THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOUR IN ADVERTISING!

Reaching Influencers – 5 Surefire Strategies You Can Use

Influencer marketing has created a whole new niche for marketers to analyze and understand. A booming trend which cascades onto the online marketing world only a few years ago, that has already grown exponentially and turned into a phenomenon worldwide. Right from new, unknown brands to extremely established and niche brands, everyone has taken up influencer marketing in some form or the other.

Advertising and creative agencies in Bangalore are also seeing a significant increase in a demand from brands in terms of curating influencer marketing strategies.

Instagram is now a platform where people are willing to buy Instagram views and increase their engagement, if it benefits their brand value.

Why is it so popular? And why are so many brands choosing to go with it? What is its potential reach and effectiveness?

Let’s break it down:

What is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing involves using influencers to promote, market, talk about and endorse your product and/or services on various online/offline platforms. They do this for either direct payment or other forms of reimbursement in return. Influencer marketing in India has been a rising trend, connecting brands with bloggers and Influencers.

For example, Brand A is launching a new range of perfumes and wants to market it to a larger audience. So, it picks a few influencers, gives them exclusive rights to promote this new range on their social media handles and/or anywhere else specified, before the products actually release into the market. Then, they give real-time reviews and information on the range, also creating curiosity and engaging in interactions with their respective followers. This method is tried and tested to be a great way for brands to target multiple consumer groups at the same time. Instagram has been rated ‘best influencer marketing platform’ in India for all the right reasons.

Who is an influencer?

Anyone who is influential in a certain commercial market, be it fashion, grooming, travel, food, and so on. Influencers expand the reach of brands and firms who use them as forerunners and faces/personalities that represent their brand and create a whole new market segment for them to potentially target. A lot of celebrities have been influencers much before this method of marketing became a phenomenon, and now non-celebs have also joined the bandwagon.

How popular is it?

Very. Right from celebrities who are renowned world-over and are household names to commoners who are extremely popular on social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube, all of these people come under the “Influencer” category. If you are someone who has the potential to convince and influence other people to try and/or purchase a particular product or service, you are an Influencer.

Why is it popular?

Simply because it actually works. Over 60% of digitally active brands in India today make use of influencer marketing and have seen visible growth in sales, demand and revenue generated from the online and offline markets. There is documented proof that this new wave of marketing is a sure shot route to success.

How can you reach influencers?

1. Find a common interest

Let’s say you’re a fashion apparel brand, and you’re trying to expand your potential market. What kind of influencer would you be looking for? Definitely, someone who shares the same interest in fashion, dressing up, fashion trends, branded clothing, and so on. However, if you do happen to approach a literary blogger, whose primary interests would be literature and novels, your interests wouldn’t align and neither party would benefit.

Hence, step 1 to approaching any influencer is to do some research and pick the right influencer to team up with.

2. Make an interesting offer

Whatever collaterals your agreement entails, make sure your offer is something worthwhile. While more experienced Influencers have a standard rate that they charge, and pretty much based on their reach and popularity, and others are okay with returns in kind. These would basically be parallel marketing, shout outs, special features and mentions, free merchandise, gift vouchers, coupons, and so on. Always remember that you need to make an offer that gets an influencer to pick your brand over another one. There are multiple brands reaching out to Influencers, which increases your competition even more.

3. Create loyalty

When you offer an influencer a onetime deal vs. when you offer them a more long-term contract, there is a difference in the approach and also the interest shown. Brand associations are great for any Influencer’s portfolio, rather than just multiple small-time projects. This is why, if you do stumble upon an influencer who is right up your alley and perfect for your brand, you need to go all-in and offer them a more solid and concrete deal. This also creates a brand loyalty with the influencer and their band of followers, which is a boon for your marketing agendas. All-in-all, a longer and more solid connect attracts influencers who take their job seriously.

