’s awareness and reaching new audiences when getting the targeting right. Claire comments: “Brand presence on social media and the internet is absolutely essential. The majority of customers will have touchpoints most days either personally or through work and therefore it is one of the best ways to push your end goal. A strong grounding with continuity and familiarity is a necessity, and consistent design is an absolute must for the reader to gain trust and awareness of your brand. I feel creating and following brand guidelines meticulously will help achieve this.

“We need to delve into the depths of what makes a brand click. Social posts need to catch the eye and spark the reader’s interest instantly as they scroll. Social media is a busy world, so standing out from the crowd with something new, unique, funny, or provocative is a constant challenge in getting ahead of the pack.”

It all falls down to your website

It’s no lie that the world is now in our hands and information is at our fingertips. The world wide web is a great way to find a new product, service or brand, especially if you have no prior knowledge.

Mark, one of our skilled web developers, knows all too well the importance of keeping your website optimised and up to date to ensure you’re consistently reaching new audiences. He said: “A brand's online presence can have a massive impact on its success: your website is your one leader in finding audiences that have zero ideas on who you are. For 2023, I feel keeping your website properly optimised especially in a way of accessibility will be key in ensuring you reach new audiences. This means ensuring that your pages are designed and structured in a way that can be easily understood by visually impaired users, which has the added benefit of it being easier for search engines to understand your page content.

“It's also going to be important to make sure that the text on the page is worth reading. There's no point having a page with the perfect word count if it's just a list of buzzwords you think ‘will rank’. Search engines are smart enough to pick up on that kind of thing now, and if anything will penalise you for trying to over-optimise the page.”

Being there without actually being there

The value of face-to-face interaction will never go away. If anything, we think it will come back with a vengeance this year. But if the pandemic has shown us anything it’s the value of interacting with the people that aren’t just in the room.

Myles, our events specialist and account director, affirms: “As a full-service agency, we’re in the enviable position where we can build bespoke platforms in-house that suit the needs of both the client and ourselves in terms of functionality and user experience. In the case of events, we have been able to leverage the knowledge of our experts, video and digital to build an in-house platform that could extend our audience beyond just the physical attendees. With this hybrid event solution, we will be able to not only present our client's events to a bigger and more global audience, but also offer them the convenience to attend and engage when it suits them.”

Time to explore

There are many ways to reach your new audiences regardless of the sector you work in. Designer Claire proposes a few thoughts: “Technology is ever-evolving, so having awareness of how we can get ahead of the game, learning new programmes, exploring new social channels etc is an avenue we should constantly pursue.

“Construction and travel affect everyone in some form or another. Brainstorming a brief with people from different circles of knowledge can create something special. The skill will be in being less conventional, thinking further and harder and learning not to be afraid to speak out with different ideas that may push the boundaries. No idea is a bad idea, as one spark can lead to something far bigger and better. For example, turning negatives into positives... working with strikes, closures due to weather, and dips in the economy. Don’t hide from real issues that affect real people on a daily basis as that is what matters to your audience and this is how they can connect with you.”

CWA’s overarching thoughts on how you can reach a new audience this year: 

• Step outside of the box… If you want to stand out and attract people to your brand you have to be willing to be a bit more unconventional. Audiences aren’t as drawn in by standard adverts or leaflets anymore, we live in the world of ‘clickbait’ – whilst that’s not always necessarily a good thing, it certainly halts you in your tracks.
  
  
• Optimise, optimise, optimise… Make sure you optimise your website for SEO. You want your content to be the first thing that comes up during a Google search, or as close to. Keywords are important and using them correctly could be the difference between a customer finding you first rather than your competitor.
• Take your events hybrid… Gone are the days of needing to push a 100 people into a room to enjoy a successful event – yes face-to-face is always king, it doesn’t mean that is the only avenue to take. With this hybrid event solution, you will be able to not only present your events to a larger audience, but you can do it at a time that suits them.

Catch up with the full series of The CWA Eye on our social media channels now. And if you are currently planning your marketing spend for the year, your digital or website plans or perhaps your event calendars, don’t be shy about reaching out to us for support. We think we might even be able to give you a new idea or two... Drop us a message.