Culture without chaos: 5 creative ways to showcase your company’s way of life
Luis Cupertino
4minutes read
Emulating your brand’s core values has always been at the heart of securing and engaging top candidates. But as uptake in the hybrid working model increases, it’s becoming more important to find standout ways to communicate company culture without in-person interactions.
There is a common misconception that company culture is something that can’t always be accurately described, or that it can only be felt when you’re settled into a role. However, with new tools, better communication and the right approach, brands can showcase their company culture in practical, tangible ways regardless of where their employees are working from.
Building culture into the everyday fabric of your business will ensure that it’s present in all employee touchpoints — through onboarding, during their day-to-day work and even after they part ways with the business. This means that everything your brand makes, says or does has to be infused with its overarching purpose.
This is part of an overall move towards value-based loyalty and further proof that company culture is directly linked to business success.
The human gap left by remote working
With the myriad of online messaging and video conferencing software available, it’s easy to rely on technology to bring your teams closer together. While these tools have been a game-changer for the modern-day corporate landscape in terms of communication and the streamlining of collaborative processes, they are not enough on their own to connect employees in a way that builds company culture.
To help employees feel part of your overarching brand purpose, you need to do more than make sure that everyone can jump on a Zoom or Teams call. Company culture is built on understanding the human needs of your employees, making them feel aligned with your goals and expressing authentic appreciation of their efforts.
Get your company culture noticed
Your company culture may be ingrained into the thinking and everyday behaviour of long-standing employees, but to keep up momentum and instil the same values in new talent, it’s vital to bring fresh ways to make them seen and heard by everyone — for culture to be tangible, it first needs to be noticed.
As remote working, hiring and onboarding becomes commonplace, companies have had to get more creative about how they share what’s great about working for them.
In the case of company culture statements, the phrase “actions speak louder than words” rings especially true… for people to believe the values written on your company website, and for your employees to take them on board, you need to show them what it looks like day-to-day.
5 ways to prove your company culture
#1 Employee spotlight posts for new starters
As well as showing appreciation for individual employees, spotlights are a great way to give potential candidates the opportunity to learn a little more about the people they’ll be working with.
An employee spotlight can be created in a number of ways — from short quotes to videos — but generally they are a one-to-one interview covering topics such as company culture, accomplishments, success stories, passion projects, perks and benefits, and something unique about themselves in the context of their work. While providing prompts can be helpful, it’s important to avoid sounding scripted or forced.
#2 Behind the scenes
Give the world an insight of what day-to-day life is like working in your company. By focusing on specific teams within your business, you can show the authenticity of your company culture and demonstrate how your employees practice what your brand values preach.
#3 Invest in tools that counteract loneliness for remote workers
While we mentioned the fact that software shouldn’t be the only thing that brings your team together, there are a number of tools with less focus on productivity and more emphasis on wellbeing. For example, Fond gives remote employees somewhere to go when they need a morale boost from their team.
#4 Recognise and reward value-centric behaviours
Give employees the opportunity to earn rewards for more than just work performance. This helps to reinforce culture by demonstrating that they are valued on an equal level to profits. This could include peer-voting (where employees can nominate co-workers for encapsulating what their brand stands for), written recognition in newsletters, or feature pages on your website.
#5 Teach your values in orientation and training
Incorporating company values into formal training or orientation is an effective way to communicate what matters. It means that new employees are familiar with what your brand stands for from the get-go and gives them context on how it can be instilled in the work they do every day.
BAM, Brand Activation Management, Digital Asset Management
BAM vs DAM: What’s the best choice for your team?
Papirfly
8minutes read
We all understand the frustration when something goes missing. It could be the mad dash to find your keys in the morning, or listening out for the faint sound of your phone’s ringtone around the home.
When it happens in our personal lives, it’s an annoyance. When it happens at work, the results can be far more costly. If emails are misplaced, or files get lost in an endless maze of folders, this can have a major drain on productivity:
Marketing teams are not immune from these statistics. Designers devote hours recreating lost assets. Managers waste substantial amounts of time relocating files. Campaigns are delayed or missed altogether because its assets were not available. Consistency is compromised as replacements are rushed through production.
These examples may be enough to give experienced marketers painful flashbacks. But, as is so often the case, technology has evolved to overcome these persistent problems, with Digital Asset Management (DAM) now a key component of many marketing teams’ toolkits.
However, many marketers are still to realise that the evolution didn’t stop there. As revolutionary as DAM has been, it is just a stepping stone to an even more complete and powerful platform – Brand Activation Management (BAM).
For those yet to be informed, here we will explain why the BAM vs DAM “debate” is actually an example of how technology continues to mature to meet the growing needs of marketing teams worldwide.
What is Digital Asset Management (DAM)?
Before we break down this evolution, it’s important to understand where it began. Digital Asset Management (DAM) software centralises all of an organisation’s digital assets into one central location. Documents, images, videos, photos, audio – these assets and more are stored in one place to remove the risks of content going missing or being unnecessarily duplicated.
After rising to prominence in the 1990s with systems like Cumulus, DAM software has become more robust and comprehensive. Marketing teams spread globally could store and share an infinite number of assets in one place, improving collaboration, productivity and consistency.
Large files can be shared faster than relying on email or services like WeTransfer
Unique tags and metadata enable people to search for the assets they need faster
Brands have greater oversight and control over the most up-to-date versions of assets, so nothing outdated is published
Any outdated assets can be archived to allow for updated versions later
The costs and resources associated with duplicating work disappear, as everything uploaded to a DAM is quick to find and access
Indeed, it is no surprise that by 2024 the DAM market is anticipated to be worth an enormous £6.3 billion. For many teams that have introduced these systems, they have become an indispensable part of their operations for numerous reasons:
This sounds incredibly promising. However, it is important to remember that DAMs only serve one purpose – effective management of your digital assets. The best examples of this software do that job very well, but it is just one step towards marketing teams maximising productivity and locking down consistency.
If you wanted to take other steps towards this goal – rapid content production, easy-to-access brand portals, efficient translation and localisation, birds-eye view of campaigns, etc. – you would need to invest in other systems. This increases costs, and means your team would have to be trained to use multiple tools.
In summary, DAM software has been a vital development in marketers overcoming obstacles to their performance. But, as these DAM systems can only achieve so much on their own, new technology has used their foundation to deliver even more comprehensive support to global teams.
What is Brand Activation Management (BAM)?
This is where Brand Activation Management (BAM) enters the picture.
Developed in recognition of the importance of brand identity in today’s landscape, and the challenges marketers face in establishing and maintaining this to a worldwide audience, BAM is an all-inclusive approach to protecting, preserving and propelling a brand to achieve its full potential.
An important way BAM platforms fulfil this ambition is by including an in-built, configurable DAM as part of their package.
This means that BAM systems deliver the same benefits as a DAM – a central resource for all brand assets globally. Robust search and filter systems to locate required materials. Teams are able to download and share assets with teams around the world. Less confusion, more productivity.
But, while this is where the advantages of a DAM stop, for BAM it is just one way it helps marketers unlock their brand’s true power. These additional capabilities include:
Enabling anyone, regardless of specialist expertise, to create and edit brand consistent print and digital marketing materials in minutes – all done in-house
Instant sizing and formatting of assets for multiple channels – social media, video, brochures, digital banners, posters, billboards, etc.
Straightforward translation of content into a wide range of languages for audiences across the globe
Providing a single source of truth for an entire brand, housing all guidelines and standards in one central portal
Allowing users to oversee and manage the delivery of assets across their campaigns, and track asset usage and other useful data
You can explore the full capabilities of this technology in our article “What is BAM?” Give it a read to discover exactly how these platforms build on the example set by its predecessors, including DAM systems.
