Click To Tweet<\/a><\/p>\n Despite all the pluses, there are some very real challenges that the business or brand will need to overcome for successfully marketing in a real-time environment.<\/p>\n The bigger the brand, the longer it takes to get approvals through the pipeline. From idea to inception, it can take up to a week (or longer) for all the eyeballs to review and sign off.<\/p>\n An example of this is getting an article drafted on a Google update or new feature. A project like this would start with the writer, then the editor, submission to marketing for review, and then to the person responsible for putting the article on the website and clicking publish. If revisions are necessary, that can be another week to get back through the approval process.<\/p>\n In order to be more active in real-time, a better solution would be to empower trusted leaders to make these types of decisions to speed the approval process along. Perhaps have a point person for the various areas, such as if it is blog that needs approved, or troublesome tweets that need responded to. Without a sense of urgency, competitors will always get their voices heard first. By the time a piece is sanitized, approved and released, the audience will have moved on to the next big thing.<\/p>\n Take care to invest in training for front line staff. Be sure they are fully educated about relevant content topics, the brand\u2019s core messages and company best practices for solving problems<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the world of real-time marketing, brands can\u2019t be a snoozer. No one willingly buys from a boring brand. Competitors are just a click away<\/a> and a prospect will be long gone if not intrigued by what the business has to say. Creating useful content that people want to read, watch and interact with is 100% necessary. I\u2019m not saying the business must deliver a Hollywood masterpiece, but it must educate, entertain or help solve a problem for their customers. Ideally, achieving all three simultaneously is the best approach.<\/p>\n The easiest way to get from A to Z here is to focus on what the audience wants and needs, not on the business wants and needs. Businesses that put their customers first can easily create content<\/a>. Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n A customer is planning to attend a wine tasting at your vineyard \u2013 what information would they need to know before arriving? E.g. any special preparation, such as eating a light lunch or perhaps, for the woman, a reminder to leave her stilettos at home, because there will be lots of outside walking. Another example is weather condition updates that would impact how the customer should dress the day of the wine tasting. This is the type of information you would want to share with those attending the day before or possibly the morning of the event.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to be cautious when engaging in real-time without first thinking through possible all the possible hazards. For example, creating a campaign around sunny days during hurricane season is in poor taste. If people feel that a brand is trying to exploit a trending item such as this or they lack authenticity, it could mean trouble for the business.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s face it. Some products and services just aren\u2019t cool, which can make it hard for the brand or business to be cool in real-time. The business might be a solid performer with loyal customers, good products and excellent customer service, but for example, a plumbing supply warehouse just isn\u2019t that cool.<\/p>\n If the brand lacks coolness, there are two basic options to raise their clout: (1) choose not to leverage real-time marketing or (2) partner with others that have more clout or a need. Personally, I recommend the latter.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important when using this strategy that the business is not perceived as making a paltry donation just to generate more sales or for commercial gain.<\/p>\n Real-time marketing should meet customers\u2019 wants! Brands that put themselves in the customers\u2019 shoes will more likely meets their customers\u2019 needs. Let the customer decide what\u2019s important, not the PR team.<\/p>\n Need help getting more local visibility<\/a> in real-time? We have the perfect real-time solution. Click to learn more now!<\/p>\nReal-Time Marketing Challenges for Brands and Local Businesses<\/h2>\n
The Challenge – Getting Approvals Quickly<\/h3>\n
The Solution \u2013 Empower Trusted Leaders<\/h3>\n
The Challenge – Keeping Customers in Real-Time<\/h3>\n
The Solution \u2013 Give Customers What They Want<\/h3>\n
The Challenge – The Coolness Factor<\/h3>\n
The Solution \u2013 Partner with those that Can Bring the Wow<\/h3>\n
Here are a few examples of how to up the \u201cwow\u201d factor:<\/h4>\n
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Real-Time Marketing is Real-World<\/h2>\n
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