What drives traffic? The 3 “i” Theory
Even before the measurement of success of how well your campaign sites engages the customers, the focus should be on the question what drives them to the front of your garage in the first place. Understanding this fundamental with the nature of your products/services could save the embarrassment of low engagement results for your campaign.
The Digital world maybe oxymoron. As it gets bigger in population and platforms, it is integrating itself and getting smaller in reality. As more and more brands are getting their hands dirty in the digital boom, more marketers are struggling to keep up with the complexity and jargons of technology, communities, digital marketing, tracking and development techniques.
The 3i theory tears down these complexity to question what would drive traffic? The 3i represents Intention, Influence & Incentives.
Intention
Simply they they want to. Through your other media exposure or WOM, these are the group of people that are already looking for your product/services. Now. Where this is definitely a piece of good news, the key is that they are searching and you need to be there where it matters and be relevant to their needs. A lot of brands neglect this obvious group and sadly, unidentifiable when googled.
Influence
There are 2 kinds of friends. One that are in your phone list. The other that are in your email list, facebook friends, twitter and linkedin connections. More often than not, we spend much time online to mingle and interact with our virtual friends. And what they say matters to us (more than whatever your online banner promises). Identifying opinion leaders that are able to generate virtual WOM is important and valuable. Not just contents but user generated contents. Opinion leaders are very strong online influencer that is able to sway certain viewpoints. But please respect the customers, they are probably as discerning and it is important not to rush this influence by astro turfing.
The obvious mistake we have seen many make is to use offline metrics to equate it to the power of digital voice. Web 1.0 looks at the impressions you generate from the campaign. Web 2.o looks at the truth of your products/services in the eyes of the consumers. Web 3.0 looks at the advocates you can convert from your campaign.
The next obvious mistake is to simply fear your audience for fear of bad publicity.
Incentives
Cheapskate as it maybe but it’s true. We are still drawn but the real freebies and deals in life so why not on the online platform as well. The same goes for your crowd as well. Incentives are obvious magnet to your campaigns and is particularly useful if you are looking for intended spikes in traffic or some form of database acquisitions. In our experience, rewarding your crowd is not always needed, especially if your campaign has social causes involved.
With these 3is in mind, it is time to look at your products/services and personify your target audience. With that understanding (psychographic and demographic) of your target audience, you can now weight the 3is to your campaign. So what is the next step?
Understanding your consumer journey & identifying the digital engagement platforms
Which stage of consumer journey are you looking at? Creating Brand Awareness, Product Considerations, Trial, Retention or Advocating? We can’t be at all places at one time. It is important to understand to define this and decide on the various engagement platforms that most fit the profile of your audience.
Identifying the digital engagement platform
See the list below
Search Engine Optimization | Social Media Optimization | Search Engine Marketing | URL Friendliness | Portal Paid Advertisement | Social Media Penetration | Online Games | Shopping Cart & e-commerce | Social Media Integration | Microsite Development | Motion Info Graphic Video | Facebook Applications | Facebook Ads | Mobile Applications | Mobi Development | Online Contest | User Generated Contents | Bloggers Engagement …
The list goes on and on. With the right concept and content, these are all tools of engagement. Ideally, they all sound good. In reality, every brand has a budget to work within. Identifying with the 3is theory means you can now choose the most relevant engagement tools
Oasis Interactive subscribes by this methodology and uses TA personification & 3i theory to determine the engagement platforms that works for our clients. For more case studies, contact us at info@oasisinteractive.com
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