Debunking the BAM vs DAM debate
Due to this, any imagination of a “BAM vs DAM debate” misses the point. The fact of the matter is that BAM wouldn’t exist – at least not in its current form – if DAM wasn’t around first.
The development of DAM will always be a critical innovation for marketing teams across the globe. But, like how DAM itself was an improvement on humble file sharing and folder setups on desktop computers, BAM has evolved from this to broaden the horizons of teams looking to take their brand to the next level.
Technology constantly evolves to overcome challenges and make our lives easier. Imagine if we stopped developing modes of transport after the bicycle was invented. Or if we still shared information between computers on floppy disks.
BAM is an illustration of that evolution in action – taking the undeniable benefits that DAM systems provided, and then building on that with other innovations to establish one all-encompassing solution for brands and teams worldwide.
Why BAM beats DAM in employer branding
Numerous employer brand teams have utilised DAM software to support their efforts to recruit and retain top talent. Particularly for organisations with locations globally, with different languages and cultural nuances at play, it is all too easy for assets intended for one campaign to get mixed up with assets from another.
By using a DAM, employer brand teams have been able to contain everything in one place, so nothing is ever misplaced or confused. Assets can be tagged based on the location of the campaign they’re intended for, and workflows can be established so certain teams only have access to the assets that are relevant to them.
This unquestionably improves the productivity of these teams, and reduces the risk of inconsistencies hindering the effectiveness of campaigns. Yet, BAM builds upon these benefits even further:
All EVPs, training videos and onboarding materials can be stored within the brand portal, helping candidates and recruits immediately grasp what your brand stands for
It allows your team to quickly adapt assets with the right language and cultural imagery to best connect with global candidates
BAM empowers teams to produce more content in-house, so you can be more present on the marketing channels that your preferred candidates use
Because of how easy BAM is to use, employees are empowered to produce their own assets to advocate your brand on their personal networks
Why BAM beats DAM in retail marketing
Speed is important for any marketing campaign, but this ramps up significantly in the world of retail. Any hours wasted searching for required assets can see brands miss a massive window of opportunity with their customers, be it a brief trend or seasonal event. Delayed campaigns can cost retailers greatly and cause them to lose out on business to competitors.
The presence of a DAM system helps to limit this possibility. Once again, the ability to tag and label assets makes it seamless for different stores to locate the assets they require for their campaign, or download and adapt an asset for their own purposes.
This accessibility of materials ensures that campaign turnaround times are cut down substantially. Retailers can strike their customers while the iron is hot with perfectly branded materials, and ensure their locations around the globe have the content they need at all times.
Of course, BAM captures these benefits and pushes the boundaries even further:
PIM and ERP integration means that all marketing materials can instantly be updated with the data inside these systems
Local stores are empowered to create their own local campaigns and collateral, without specialist designers in-house, and provide a truly omnichannel experience
Individual stores can immediately adapt and translate existing assets for their local audiences
Campaign progress can be effortlessly tracked, and analytics captured relating to asset usage and popularity
Why BAM beats DAM in corporate communications
A DAM system is an effective tool for organisations looking to establish a “one team” mentality. It enhances the opportunities for collaboration among international teams, fostering greater unity among employees behind the brand as a whole.
So, rather than individual locations feeling isolated or disconnected from head office, the DAM platform gives them an immediate way to engage with the content that is being sent their way. This also means that, if an incident occurs that warrants an immediate response, this can be accomplished sooner, instead of tons of back-and-forth getting the wording or branding right.
BAM builds on these advantages that DAM offers to those responsible for a brand’s corporate communications:
A unique brand portal helps keep every employee informed and connected to the purpose and values of the entire company
Internal communication can be upscaled significantly at no greater cost, encouraging team members and boosting their productivity
Locked-down templates ensure that consistency is always maintained in your external messages, so you never come across as disingenuous to customers
Embrace the evolution
We hope this has helped improve your understanding of the differences between DAM and BAM, and the role they play in securing brand consistency and maximising productivity within marketing teams the world over. If you have taken away only one piece of information, we hope it’s the understanding that with BAM you lose none of the benefits you gain with a DAM. Instead, you gain more that can immensely enhance the strength and stability of your brand internally and externally.
Social media and corporate communications – a perfect combo?
Jessica Chambers
6minutes read
When social media networks began, they were a means for people to keep up with friends and meet others with shared interests. But it was never going to be long before brands got involved in the hopes of securing these same powerful connections with their target audience.
But what exactly is the role of social media in business communications, both internally and externally? And how can organisations bring both together to reap the greatest benefits from this partnership?
How has social media changed business communications?
In many people’s eyes, the use of social media for corporate communications has dragged the processes out of the dark ages and into the future.
This is just one example of how social media has changed the game for business communications. Organisations of any size, industry or reach now are compelled to employ these social-sharing platforms to inform and educate their audience, in a way that they never needed to before.
Like it or not, social media is everywhere, making it a vital component of how companies not only reach their consumers, but their employees as well.
And that really illustrates the significance of social media in corporate communications. It is not primarily about promoting a company’s products or services in a sales-oriented manner; it is about aligning your brand with your audience.
95% of adults aged 18-34 are most likely to follow a brand through social networking. While many judge success on social media by the number of likes they’ve received on Facebook or the impressions on their Twitter page, in many ways its true value comes in illustrating how your followers engage with the content you’re sharing on these platforms. That allows you to tell if your values are hitting home with your target audience.
These platforms are now essential in how your customers and your employees keep up with the news and developments surrounding your organisation – the bond between social media and corporate communications is unbreakable.
Is the pairing of social media and corporate communications a good thing?
This close connection between social media and corporate communications presents numerous benefits for businesses looking for an efficient, cost-effective way to engage their customers, employees and more with their brand identity.
Allow your audience to visualise your brand
Central to the importance of social media in business communications is how these platforms allow customers and employees to visualise a brand like never before. Most people absorb visual information in a more effective way than written directives. This allows a means for brands to translate information that would previously be communicated in quite a stale, formulaic fashion in a more creative, engaging manner.
By utilising imagery, videos, quizzes, emojis and other staples of social media communication, your organisation can help others identify and understand the qualities and values of your brand much faster and more effectively. As an element of your corporate communications, this is arguably the most valuable role social media can play.
Link employees and customers
While your external communications are more widely associated with your consumers and the wider public, it can improve the way you engage with your team members around the world as well. By using social media for your corporate communications with compelling content, you make them fans of your brand in the same way you intend to do with your consumers.
That improves the sense of belonging your employees feel towards your brand, making them more motivated and connected to achieving your objectives.
Employee advocacy
Following on from the previous point, if your employees are fans of the social media posts you’re putting out, they are more likely to become valuable brand advocates. Let’s face it – most people don’t want to be sold to, especially when they’re browsing social media. But, they are more likely to build trust and form a connection with a brand if other people show enthusiasm for it – even if those people work for that organisation.
Social media is an avenue for employees to celebrate, promote and emphasise their brand, which in turn boosts employee engagement, makes your brand more appealing to prospective recruits, and enhances how consumers view your organisation.
Improve collaboration
Finally, the ‘social’ aspect of social media in business communications makes these platforms useful tools for collaboration. Innovations like Workplace by Facebook and other social chatting tools like Slack mean that employees across all locations can share events, news and stories relating to your company.
A more connected workplace is a more motivated, more productive and more informed workplace. By harnessing your social media platforms effectively, you can spread your business communications more effectively to those within your teams.
Drawbacks of using social media for corporate communications
However, as always seems to be the case, social media acts as a double-edged sword. While it has immeasurably improved how efficiently and effectively brands can engage with their internal and external audiences and build better relationships with both, it also can cause significant damage to its reputation if not handled correctly.