4. Stay active on social media

How do you actually find Influencers who could be potential ambassadors for your brand? Do some real-time research. Exploring Instagram, Facebook, keeping a close watch on others brand’s campaigns (especially immediate competitors), scrolling through comments and responses on various posts; these are a few ways to hunt for influencers who can make a difference. Almost all influencers have public profiles, so checking out their quality of work is also possible. This will help you with assessing whether any particular influencer creates the type of content that resonates with your brand and its objectives.

5. Create a campaign

Even if you already have a network of Influencers that you trust and regularly work with, there’s no harm in expanding this network. However, expansion means finding new faces, and that’s never an easy task. Hence, you can design a campaign that specifically calls out for potential and interested Influencers to participate in, and then segregate between your options and pick the best ones. This would pretty much work like a contest, whilst also engaging a large number of potential and existing consumers with your brand. This makes it a two-way benefit deal for you and for the Influencers as well. A bunch of brands have tried this method before and also seen immense success and a large volume of responses. This is probably also a very organic way of getting truly interested faces and personalities on board.

Ruckus is a marketing, advertising, designing and branding agency in Bangalore that is quite well-versed with the influencer marketing scene here. So, if reaching out to new influencers and expanding your marketing horizons is your plan, get going as soon as possible because the current market is an extremely dynamic and potential one!

Ambush.

The regular definition?
“A surprise attack by someone waiting in a concealed position.”

When this term gets associated with marketing, it pretty much defines the same scenario, but the repercussions and variables are a whole other ball game (sometimes, literally).

Let’s look at a popular scenario.

Brand A and Brand B are immediate rivals and popular in the market in a specific industry and/or section of consumer goods and services. Now, the scales are always tipping either side, much like a see-saw. Sometimes, Brand A seems to be almost monopolizing the market, right before Brand B decides “Hey, not under my watch!” and decides to ambush the former brand through a single or series of ad commercials that basically puts them in a bad light.

I know, it sounds rather harsh and unfair, but that’s business and it’s the only way it works; you either beat them or get beaten.

How long has ambush marketing been around? For a considerably relevant time.
A few decades ago, ambush marketing was frowned upon and even ruled as illegal in many parts of the world. We’re talking about a time when ethics was greater than competition, probably because competition wasn’t much of a problem in a less-explored market. Today, competition is everywhere; literally everywhere. If you’re budding businessman with an idea that you think is completely fresh and unique, you’re probably wrong. Innovation and coming up with fresh ideas has become a rather tedious task, simply because the rate at which new ideas are being churned out is nothing short of ridiculous.

Let’s understand a few technical things about ambush marketing before we get into the juicier section of this.

There are two main types of ambush marketing: Direct and Indirect.

Direct ambush marketing again has 4 types:

1. Predatory – When brand A literally says “Brand B sucks, don’t buy it.” No, really.

2. Coattail – When Brand A is the sponsor of an event and Brand B just shows up, uninvited, and steals the thunder.

3. Self-ambushing – Brand A signs a contract to not give out personalized merchandise at an event but says “What the heck”, and does it any way.

4. Property infringement – Brand A has patented certain terms or colors as their own and Brand B deliberately misuses these for publicity.

And then, Indirect ambush marketing has different types too:

1. Value-based – Brand A is the main sponsor for a big event, so Brand B copies or rather mimics its style of marketing and its slogans to grab the attention of people.

2. Distraction – Brand B is hosting an important sports event, so Brand A decided to set up shop very close by and distract the customers towards them.

3. Associative – If an event has a color theme or logo, and either of the brands are not officially associated with it, they make use of a theme that incorporates these things and indirectly associate themselves to it.

Has Social Media played a role in giving ambush marketing that platform it’s always craved for? Absolutely!

Platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter are the easiest ways to let something go “viral” in a matter of minutes or even seconds. So much so, most of the marketing today is done entirely through social media, and doesn’t even reach common mediums like televisions or billboards.

