Conversion is authentic brand storytelling that is experiential and inspiring. It enables progressive consumer interactions that drive transactions. It is powered by data, targeting, and technology.
Brands have always been tuned into shopper concerns, dreams, aspirations. That’s nothing new. The difference is, today we have the ability to do that by putting our messages into certain channels and carefully chose digital assets best suited not only to tap into those dreams and aspirations, but also create conversion.
Conversion is the marriage of brand love and an action. The result not be immediate sales. It could be a click, or a review rating. It is a communication that leads the consumer to a point of doing something.
The brand experience has got to create engagement. Today, we have the ability to achieve this because of data and technology. We now have the ability to target communications and open up a roadway for consumers to take action.
The only way to couch the brand is through relevant experience. Relevant experience is different from one consumer to another, even with the same brand. It’s got to lead to engagement. Just having someone experience your brand, in today’s market – given that they are inundated with messaging and communcations — is not enough.
For example: brand love for Barilla is the taste of Italy. But the point of engagement that triggers conversion is different if the consumer is a marathon runner, versus a family of four. These two very different shoppers may look the same from a consumption standpoint, but are consuming for different reasons. We don’t want to talk to both the same way. We want to be a trusted advisor.
We need to understand the customer journey. It’s not the digital customer journey. It’s the holistic customer journey. That journey could start anywhere. At each one of these touch-points we have to think about what we do now, and then what’s the next step. There always has to be a “door out” that allows them to continue on their customer journey.
The journey can be set up through customer engagement platforms. Content management systems linked to responsive websites can immediately identify each type of shopper. We can deliver the right messaging and solutions at the right time, to the right consumer, and provide the motivation for the shopper to continue the journey.