Social media offers everyone a voice and an opinion, and that opinion might not always be favourable for your brand. One wrong step on social media or an ill-advised campaign can spiral out of control in a hurry, like when Doritos’ poorly-visioned development of ‘lady-friendly’ versions of their crisps. Within hours their Twitter timelines were ablaze with criticisms.
Then there are examples like the Kendall Jenner Pepsi campaign, which was a not very well-considered attempt for the brand to be socially responsible. The combination of social media and corporate communications can be an effective way of illustrating your CSR work as a company and your commitment to causes your audience cares about. But it must be authentic and executed well, otherwise it can have a severely negative impact.
Staying on top of this constant, unrelenting stream of digital media is a challenge for even the largest global organisations, and can lead to an argument suggesting that social media hasn’t been the most positive innovation for business communications teams to contend with.
Nevertheless, the ties between social media and corporate communications are too robust now to cause a break, at least for the foreseeable future. So, it is important that your organisation accounts for this as part of your overarching corporate communication strategy in order to maximise the benefits these platforms offer your company while minimising the drawbacks.
Maximising the role of social media in your corporate communications
Here are a number of techniques and approaches to consider to amplify the value of your corporate social media:
Invest in social listening tools
By dedicating time and resources to monitoring and tracking what audiences are saying about your brand, you gain a deeper understanding of what communications they are interested in receiving in social media, as well an overriding sense of how aligned they feel with your organisation.
Join up your teams
Integrate your corporate communications team with those responsible for sharing your social media content. The prevalence of these platforms and their immediate responsiveness makes it crucial that your communications strategy is clearly understood by those producing and spreading materials across these channels.
Choose channels wisely
While Facebook is still the most dominant platform by a considerable margin, that might not correlate with your audience or the messages you intend to send out. Make sure you spend time deciding on channels that will most effectively fulfil your social media and corporate communications objectives, and experiment with these over time.
Entertain, educate, engage
As alluded to earlier, your use of social media for corporate communications should prioritise content that brings people closer to your brand, not as a direct sales tool. Focus on delivering value and information, enhancing your brand reputation and increasing its share-ability throughout your audiences.
Incentivise employee advocacy
Whether it’s by developing effective internal communications that engage your employees or actually introducing an incentive package for staff to spread your content through their personal profiles, encourage and motivate your team to broadcast the benefits and positives of your workplace to a wider, receptive audience.
A retail marketer’s guide to in-store signage and experiences
Papirfly
4minutes read
It’s one thing getting customers into your store with your marketing – it’s an entirely different ball game to create a unique in-store experience that keeps them coming back for more.
The debate on physical stores vs online retailing is one that has been discussed for many years, long before the pandemic took hold. And even though online sales have trumped in-store, we’ve learnt that consumers still very much crave the haptic shopping experience, but their expectations are much higher than before.
Let’s explore the different experiences that can be created in a retail store, their purpose and how in-store signage can help support its effectiveness.
Advice for creating an experience, not a store
Many brands have confused creating an in-store experience with simply remodelling their interiors. While modernising spaces can be beneficial for the customer, any drastic change should be backed by strategy and the data that informed that strategy. Here’s how to make sure your spaces hit the mark every time:
When updating an existing space, gain shopper input and suggestions – their insight could help you shape new stores. You could gain this from incentivised surveys, digital experience buttons, or by having real conversations on the shop floor
When planning every aspect of your store, think of it from a consumer-focused perspective. This means everything from ensuring your pricing is transparent, through to choosing the right curtains for your changing rooms
Try to offer something unique. Whether that’s style matching, product demonstrations or areas dedicated to your brand’s purpose – bring something memorable to the table
Ensure signage formats and selection allows for easy updating, window displays, in-store printed signs and digital screens need to remain current and interesting. A solution like BAM by Papirfly™ can be a valuable support here, enabling anyone to create and amend assets in a matter of minutes, so stores can immediately inform customers of new products and the latest offers
Every square foot is an opportunity to sell, but that doesn’t mean every inch needs to be product space. Creating areas where customers can relax and socialise can be just as powerful for sales, and creates a pleasant brand experience they won’t forget. From in-store phone charging stations, through to sofas in the changing room, you want customers to feel right at home
Even once a customer has made their selection and is ready to make a purchase, that doesn’t mean the deal is sealed. The checkout experience needs to be exceptional in order for your customer experience strategy to work. If a customer is greeted by a large queue or less-than-friendly associates, they may abandon their purchase and refrain from returning in the future
Help customers get the product they want, how they want it
In the age of Amazon Prime mentality, consumers often choose the delivery option that’s the quickest when ordering online. By bringing your physical stores into the online ordering process, you help to reinforce your brand’s physical presence while retaining convenience for your customers. Here are just some of the ways you can do this:
Offer faster home delivery when the product is available in a local store
Allow them to pick up orders from in-store, with the incentive of it arriving quicker
If your store has substantial outside space, offer curbside pickup
Give them the option to bring their online returns into the store – this allows them to choose a replacement product in-store, or spend their refund on an alternative purchase
If a customer makes a large purchase in-store, give them the option of reserving their selection, paying in-store and getting it delivered to their home address
Understanding the in-store customer
Even once stores are being enjoyed by customers, that doesn’t mean the hard work stops there. It’s important to have methods of gathering fresh insight and making sure your spaces are landing well with your audience.
Hold regular meetings with your sales team – they speak to customers every day and will understand their suggestions and gripes more than anyone
Get corporate staff on the shop floor once in a while. It can act as a great training exercise for them and helps keep them grounded when making decisions and interpreting insight from the sales team – in-person observation can provide invaluable information
Ensure everyone understands the ‘personality’ your brand is trying to portray – you want the customer to feel as though they’re with people that understand their needs and shopping for a brand that understands what they’re all about. BAM’s intelligent templates can help make it impossible for brand inconsistencies to creep in. Plus, it provides organisations with a single, central location to house all guidelines, so everyone working on your content knows exactly how to depict your brand’s identity
You can’t target everyone, or you’ll spend a fortune trying to make people happy. Focus on your core demographic, think about what makes them smile, what they care about – use this as a foundation for your decisions and try not to lose sight of them as your core customer base when receiving feedback
Signage to support the customer experience
We’re inundated with signage and promotional materials in everyday life. So much so that we wouldn’t understand how much we need it until it’s gone. Signage needs to span multiple stages of the buyer journey, including:
Here are our key categories of signage focus for every retail store:
Wayfinding
The most important signage of all. Help customers easily find checkouts, changing rooms, exits, products and more through simple and clear signage. Signage that isn’t properly considered or placed throughout the store will leave consumers frustrated and encourage them to leave the store without making a purchase.
Promotional
Finding the right balance of product promotion and your brand identity is a delicate art. Ensure these promotional spaces can be easily updated, and that there’s a process in-store for keeping on top of sales collateral. Leaving outdated campaigns up could leave consumers annoyed when products are no longer in stock.
Experience-led and interactivity
Where possible, use signage to make connections with customers. You might promote the store’s Spotify playlist, use QR codes to give customers access to exclusive content, provide free digital magazines while they’re chilling out, or games to keep children entertained while their parents shop. The possibilities are endless, but very much depend on your brand’s vision and messaging.
Making in-store experiences a reality
A retail store needs to run like clockwork in order to be successful, so tools for automation can help make the day-to-day more seamless. BAM by Papirfly™ gives you the tools to easily update digital and physical signage in-store, keep on top of campaigns and react quickly to customer demands.
The must-know social platform features for this year
Papirfly
7minutes read
It’s impossible to ignore the powerful influence social media has on people worldwide. With approximately 4.5 billion users now on these platforms, understanding their capabilities is crucial for brands looking to maximise engagement with their audiences globally.
But, this is far easier said than done. Social media channels are evolving every day, introducing fresh features and casting away outdated ones. All of this information is scattered across the web, and it’s a hard task to keep track of all the latest developments.