And finally, let’s look at an example in motion: When Jaguar ambushed BMW with ease (and humor)

Digital Marketing companies and Advertising agencies in Bangalore are constantly looking for new ways and means to capture a rather competitive market. At Ruckus Advertising and Events, we always strategize and ideate in a way that brings out the most unique concepts that will leave the audience thinking, if not wanting for more!

Coming back to our subject matter, Ambush marketing is and will continue to be utilized in the most creative ways. And, by the looks of it, ambush marketing seems to be a trend that is here to stay and for all the right (and wrong) reasons!

Here, at Ruckus Adverts and Events, we understand the importance of effective and catchy marketing strategies. Visit http://ruckus.asia/ to understand what we do better!

Score More Instagram Followers With These 20 Easy Tips

Instagram over time has become a name that any and every person knows about, despite age or gender. With millions of users in its database, it has easily become one of the most used social media platforms of all time. It also witnesses an insane amount of traffic on a second to second basis, which is probably why so many people also use it as an effective marketing tool. A host of Digital Marketing and Advertising Agencies in Bangalore, like Ruckus Advertising and Events, root for Instagram as a primary network for brands to target. Even Event Management Companies use the platform to promote ticket sales and create a hype. 

Now, whether you’re a brand, an independent blogger or just someone who likes to share their posts with other people, you’re aware of how the number of followers you have can drive the engagement on Instagram. More followers equal more traffic, more reach and definitely more engagement. Ruckus firmly believes that a brand with more engagement is positively climbing the ladder of recognition! 

If the pressing question on your agenda is “How do I increase my following on Instagram in the first place?”, then read on below to discover some handy tips, put together by the Ruckus Team:

1. If you have a private account, chances are you’re not going to get a lot of followers; at least not in a short time frame. Hence, if you’re okay with it, you can go for a public account or even convert it into a business account if you’re trying to market something. What’s more, it only takes a few minutes to do this! 

2. Check out the trending hashtags in your niche and get cracking on it. For example, if you’re trying to promote makeup or fashion, or a get together in the city, look for the hashtags that usually trend in this segment and use them on your posts to gain more traffic. A Digital Marketing company will ALWAYS emphasize on hashtags, period. 

3. Post stories! After Instagram introduced its latest Story feature, it’s given users a whole new way to connect with their followers on a more “real-time” basis. Statistics say that 20%-30% of users who fail to notice posts on their feed, will most definitely notice stories. 

4. Add location to your post, and you might just score new followers. When you add a location, it works pretty much like a hashtag, and your post gets more reach and also appears in the “Explore” tab more often. 

5. Creating your own hashtags is also a great idea, because it helps you distinguish your posts from others. And, the more creative your hashtags are, the better the reach. However, if you want your hashtags to get more traction, you have to use them more often.  

6. If you’re a blogger or a brand, then “shout outs” are an effective way to reach more people. It’s simple; you promote a friend or another brand and they do the same for you. It’s a win-win solution. 

7. It’s important to stay in touch with what news or content is trending on social media. The more current and fresh your content and tags are, the more people it’s going to appeal to. We at Ruckus Advertising and Events are always posting relevant content on Instagram to stay in the loop and get noticed more! 

8. Due to Instagram’s constantly changing algorithms, not all your posts appear on your followers’ feeds in the order that you post them. So, make sure you let people know you have a new post, through your stories or any other way, and you might get some new followers too. 

9. Engaging with your followers is also a great way to get more people to check out your content and convert them into followers. Branding agencies in Bangalore believe that your audience can make or break your brand, and if you follow this as a rule of thumb, you’ve got the perfect motivation to get more social!  

10. Go live! If your live video option is not on private, then your video can be viewed by a lot of people. And who knows, your viewers might like your content and start following you too. A live video can potentially reach tens of thousands of people; you just have to know how to use it the right way. 

11. Use your creativity with captions. Believe it or not, creative content is highly appreciated on social media, and can very well score some very impressed followers for your page. Good content is all about packing a punch in a lesser amount of words! 

