It was somewhere high over the Atlantic in the middle of a 14 plus hour flight that I had a realization. Despite all the new technologies, channels of communication, devices and touchpoints at our disposal, one important thing hasn't changed, and that's our job as marketers.
It's still our responsibility to get the message out to the masses, but we must motivate individuals to take our desired actions.
What has changed -- and it's a fundamental shift -- is the amount of control the consumer has today. No longer content to ride along in the bed of the pickup, our target audience is now firmly planted in the front seat of the truck, and they're deciding how, when and where they spend time with us.
With newfound control comes new expectations. According to BusinessWeek, the average consumer is exposed to an average 600-3,000 paid pitches a day, which makes for a lot of clutter. The person who chooses to come to accept your invitation wants to be rewarded for spending time with your brand. Some want to be entertained. Some informed. Some may even want to participate. But the one thing they all have in common is the desire to be asked to take part and express their opinions.
It's our job to extend the invitation, and that means it's time to start thinking about invitation marketing.
It's personal
This realization came on my way to Jordan, where I'd been invited to participate in the Women Business Leaders Summit in partnership with the U.S. Department of State. Accepting the invitation meant I was willing to invest a great deal of personal time and effort to take part. Since it was for a cause that I feel very strongly about, I didn't think twice before accepting the invitation.
The truth is, I felt honored to be invited to participate in this event, and the same holds true for invitation marketing. It's your job to make the consumer feel special about the invitation.
We all know how disappointing it is to arrive at an event only to discover that it's nothing more than a cattle call. Keep this in mind when you're creating your advertising destination by making sure every individual you invite to the party feels like they're being recognized personally.
Start by making them feel at home
One of the events I attended in Jordan was a reception at the home of former Jordanian Ambassador Karim Kawar and his wife, Luma. I was one of many invitees, but I immediately felt recognized as an individual when I was greeted at the door by a man in traditional garb who offered me a small but ornate cup of strong, spiced coffee. I was even instructed on how to hold the cup to let the man know if I wanted more, or was finished.
The way you greet the consumer who comes to spend time with your brand is equally important. My Jordanian host was able to use sight, scent, sound, taste and touch to create an immediate impression. Online, while we might not have every one of those senses at our disposal, we can make the most of the ones we're capable of reaching.
Make them comfortable
The former ambassador and his wife went to great lengths to make sure we all felt at ease in their home, even going so far as to tent off the patio for our comfort.
Do the same for your own invitees. Make it easy for them to find what they came for. Anticipate any questions they might have, and address them up front. Keep your navigation intuitive, so they don't get lost. Because the more comfortable you make your guests, the better their experience will be… and the more likely they are to come back the next time you extend an invitation.
Let your personality show
One of the things I enjoy the most when I'm invited into someone's home is the insight that can be gained from seeing someone's personal space. Photos of friends and family and personal objects on display all tell a story, and they make you feel as if you know the host a little better.
Clients sometimes question the value of having things like games, music or video on their site. It's our job to remind them that, when done correctly, these can be an important part of the personality of your brand. A game that provides your guest with a fun experience, a video that entertains for 30 seconds can say more about your brand than pages of copy. Don't be afraid to let your personality show.
Engage your guests
When someone says buffet to me, the first thing I think of is a cafeteria line, where you serve yourself up some chicken fried steak and move on.
My Jordanian hosts changed all that. While the dinner was offered buffet style, they took the time to tell everyone about the traditions behind all the food. They started a dialogue, which made all the guests feel like participants. We were engaged.
Engagement is an equally important part of our jobs. Give them compelling detours. Make the experience immersive. Let them start a dialogue with other guests. Because when the consumer is making the choice to spend time with your brand, it's important that you make that experience fulfilling. And the more time spent with your brand, the better.
Who's on top?
A customer that chooses to make time for your brand is an engaged audience. If you can make the experience compelling, they're willing to listen to your story.
They're also more likely to put you in their top of mind and top of consideration. Impress them, and they'll become brand advocates.
Media and marketing isn't about bombardment, intrusion or bandwidth. It's about a relationship. And it all starts with a simple invitation.
An afterthought
Sitting on a camel as surly and crusty as any grizzled Texas ranch hand, I received an email from someone back home on my Blackberry. This was in the middle of the desert, in Egypt, under the sweltering sun at the foot of a pyramid. What impressed me the most was not that I was able to check my email out in the middle of the Sahara. It was that everyone else around me was doing the same thing: from the donkey-driving guide to the villagers we met on tour.
I found out later that only about seven percent of the total Egyptian population has internet access. If you're thinking global, you should be thinking about your mobile marketing strategy. My travels have shown me time and time again that while Internet access is still spotty in many corners of the world, mobile is fully adopted in many of those same corners. If you haven't started planning, you're behind.
Gay Gaddis is the president and CEO of T3 (The Think Tank), an integrated marketing agency headquartered in Austin, TX with offices in New York and San Francisco. Read full bio.