Yet, for marketing teams seeking to harness social media to its full potential, having a clear idea of what’s coming next is vital to effective strategising.
With this in mind, in this article we intend to help brands unlock opportunities and stay one step ahead on social media. Read on to discover 21 features you should focus on in 2022 across five major platforms: Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
General social media trends for 2022
Before we break down the features to be looking out for from the primary social media platforms this year, here are four overarching trends that you should keep in mind to make the most of these channels moving forward.
The rise of social commerce
The crossover of mobile shopping and social media has been a growing trend for several years, but one that will pick up even more steam in 2022. Rather than the focus solely being on ads and promotions, more and more platforms are providing new paths for brands to directly sell their products and services through their social channels.
Instagram is a standout in this area. Its ‘Drops’ feature for example allows users to discover, browse and shop the latest product launches and view upcoming releases.
Meanwhile, Pinterest will make strides in this area in 2022, with an expanded partnership with e-commerce tool Shopify and the introduction of features such as shoppable pins.
Greater incorporation of VR and AR
As illustrated by moves towards the metaverse, the ties between social media, virtual reality and augmented reality are set to become even tighter in 2022. From virtual dressing rooms to digital meet-ups, these features are here to stay and could make a big difference for brands if employed effectively.
This trend will be particularly important for brands looking to capture a younger audience, as the inclusion of VR is spearheaded by Generation Z, due in large part to its connections to gaming.
The TikTok takeover
There is a strong belief that TikTok will become the go-to social media platform of 2022. After bursting onto the scene in a big way in 2020, TikTok now boasts over 3 billion global downloads – the first non-Facebook app to ever achieve this feat – and in late 2021 reached 1 billion active monthly users.
The message for brands is clear – if you haven’t taken TikTok seriously by now, this year you won’t have a choice. With other social media platforms introducing their own copycat features (Instagram Reels, Snapchat Spotlight, YouTube Shorts), making a splash on this channel can capture a lot of attention from consumers.
Influencer marketing comes of age
Once considered a nice add-on for marketers, influencer marketing is now a dominant technique for brands to apply. Much like TikTok, if you don’t consider influencer marketing in 2022, you could miss out on huge opportunities to expand your customer base.
Having an especially strong influence on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, the power of social media influencers is growing immensely. If your brand can engage with even a fraction of their followers, it may boost conversions significantly.
1. Live shopping
As live-stream shopping has exploded in China and is predicted to be a $423 billion market this year, Facebook is experimenting with ways to incorporate this into their own platform, which will allow brands to push their products out to viewers immediately during streams.
2.AR/VR development
As they step full-force into the metaverse, expect Facebook in 2022 to announce developments to their AR glasses and introduce other forms of interactive technology, such as wristband control for AR overlays and tools for the Oculus VR headsets.
3.Adjusted ad measurement
Previously, when someone used the same email address for their Facebook and Instagram accounts, or accessed both from the same device, Facebook counted them as one user in regards to the ads they were displayed. Now, it will treat these users as two different people, a move that could change the optics for advertisers.
4.Custom web links for creators
Facebook content creators in 2022 will be able to share custom web links that direct their fans to pay for subscriptions on the platform’s native Facebook Pay system. This will potentially unlock more opportunities for brands and creators to earn money from their content.
5. Marketplace updates
Facebook will roll out several exciting updates to their Marketplace feature this year, such as:
Enabling users to create saved searches and get notified when new listing match their criteria
Expanded shipping options
Highlighting top searches, most popular categories, and sustainable styles
A new way to create and share meetup plans for in-person transactions
1. Effective monetisation
Currently the weakest link in TikTok’s chain, 2022 will likely see ways for creators to directly monetise their videos on the platform. It is engaging in a range of e-commerce tests and using its Creator Marketplace to facilitate sponsored content, so definitely watch this space
2. Enhanced trendjacking
With likely updates to the ‘Top Ads’ and ‘Creative Center’ features, brands will have a clearer way to discover and latch onto the latest viral memes and use them for their own purposes.
2. In-app tipping
TikTok is testing out a new in-app tipping feature on its platform, allowing creators to accept money from fans on published videos. This would work similarly to their LIVE streams, which already supports gifting.
4. Effects house
Not letting Facebook totally dominate the AR space, TikTok’s Effects House will allow users to create augmented reality experiences, another way for creators to keep their audiences engaged.
1. Scheduling stories and live-streams
With Instagram Live a huge part of the platform, this feature is being upgraded to allow creators to schedule their upcoming streams. This will notify followers when they will go live, and gives time for users to prepare content around any questions or comments they receive leading into the stream.
2. Partnership inboxes
This streamlined inbox feature will ensure brands’ messages can be clearly seen by creators amid the sea of messages they receive from fans every day. This makes collaboration with desirable brands more achievable.
3. Better influencer searches
In a similar vein, Instagram is making it easier for brands to review verified data for a huge pool of creators, ensuring they can find ideal influencers aligned to their brand.
4. ‘Add yours’ story stickers
When a story comes up as a grid of images, these ‘add yours’ stickers will empower users to add their own content to this grid, much like themed Pinterest boards. This will encourage viral chains of content, helping all contributors reach a wider audience.
5. Posting from desktop
It has been a long time coming, but Instagram is finally allowing users to directly post both photos and videos less than one minute in length through their desktop web browser, rather than simply through their smartphone.
6. Collabs
Collabs is a creator-focused addition, allowing users to collaborate with one another through their posts, raise funds and make better use of music on Reels.
1. Twitter Blue and Labs
Twitter is focusing on ways for creators to directly make money from their tweets, from Super Follows and Ticketed Spaces through to Twitter Blue, the platform’s subscription service. Also in 2022, Twitter is expected to announce an update giving Twitter Blue subscribers access to Labs, giving early access to new features and updates.
With a revamped algorithm determining what ads Twitter users see, as they position the platform to allow brands to sell products directly through their service.
1. Live stream events
LinkedIn became a bigger facilitator of live-stream events in recent years, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, so expect to see further updates to this feature in 2022 to enhance this experience further.
2. Freelancer connection tools
LinkedIn will provide more opportunities for freelancers by expanding its Services Marketplace feature in 2022, with additions that will open up its freelance listings to a broader audience and forge connections for candidates and employers.
Updates to the ‘My Company’ tab, from better content curation and displays of employee re-shares
The ability to openly share workplace policies
Customisable competitor analytics, where companies can benchmark their performance against up to 9 competitors
Make your mark on social media this year
As this article demonstrates, there is a lot for brands to wrap their heads around when it comes to how they’ll best harness their social channels in 2022. As platforms continue to evolve and expand their capabilities in the coming months, this will unlock new possibilities for marketers to engage their communities, increase conversions and build brand equity.
We hope that by showcasing some of this year’s most noteworthy features, you’re now in a better position to capitalise on these both now and going forward.
Of course, even among these new features, consistent, frequent content on your social feeds will be just as important as ever. BAM by Papirfly™ can help you keep up with your daily demands by making asset creation fast and fuss-free:
Customise organic and paid assets for your social channels in just a click, perfectly sized for your channels
Produce static, carousel and video assets from prebuilt templates
Switch out colours, copy, branding and imagery to adapt your campaigns for different markets and sub-brands
See, save, edit and reuse anything that’s been created in an inbuilt DAM solution
Why are retailers launching their own marketing agencies?
Papirfly
7minutes read
We know that the retail industry never slows down. Every year consumers’ expectations for fresh products, offers and content grows – and retailers must provide these faster and more frequently than ever.
Agile is the goal. However, a traditional stumbling block on the path to “agile” is the reliance retailers – particularly those with a national or global presence – place on external agencies. Timing is everything in retail marketing, and any log jam at a partner agency can prevent campaigns landing at the optimal time.