12. Collaborate! If you come across another brand or influencer who has something to offer, and you have something to offer to them as well, then you’ve got the perfect barter right there. This way, both parties are open to a whole new group of followers on either end, which can further broaden your TG.  

13. You can always get innovative and add a theme to your Instagram feed. This means you can add a pattern to filters, use creative wordplay, create photo grids, and so on. The fancier it looks, the better! 

14. When you meet new people, exchanging numbers is too outdated. So, go ahead and give them your Instagram handle as well (and add it onto your visiting card)! Word of mouth is still a very effective way to market anything under the sun, and Ruckus Advertising and Events swears by it too! 

15. Use your other social media handles to promote your Instagram account. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter or even LinkedIn, go all out and make sure you co-market all of your handles to reach more followers. 

16. Weekends are the best time to post, according to research, because that’s when people actually have the time to use social media and spend some time on it. This means you might get more visibility and also reach a lot of new followers (who also have time on their hands). 

17. A good way to take advantage of Instagram’s algorithm is to post often, so that your chances of appearing on feeds is more likely. Also, as long as your content is interesting and effective, posting more than once in a day is never a problem! 

18. Another great tip is to post after 7 PM or before 10 AM. These are, according to research, the time slots which experience maximum traffic on Instagram. Hence, posting during this time slot could end up getting you more followers as well. 

19. Make sure you’re tagged in any post in which you or your brand is visible. Tags are a great way to get people to retrace their steps to your profile and also helps you with scoring new and interested followers from different profiles.

20. Contests and giveaways are always a sure shot way of increasing your follower count. You could collaborate with another brand, individual, or just host it solo. This also helps with creating a lot of engagement on your account and also keeps your followers glued to your content.

With a growing social media community that only seems to be getting bigger, more active and more engaged, scoring more followers is not much of a task. All you need to do is understand how this platform works, what the people want to see and follow, and how you can make the best use of your creativity to increase your reach significantly! Ruckus Advertising and Events is a Digital Marketing Agency, amongst other things, in Bangalore that strongly advocates the benefits of Instagram marketing. 

And, if you’re ever stuck with the if’s and but’s of using this platform, pick up your phone and give us a call! (Also follow us on @ruckusadvertising)  

The Social Media Market is dominant, demanding and extremely fast-growing, and we at Ruckus are fully aware of that. Anyone who has anything to do with product or service marketing, like an advertising agency, creative studio, graphic design unit or sales specific company would agree that social media is that one tool that has completely changed the face of marketing forever. What once seemed like only a dream is now a fully-functional reality.

Who knew that we could one day reach out to millions of people with just the click of a button?

Instagram and Facebook have evolved into a huge platform for business and reach billions every day. A wide reach can give you considerable strength over other brands in your niche. Which is why the Ruckus digital team always advises clients to pay attention to these mediums.

Many brands all over the world have embraced digital marketing as a very important part of their marketing strategy. Now that every good, recognized company is on the same bandwagon, no one wants to be left out. Several advertising agencies in Bangalore also make sure that they include a solid digital plan in every pitch. Right from domain names to ad campaigns, everything has a virtual presence and is available to people all over the world, borders being a non-existent issue.

As a marketing professional, it’s very interesting to see how quickly the world was cocooned in the concept of social media. Today, advertising agencies in Bangalore, and many other commercial businesses and even the government has jumped in on the opportunity that social media presented and used it to get their message out.

Hence, social media has now become a community on its own, with people being active members on a second-to-second basis.

So, as a company/brand that is looking to expand and sell more products, is social media a good place to invest time and effort?

Absolutely!

Let’s focus on the good and see how a company can sell more products through social media:

1. Sponsored Ads

Sponsored ads are not just your basic creative or poster doing a few rounds on people’s news feeds; it has a lot to do with visibility and recurrence. Branding agencies in Bangalore often suggest sponsored ads to their clients. These ads need to be catchy, to the point and appealing, which is the only reason why someone would click on them in the first place. You can decide how often you want to “boost” an ad, your SEOs, SMOs, keywords and you can also track the traffic and visibility of these ads. Sponsored ads also act as gateways to your selling portal, if you have an online store or your website which can then give a user more information about your brand and products.