This is why numerous retailers, such as UK giants Boots in September 2021, have taken it upon themselves to cut out the middleman. By launching their own in-house marketing agencies, they are looking to accelerate output, enhance efficiencies and present a stronger proposition to their supplier brands.
Here, we will explain why retailers worldwide are now taking this massive step, and outline the pros and cons of this full-on approach.
In-house marketing agencies – why now?
There are several factors – some very recent, others that have bubbled under the surface for years – that have compelled some of the world’s biggest retailers to take this previously absurd concept of becoming their own marketing agency:
Higher demand, tighter budgets
Shoppers expectations’ are higher than ever before. They expect consistent, personal engagement with their preferred retailers, whether it’s a unique special offer in their inbox to active content across social media.
But, as the demand for content only continues to grow, marketing budgets are shrinking. Many retailers were hit hard by COVID-19, and have had to tighten their belts in a number of key areas, marketing included. This includes the amount they have to spend on external agencies – compelling retailers to find ways to produce more in-house.
Overdependence on external agencies
Alongside the pressing need for retailers to reallocate their marketing budgets, there are also the longstanding concerns that many in-house marketing teams encountered when working alongside a third-party agency:
Longer turnaround times due to competing priorities
Brand inconsistencies caused by a lack of understanding
Lengthy back-and-forth over amends and updates
Costs associated with comparatively simple jobs
Many retailers, such as M&S, Verizon and Procter & Gamble, have already committed to taking more of their marketing in-house in response to the current landscape. By going even further in establishing their own fully-functioning agencies, others are aiming to take their production levels and support for suppliers to a whole new level.
The importance of omnichannel
The ways that retailers can interact with customers – both physically and digitally – are constantly increasing and evolving. Being ever-present across these platforms requires a multi-skilled team with experience in many areas of marketing: design, paid advertising, social media, print, email marketing, etc.
The introduction of an in-house agency puts all of these experts under one roof, and with their sole focus on you, the retailer, and your suppliers.
The death of third-party cookies
It probably hasn’t escaped your attention that Google is set to depreciate 3rd party cookies by 2023. This has unnerved numerous brands who are often reliant on this data, as their customer base does not typically purchase their products directly from their websites.
The first-hand information gathered by in-house retailer agencies, based directly on their customers’ behaviour, could therefore help supplier brands gain a deeper insight into their target audiences, and use this agency to produce better-targeted campaigns.
Great news for the suppliers, and a great selling point for the retailers that can provide this capability…
Competition to secure suppliers
Even the biggest retailers need to present a compelling case to potential suppliers. You want to make sure they feature in your stores over a competitor, and forge strong, long-term relationships.
Giving suppliers access to an in-house agency, capable of creating marketing assets for their purposes in-store and beyond, helps retailers foster these lasting bonds, and offer an incentive that most retailers globally can’t deliver (yet).
4 retailers that have established their own agencies
Boots
The catalyst for this article, Boots introduced Boots Media Group (BMG) in September 2021, with the aim of helping third-party brands deliver personalised campaigns out to their customers.
As well as enhancing their own internal advertising, the BMG agency will be capable of treating each of Boots’ suppliers individually, with unique channel mixes, marketing strategies and schedules to suit their requirements.
Plus, Boots will give suppliers access to the rich first-party data it holds across its 17+ million loyalty member cards, and tools measuring cost-per-sale, click-throughs, conversion rates and more. This means they will be perfectly placed to supply their partners with a deep insight into how customers are behaving straight from source, to structure future campaigns.
Walmart
In August 2021, Walmart announced that they had selected Publicis Groupe to support the development of their own in-house media agency. This is with the aim of deepening their connections to their diverse customer landscape through a wide range of omnichannel solutions.
The establishment of the Walmart Media Group is based around providing an end-to-end, seamless service to the retailer’s customers, and making their journey’s as robust and engaging as possible.
Target
Now we go all the way back to 2019 to Target, another heavyweight U.S. retailer, establishing Roundel as their own in-house media network.
This offers content creation and other advertising services for brands lining their stores’ shelves, such as Disney and Unilever, as well as a number of premium partners that don’t feature in their stores, including Mastercard.
Expedia
Expedia Group Media Solutions is the advertising arm of Expedia Group, one of America’s most prominent online travel shopping organisations.
Through this in-house agency, they provide brands with digital marketing solutions that reach and engage the millions of people that travel with them every year, giving these brands a powerful means to connect with audiences around the world.
What are the benefits of this approach?
Attractive proposition to suppliers
With retailers in competition not only for customers, but also suppliers, the promise of a dedicated in-house agency, and access to invaluable first-hand data from shoppers, will be a big incentive for suppliers to get on board.
Faster turnaround times
By creating a dedicated space where all content and strategies are crafted in-house, there is no enforced gap between formulating a campaign and getting it to customers. No third party. No added layers. No barriers.
Extended capabilities in-house
While an in-house marketing team will typically be spinning a lot of plates among each other, an agency will ensure that a retailer has access to professionals from throughout the marketing spectrum. These specialists will have a strong understanding of how to get the absolute most out of each campaign.
Real-time behaviour
Again, when speed is of the essence, having insight into the first-hand, real-time shopping habits of your customer base will enable an agency to create highly targeted campaigns based on these behaviours. Marketing is more effective, allowing you to forge watertight relationships with your audience.
Locked-down consistency
One of the ongoing concerns with using external agencies is the risk of brands being misinterpreted or poorly applied. As the agency works specifically for the retailer, there is much less risk of brand consistency going awry.
What are the risks?
Of course, while there is plenty of reasons as to why retailers are launching their own marketing agencies, it is not an approach that is free of risk:
Coordinating global campaigns
If your organisation has locations spread across the globe, it is possible for differences in culture and language to impede the effectiveness of your content. Plus, if all work is coming from a single space to be disseminated to teams worldwide, it is possible for streams to become crossed, and the wrong asset ending up in the wrong place.
With this in mind, it is useful to have tools in place to coordinate your international marketing:
A Digital Asset Manager (DAM) to store all approved assets in one globally accessible space, and share these with the relevant teams worldwide
A campaign planner that makes it easy to see all past, present and future campaigns at once, with information on when particular assets will be required
Language and localisation features in your content creation suite, ensuring that all content produced for a particular market is appropriate for that audience
A central brand portal housing brand guidelines and cultural considerations for any member of your marketing team to review at any time
All of this and more becomes possible when you use a solution like BAM by Papirfly™.
Convincing sceptical suppliers
As we’ve outlined above, there is a lot for suppliers to be excited about when it comes to retailers establishing in-house agencies. However, like any upcoming innovation, it has naysayers.
First, the supplier must place a great deal of trust in the retailer to put their marketing in the agency’s hands, and achieve results through this. If there is a long-term relationship already in place, this is less of a problem – for a new supplier, there could be some initial hesitation.
Secondly, there might also be some scepticism over what will take priority – the retailer’s own products and branding, or their suppliers’. So, if you intend to take this approach in your organisation, be prepared to do some convincing for several suppliers.
Costs of in-house marketing
Finally, there is the all-important consideration of cost. There is a very good reason why so many retailers over the years have outsourced work to external agencies – it was typically far less expensive than hiring an in-house marketing team, let alone your own full-blown agency.
With this in mind, and the fact that budgets are more restrictive than ever, having the tools in place to streamline marketing production and make it more accessible to everyone is vital to countering the expense of establishing and maintaining an agency.
Therefore, a solution like BAM by Papirfly™ is absolutely critical. Easy-to-use, preset templates empower anyone, regardless of design experience, to produce high-quality, perfectly branded assets in a matter of minutes. Times-to-market are shortened significantly, and you are enabled to create more digital and print assets than ever before – at no extra cost.
How BAM lets you do more in-house
We hope that you have enjoyed this introduction to the phenomenon of marketing agencies emerging from established retailers. While it may not be something you’re thinking about in the immediate future, I would watch this space – this is just the start of a trend that could change the way retail marketing is approached long term.
Nevertheless, it is never too early to give yourself the foundation to take marketing in-house and take your budgets further. Get in touch to learn more about BAM by Papirfly™, or get hands-on with it by arranging your personal demo.
We’ve heard talk about the “death of the high street” for years. The rising popularity and frequency of online shopping and an ever-growing list of shops that have disappeared – trends accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic – have led many to question whether physical stores still have a place today.
Total online retail sales grew 36% year-on-year in 2020 – the highest annual growth since 2007 (IMRG Capgemini)
Almost 40% of all retail sales in the UK in May 2021 were conducted online (BRC)
Online shopping is expected to reach nearly a third of all retail sales by 2024 (Osome)
The relevance of the “flagship store” has come under particular scrutiny. Once considered the most important and impressive store in an organisation’s fleet, the impact of the pandemic and the overall shift towards digital experiences has changed some people’s attitudes towards these environments.
But, not all retailers are singing the same tune – Burberry opened a new flagship store in London as recently as July 2021. Stone Island, L’Estrange, VASHI, UGG and Hermès are among the many retailers to establish flagship stores in major markets since the COVID-19 outbreak.
With this in mind, in this article we will look at the continued importance of the flagship store in the current landscape, and what the future looks like for these locations.
Flagship stores: a brief history
The legacy of the flagship store stretches back to the late 19th century, with the grand Steinway Hall in New York one of the earliest examples. These concepts set the tone for what flagship store would be – the most luxurious and spectacular example of a retail brand’s identity.
By the 1980s and 90s, many premium and midmarket brands had established their own flagships in the world’s biggest cities, with Niketown in Oxford Street one of the most notable examples.
Selfridges in London. Galeries Lafayette in Paris. Nike’s House of Innovation on Fifth Avenue. These and other iconic flagship stores have held a magnetic appeal with consumers for decades, acting as so much more than just supersized stores. They were tourist destinations. They were attractions. They were the epitome of what a brand stood for.
What is the appeal of the flagship store?
Many aspects make flagship stores unique from other shops within an organisation:
Their size and scale
Flagship stores are traditionally the largest and most aesthetically impressive location in a brand’s armada of shops. They use this size to showcase not only the latest products and developments from the brand, but its history, innovation and personality.
Their size and scale helps to demonstrate the power of the brand, with the aim of leaving visitors wowed. It is more than just a means of containing more products and collateral – it is an indication to potential customers that yours is a brand that matters.
Their location
The majority of flagship stores are based in standout global cities – London, New York City, Beijing, Tokyo, Paris – cities that receive significant footfall and are prominent tourist destinations.
Because shopping is a popular tourist pastime, these flagship stores act as a great introduction to shoppers worldwide, compelling them to frequent their local sites in future. Some of the best flagship stores even become go-to destinations in their own right.
Their customer service
While retailers strive to maintain a strong standard of customer service in all locations, it is usually taken to another level in their flagship stores. Experiences are often more personal and unique in these environments.
This is often because flagship stores are where people “experience” a brand. They engage the senses and encourage interaction between customers and employees to a greater level than most local stores.
Their purpose
While there is a significant commercial component to a flagship store – like any other brick-and-mortar shop it needs to generate sales – the purpose of a flagship store extends much further.
Flagship stores are the “homes” of retail brands. They promote a brand, making it accessible and tactile for consumers. Almost everything inside is designed to emphasise a brand’s products, legacy and identity. This brand presence, beyond the revenue these locations generate, is why these stores hold such a revered place in retail.
Why are flagship stores still relevant today?
This all sounds incredible, but there is a key question to address: “If flagship stores are so crucial to showcasing a retail brand, why are many shutting down?”
Undoubtedly the pandemic has had a major role in this – numerous retailers were hit hard, forcing them to shut down locations either as a means to survive, or because they went out of business altogether.
However, some were questioning the relevance of the flagship store before we ever heard of COVID-19. In an industry that is rapidly transitioning to online and local commerce, is there still a place for costly, gigantic megastores?
We believe so. In fact, we feel their relevance has only grown as a result of these trends. While digital shopping is becoming more sophisticated every year, many still actively prefer the in-person experience of going into a store rather than shopping online.
This could be for a number of reasons:
Preferring to see and feel products before they decide to purchase them
Wanting to interact with other humans face-to-face rather than through a screen
Enjoying the activity of shopping generally
Wanting to feel more connected to a brand by personally visiting shops
The pandemic may have actually strengthened these feelings. After many months unable to visit brick-and-mortar stores, many will feel more motivated than ever to return.
Furthermore, there is the risk that by forgoing the importance of your flagship stores, as Gap has done recently, you illustrate to customers that you don’t value these experiential, personalised brand experiences – something that many think very highly of.
As Matt Sargent, principal of Sargent Up North, in an interview with Retail Dive eloquently put it:
“It shows your customers that you’re not connected to that intimacy. You will see brands like Nike advocate for their brand in flagship stores and company stores, while for brands on the decline like Gap it’s a short-term profitability measure. It may be necessary, but it’s very problematic.”
“The beauty of a flagship store is it’s aspirational. It’s designed to pull interest, create that halo effect. People still want to engage with brands and want to make that trip meaningful versus transactional.”
Remember that while online shopping exploded during the pandemic, stores that delivered a multi-channel experience benefited the most – these retailers enjoyed a growth rate of 57% in 2020, with online-only retailers only growing 9%.
With that said, flagship stores are crucial to an effective omnichannel strategy. A place that gives visitors a tangible, experiential sense of a brand and its products, which can then encourage future online and local purchases.
The future of the flagship store
So what does the future of the flagship store look like? While nothing is ever set in stone in the world of retail, here are three key trends to follow:
#1 Elevating experiential marketing further
An important trend for the future of the flagship store will be introducing ways to help consumers experience a brand and its offerings even more closely than in years prior.
Consider Nike’s flagship in Times Square. It includes a basketball court with cameras for customers to record their shots, and treadmills with screens that mimic famous running routes across the globe. These don’t directly drive sales, but they emphasise the identity of the brand, and deliver this in a sense-driven, engaging way to customers.
In order to encourage sales either online or in local stores, the flagships must continue to provide the most complete and enthralling experiences to visitors.
#2 A greater mix of physical and digital
In a similar vein, we anticipate that flagship stores will need to deliver a more seamless transition between a brand’s physical and online presence.
Innovations like the Starbucks rewards app that allows you to order ahead before walking into a store, or the Sephora Beauty Bag account which immediately saves purchases made in-store so they can be quickly repurchased when products run out, have massively improved the way that these companies’ customers interact with their brand across all platforms.
As the standout stores for the brand, flagships have to take this to another level. With many adopting new technologies like virtual and augmented reality to support this vision, a retailer’s flagship should be at the heart of a commitment to multi-channel marketing.
#3 Reassessing flagship performance
Finally, we believe it is essential that the performance of flagships moving forward should not simply be measured by revenue generated – something that likely contributed to the closure of many of these as a result of the pandemic.
While no one is suggesting that sales shouldn’t factor into how well they are operating, it is just one part of the equation. Retailers should also incorporate KPIs that judge the flagship’s influence on the strength of their brand, such as media reach, tourists attracted, net promoter score, etc.
In fact, companies like Microsoft and Foot Locker actually attribute some of the costs of running their London flagships to their marketing budgets – a sign that they rightly consider these locations more important for increasing brand awareness than a strict sales focus.
Unlocking the potential of retail marketing
Without question, the flagship store still has a powerful part to play in strengthening the connection between brands and their customers. Until e-commerce becomes the sole avenue for consumers to purchase products – something we don’t see happening for a long, long time – these locations will remain the ultimate showcase of brand identity.