Statistics have shown that ads that appeared a good number of times on platforms like Facebook and Instagram has actually generated curiosity and received a certain number of clicks and hits. While not all of these hits translate into actual purchases, they do definitely market your product on a much larger scale.

2. Influencer Marketing

“X” is a fashion blogger who has a blog of his/her own and also an active Instagram page. They make posts on a daily basis and come up with fresh, new content, which is what keeps the followers glued. Although X is not a celebrity or a very famous personality, he/she has a decent reach and also has the power to influence people to buy products or try out new services.

How?

By using the product and putting up reviews either live or through pictures and videos. Here, the whole personal factor is what comes into play; people associate with a non-celebrity, who is definitely more like them and more approachable, hence they consider their endorsement more authentic and real than a celebrity who’s being paid a huge sum to do so. Several event management companies in Bangalore have made use of this strategy to promote events.

Branding agencies in Bangalore are also very much in favor of Influencer Marketing. Consumers believe in doing their research before actually spending money on something, and getting a review from a person they admire is a great way to convince them to buy something new.

Established brands like Adidas, MAC Cosmetics, Jimmy Choo and many more have willingly taken to this trend and seen some pretty commendable results too.

3. Giveaways and Contests

Who doesn’t love free stuff? Whether it’s a seasonal sale or promo codes for discounts, consumers are always waiting for the opportunity to win something.

It’s the age of giveaways, but there’s a way that brands can capitalize on it and gain some much-needed promotion through it as well.

How does this work?

Most brands and event management companies in Bangalore, like Ruckus, too use giveaways and announce contests when they’re launching a new range of products or are trying to boost an already existing range. By creating traffic around their brand, through posts, images, captions, hashtags, shout-outs and much more generated by users themselves, brands can actively engage them in the promotion of their product. In return, lucky winners get free merchandise, prizes in kind or any other form of reward that the brand decides to give out.

It’s a win-win for the digital marketing company and its customers.

4. Connect on a personal level

Companies stack up on a sizeable database, and later on utilize it for a more personal marketing technique.

“Hi Steve! The holiday season is here and our whole range is on 30-40% off! Click on this link to shop now…”

Just a simple example of what a personalized message looks like. This way, even if they’ve scrolled past a post or ad on social media, they’re still getting personal alerts which would catch their attention. If they’ve “liked” your page, they would also get alerts through Messenger or have your post pop-up on their news feed more often. In fact, text messages are a great way to get the consumer to click on an in-app link and visit your page or store.

The most recent development in this segment is the WhatsApp Messenger allowing companies to have their own accounts on the app. This works especially well for them because WhatsApp’s current user database is over 1.3 Billion active users and counting.

5. Encourage feedback

As scary as it might be for a brand to listen to or read negative comments, encouraging feedback can go a long way for any brand, in terms of growth, learning and also improvising and on service and product quality. Advertisement design concepts can also be greatly improved with valuable feedback. A digital marketing company like Ruckus knows its true significance.

There are different ways you can use social media to encourage feedback, the most common type being the comment section under posts. Next would be creating a separate feedback page, allowing consumers to email the brand, an online live chat for short queries or a separate form that they can fill and send over to you. Allowing feedback makes consumers feel like their opinions matter, and it also creates a personal connection between the consumer and the brand.

Negative backlash is the downside to this strategy because any comments against a brand’s reputation could reach a lot of people at once. Hence, even in such a scenario, it’s best to deal with it in a composed and decent manner. Remember, if they can see the bad comments, they can also see the way a brand handles grievances!

The online race is one that isn’t going to stop anytime soon, so social media is that ship that is going to keep sailing forward. Ride along or get left behind, the choice is yours!