But, while flagships are the prized possession for many retail brands, it is crucial that customers enjoy a seamless experience at every marketing touchpoint. Without this consistency, it is incredibly challenging to bridge that gap between casual consumer and loyal advocate.
BAM by Papirfly™ empowers your retail teams worldwide – from your standout flagships to your most remote local stores – to lock down consistency across all marketing assets, and produce campaigns faster and more cost-effectively than ever before.
Because you’re getting tired of not having brand control. You’re exhausted from continuously trying to get colleagues to use correct brand assets and following your brand guidelines.
Sounds familiar? If managing a brand was a one-person job and there were limited selections for brand presentation, branding would be simple. But reality is the opposite. Not only does branding concern everyone in the company, but there is also a huge number of platforms and channels where your brand needs presentation. Unless you are The Flash, you can’t possibly manage your brand without having a brand asset management system in the 21st century.
What is brand asset management system?
Let’s keep this short and sweet as we have written about this topic in earlier blogs, and you can also find everything you need to know here. In short, a brand asset management system is the solution that connects your brand assets and your brand guidelines with the purpose of streamlining your brand processes. It differs from digital asset management because it puts your brand in context and makes your brand usable for everyone.
Because you’re getting tired of not having brand control. You’re exhausted from continuously trying to get colleagues to use correct brand assets and following your brand guidelines.
Sounds familiar? If managing a brand was a one-person job and there were limited selections for brand presentation, branding would be simple. But reality is the opposite. Not only does branding concern everyone in the company, but there is also a huge number of platforms and channels where your brand needs presentation. Unless you are The Flash, you can’t possibly manage your brand without having a brand asset management system in the 21st century.
What is brand asset management system?
Let’s keep this short and sweet as we have written about this topic in earlier blogs, and you can also find everything you need to know here. In short, a brand asset management system is the solution that connects your brand assets and your brand guidelines with the purpose of streamlining your brand processes. It differs from digital asset management because it puts your brand in context and makes your brand usable for everyone.
Because you’re getting tired of not having brand control. You’re exhausted from continuously trying to get colleagues to use correct brand assets and following your brand guidelines.
Sounds familiar? If managing a brand was a one-person job and there were limited selections for brand presentation, branding would be simple. But reality is the opposite. Not only does branding concern everyone in the company, but there is also a huge number of platforms and channels where your brand needs presentation. Unless you are The Flash, you can’t possibly manage your brand without having a brand asset management system in the 21st century.
What is brand asset management system?
Let’s keep this short and sweet as we have written about this topic in earlier blogs, and you can also find everything you need to know here. In short, a brand asset management system is the solution that connects your brand assets and your brand guidelines with the purpose of streamlining your brand processes. It differs from digital asset management because it puts your brand in context and makes your brand usable for everyone.
Content creation has changed: Here’s all you need to know for 2022
Luke Davis
6minutes read
We finally reach the end of another eventful year.
It’s been a whirlwind for everyone to say the least. If you’re reading this and you’re in brand management or marketing, it’s likely you’ve experienced some of the most challenging moments of your career this year.
Communication has always been important for brands, but never has the world watched with such scrutiny as they have this year. Brands have had to adapt quickly. Some have done the right thing. Others have said the wrong things. And paid for it. A lot.
Everyone has had to navigate previously unchartered territory, and while sadly we’ve witnessed some sink, others have sailed further in these conditions than they’d ever thought possible.
Content was already being heavily invested into pre-pandemic. But those who had hesitance in its value quickly found themselves running before they could walk, as they struggled with the sudden onset of demand for social, video, email, digital and print communications.
The sheer volume of information that was needed to be communicated, both internally and externally, left brands – both prepared and unprepared – in a position unlike any other.
Having spoken to many customers, our own team and having analysed what’s been reported in publications over the past year and a bit, I’ve come to five solid conclusions. Here, I share what they mean for the present and future of content creation and the teams that make it all possible.
“Purpose fatigue has set in”
It’s always going to be important for a brand’s values to shine through. But laying it on too thick in communications and losing sight of other areas of a brand’s personality can leave your audience feeling a little confused about your identity.
Your purpose is either wholeheartedly woven into everything you do, or it’s tastefully acknowledged as and when it’s needed. If you tread either route, then your actions should always reflect what you preach to your audience.
When I talk about purpose fatigue, I’m not saying that consumers don’t care that your brand cares. They absolutely do. But they’re tired of hearing the buzzwords, seeing adverts delivered in the same way, everyone claiming they’re changing the world when they’re not.
Actions will always speak louder than words, and if purpose is truly the foundation of your brand, you won’t need to shout about it from the rooftops. It will be apparent and known by the things you do and what you put out into the world.
Consumers are suffocating with the promises brands are setting out in front of them. If every brand really is as amazing as they’re claiming to be, then there’s still differentiation work to be done. Content can serve to build that brand and personality outside of the bigger campaign work.
“Content is now one of the biggest trust factors”
The role of content throughout the pandemic has been of great importance. Whether it was service availability, updates on staffing and opening times, product shortages or anything in-between, there were a lot of messaging strands to keep up with.
Brands that made their voices heard, their actions felt and their opinions count managed to do so with both carefully planned and reactive content. They weren’t afraid to comment on topical events without waiting several days to see what public perception dictated. They responded to requests for information with educational pieces. They served videos that simplified the complex.
Those who left their customers and employees in the dark or didn’t communicate consistently were met with negative social media comments and criticism from the press.
Though it feels like the end of the tunnel is near, the pandemic isn’t over. And even if it was, brands can’t take their foot off the gas when it comes to quick turnaround, valuable content pieces.
The precedent has been set. Consumers are actively engaged. They’re informed and loving it. Brands have shown real people, real emotion and real responses to real-world situations. If audiences are abandoned now, all the hard work was for nothing.
The key to great content is to have long-term and reactive strategies, the ability to be agile and to never lose sight of what people want to know about.
“Authenticity can’t be falsified”
Some brands have come under fire for dishing out false promises, or for not living up to what they say they are in campaigns. I always liken it to content creators (or influencers) – if they have been promoting a product on their feed that’s environmentally friendly but are then papped out in their fuel-guzzling 4×4, it would be very difficult to accept their word as the truth.
The same can be said for brands. And as rudimentary as it sounds, the only way to appear authentic is to be authentic. Be transparent and open.
With so much exposure to misinformation this year, customers need to have absolute faith and confidence that your brand is speaking its truth. They will appreciate and respect it more than you know.
Talk about the challenges customers have faced or the complaints you’ve received. As long as you’ve outlined what your brand’s done about it.
Put your hands up if the brand has made a mistake or said something out of line. Providing a ‘no comment’ from your comms team won’t do you any favours. Learn from it, own it and move on.
Show real people doing real things. Even some of the more throwaway content on TikTok has been painstakingly crafted for hours. And while polished production is always a great way to ensure brand consistency, don’t be afraid to introduce off-the-cuff pieces with employees.
“Automation isn’t the enemy”
Remember when robots were going to take your job? That’s not what’s going to happen. Ever.
Human emotion, empathy and decision-making in marketing are what makes it so powerful. It’s the role of technology and automation (or ahem, robots) to make your life easier. To improve the great work you’re already doing. To make your brand the best it can be!
When Per Oldeide helped to found Papirfly, it was always his mission to support the work of marketing and brand professionals. This was over 20 years ago now. We’ve all seen the automation of accounting with Xero, HubSpot take sales to a whole new level – every industry has been digitised in some way.
For some reason, though, there’s still a great deal of scepticism when it comes to content creation. I believe that to be for two reasons.
People don’t believe that automation can be implemented without compromising on creativity and quality
People are scared about the amount of time they need to invest in order to make it worth their while – they’re snowed under as it is and it’s too much of a commitment right now
I completely get both of these worries. But – and forgive me for being so blunt – they are moot points in the grand scheme of things.
Why? Because…
Tools such as BAM by Papirfly™ (shameless but relevant plug) have been designed and refined over decades. Brand Activation Management isn’t something that’s appeared out of nowhere. It’s taken the real challenges of global brands and given them a solution to deliver a more automated approach to content and campaign asset creation, without ever compromising on quality or creativity.
There is a time investment, like with most things. But if the pandemic has proved anything it’s that the world is changing. Expectations are higher. Content is more important than ever before. Without a central way to automate (or streamline) content creation, teams will be left overburdened, under pressure and eventually completely burnt out.
Automation isn’t going anywhere. Pressure isn’t going anywhere. Teams must adapt their approach to content creation and management without having to rely endlessly on agencies.
The more teams can deliver in-house, the less budget is wasted, the more empowered they are and the quicker they can go to market.
It really is that simple.
“It’s ok to want to save money”
Brands have felt the squeeze during the pandemic. And whether budget cuts were a precautionary measure or an absolute necessity, I’m sure there were mixed reviews from employees when they felt the additional pressures and burden.
Reduced staff. Reduced spend. Reduced almost everything. It’s not an easy mountain to climb.
That’s why teams need to focus on how to make their content creation more effective and each individual more productive. When time is saved, money is saved. When teams are empowered, agencies aren’t needed for every little thing.
It’s ok to need/want/have to save money and cull things from your marketing budget. But only if it’s been done with considered thought, and avenues for improvement have been explored to support this gaping budget and the employees whose workloads will triple as a result.
Looking to 2022…
Everything I’ve covered in this article – purpose, trust, authenticity, automation, budgets – are all wider conversations that extend beyond just content creation. But content creation is a solid foundation and critical way to communicate. The pandemic may have left you forced to find an approach that works well ‘for now’, and maybe you’re doing ok. But ask yourself and your team if it’s sustainable.
If it’s not, or there are areas to be improved, take a look at everything BAM has to offer here.
How the most successful brand managers deal with imposter syndrome
Papirfly
5minutes read
If you’re suffering from imposter syndrome, you may not even know it. That’s because it manifests itself as thoughts and feelings that leave you convinced that all your past successes are down to luck rather than hard work.
No matter how much evidence suggests otherwise, this unfounded fear of being found out can cause major self-doubt, stress and anxiety for brand managers at every level.
Even the most successful people feel like frauds
Imposter syndrome is a phenomenon that has taken over the workplace. It affects employees just starting out as well as those with a string of career successes.
To become a brand manager in the first place, you will have already proved that you have the ability to keep your brand consistent, provide strategic direction and handle high-pressure situations. So, whether you feel deserving of recognition or not, being where you are now is something to feel good about.
In fact, high achievers are susceptible to imposter syndrome precisely because they have set a high bar for themselves. The trouble comes with not being able to accept their talents.
Why are brand managers being so tough on themselves?
Imposter syndrome in marketing has been bubbling away for a long time. However, there has been a noticeable spike in the last 10 years or so. But what’s causing it?
Social media has found its way into every part of our lives — including work. It puts us under constant pressure to maintain a polished image of career success that’s neither completely true nor realistically attainable. When we are only comparing ourselves to the very best of other people’s achievements, of course we will begin to question our own.
In 2020, brand managers had to deal with a huge shift in the way they work. During periods of lockdown, working from home has exasperated imposter syndrome for a number of reasons, most notably:
Online communication
As meetings and reviews move online, we’re missing the non-verbal forms of communication that can be difficult to get across in emails and video calls. Without these subtle cues, it’s easy to mistake a simple comment about your work for a harsh critique.
Lack of office interactions
Working alone, there are less natural or informal opportunities to interact with your team. This makes it difficult to tell whether the right people are noticing, or appreciating, the work that you’re putting in.
Assuming everyone else is doing fine
Imposter syndrome loves isolation. Without an office full of people around you, it can be easy to lose perspective and convince yourself that you are the only person struggling with a particular project.
If you made it through, you did great
Feeling unprepared or out of your depth is a perfectly reasonable reaction to such an unexpected situation, but it left many brand managers feeling that they are not right for the job.
Even if you made some mistakes or had to change tack more than a few times, managing a brand through a global pandemic is a huge achievement, all things considered.
5 types of imposter that could be hidden in every brand manager
Global pandemics aside, being a successful brand manager leaves you open to imposter syndrome at any time.
In her book ‘The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It’, Dr. Valerie Young highlights five ways that imposter syndrome can manifest itself:
The Expert
Due to their need to know every last detail about a subject before they can complete a task, ‘The Expert’ uses up too much time searching for information. This is the feeling that you will never know enough to be truly qualified for your role.
The Perfectionist
By setting themselves unattainably high goals, ‘The Perfectionist’ experiences unnecessary anxiety, worry and self-doubt. This means they’ll ruminate over small mistakes and focus on failures over celebrating achievements.
The Natural Genius
This type of imposter is especially common in high achievers. When someone is used to mastering skills quickly, their ‘Natural Genius’ makes them feel ashamed when they are struggling with something particularly difficult.
The Soloist
With a strong preference for working alone, ‘The Soloist’ is afraid that asking for help will somehow prove that they are incompetent.
The Superhero
Through working unsustainable hours without time-off, ‘The Superhero’ can often experience burnout in an attempt to prove their ability and commitment to the role.
How to unmask your imposter
Identifying imposter syndrome is the first and most difficult step in overcoming the issues that are holding back countless brand managers. Next, you have to learn to catch negative thoughts and feelings before they take hold. These techniques can help you stop imposter syndrome in its tracks:
#1 Accepting that you are a work in progress
As a brand manager, you will be dealing with new situations where you may not have all the answers. Learning to be OK with not knowing everything and seeking help from someone more experienced, will get rid of the notion that you have to be perfect to be successful. You may find out that they have been in a similar position themselves in the past.
#2 Beware the inner critic
Learning to silence the voice in your head that’s saying you’re not good enough means you have to find out where it’s coming from. Ask yourself if it really holds any evidence — does it really reflect what you, or the people in your life, actually think?
#3 Spend more time looking outward
Imposter syndrome is introspective by its very nature but, as a brand manager, you need to be working as part of a team. As cheesy as it sounds, helping others is the best way to build self-esteem and shift the focus from where you think you might be failing, to where you can succeed together.
#4 Write down your achievements
When your mind is filled with fear and self-doubt, it can be easy to write-off everything you’ve worked for as sheer luck. If you made it to the position of brand manager, then that simply can’t be true. The quickest way to dismiss the idea that you’re a fraud is to write a list of everything you’ve achieved in the last five years. You’ll be amazed at how much you’ve accomplished.
#5 Learn how to fail
Despite appearances, every great brand manager has experienced more failures than successes throughout their career. The key takeaway is that they didn’t let it stop them. Instead of seeing failure as a sign that you’re not good enough, look at it as the driving force for self-development.
Give your team the tools they need to shine
When you have a strong team driving your brand forward, it’s much more difficult for imposter syndrome to halt your progress.
Bringing your team together with regular group catch-ups, team Slack channels and funding for training will help them recognise what they’re already great at and give them the confidence to push their abilities — without the overwhelming fear of failure.
An all-encompassing brand activation management software like BAM by Papirfly™ will also help reinforce your team’s best attributes with features like:
A full asset creation suite
Making it easy to create studio-quality assets without having to budget for agency support.
Customisable templates
Make sure your team’s flawless brand assets stay consistent across every market.
A single source of truth
Help your team stay up-to-date with your brand purpose, guidelines and evolution.
