Reaching African-Americans

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Tanya Isley

In our continued series on multicultural marketing, this week we’re looking at the power of African American consumers and how brands and marketers must tailor their messaging to reach this important segment.

African American consumers have steadfastly proven their value to brands by accumulating a buying power of $1.3 trillion dollars.¹With that much buying power, if African-Americans were a country, they’d rival the buying power of the 15th largest country in the world – Canada! Additionally, there has been a 44% increase in African-American households earning $50,000 or more and a 23% increase in African-American households earning $75,000 or more. We’ve also noted that African-Americans have experienced a 64% faster population growth than the general population since 2010.

afambuyingpower These numbers are proof that African-Americans are an important and powerful population that brands and marketers cannot afford to overlook. Every marketing plan that’s developed to reach a diverse consumer base must include strategies to reach out to African Americans. Why? Because African-American consumers look for products that represent their image and cultural values. Successful brands align with core values and speak to black consumers by communicating quality and value.

Tell us your thoughts in the comments below and come back next week when look deeper at the things that African American consumers value.

¹ Source: Nielsen – State of the African-American Consumer, 2012; Nielsen – The multicultural economy 2005: America’s minority buying power, Jeffrey M. Humphreys, University of Georgia, Georgia Business and Economic Conditions, Vol. 65 Number 3, 2005.

Changing Demographics in the U.S. and How It Impacts Marketing

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Tanya Isley

For several years, we have witnessed a seismic demographic shift in the U.S. population in which people of color – Latinos, African-Americans, Asians and other ethnic groups – are becoming the majority. In 1990, non-Hispanic whites made up 74.5 percent of the population. In 2010, they dropped to 63.75 percent of the population and 63.03 in 2012. And, they are expected to decrease to 60.9 percent by 2017. The chart below displays the increase in minority populations from 1990 through 2017 as well as the decrease in population of non-Hispanic whites.

Source: http://www.esri.com/library/brochures/pdfs/minority-population-growth.pdf

Also, we note that millennials have become the majority demographic, in terms of age, as there are over 75 million totaling 25 percent of the U.S. population¹. Not only do they have strength in numbers but also their buying power has reached 1.3 trillion dollars. ²

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

What does this mean for brands, advertisers and marketers? With these demographic changes, brands must tailor their marketing to effectively reach these multicultural consumers. And, advertising and marketing agencies must craft the messaging that the brands need. In this space, we’re going to delve into more statistics and insights on multicultural markets and look at some of the strategies brands can deploy in order to stay relevant to these consumers.

¹https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2015/cb15-113.html

² http://www.leadscon.com/18-statistics-that-marketers-need-to-know-about-millennials/

Promoting Your Event Through Social Media: The Fantastic Four

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Tanya Isley

Social Media has revolutionized the way the world communicates with each other, providing different mediums to post content and connecting global individuals to meet in one space – directly, for free and in real time. It has proven itself to be one of the greatest tools businesses can utilize to build their brand, audience, and social reach. In the digital marketing realm, the usage of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and most recently Snapchat have connected businesses to consumers in very personal ways.

Consumers enjoy the ability to engage so closely with brands, so as an event planner, utilizing this closeness to your audience is key. Promoting events and increasing their awareness via social media must be built into the marketing plan if you anticipate having the optimum turnout.

Here we will provide some tips on how to utilize the top four social media platforms to engage your audience and draw larger crowds to your events.

Facebook
Facebook began as a website strictly for college students but after the news spread about how cool and innovative the website was, there was no other option but to open the site for everyone. Facebook now has 1 billion daily users and 894 million daily mobile users. Those numbers alone show the importance of utilizing Facebook as a promotional space.

“Events” functionality has been a component of Facebook since its earlier days and it has gone through many updates since its launch. To utilize this amazing feature, simply click on the “Events” link in the “post” window.

Under the events tab you can create a guest list, describe the event, add photos, and there is also an RSVP function. Individuals invited to the event will receive reminders of the event date unless they have the event notification tab turned off. Recently, Facebook added the ability for businesses to create business-only pages. These pages allow for direct communication with consumers–therefore advertising on your Facebook page is an option as well.

Twitter

Twitter is microblogging at its finest. The creators of Twitter built the 140 character limit with creativity in mind; they wanted people to resort to wit and cleverness to get their message across in the shortest way possible. Twitter has incorporated many features into the site to optimize your event promotion. Attaching images, gifs, and videos will maximize the excitement around your event if you choose the right content for your audience. Twitter gives you just enough space to tweet the most important details of your event.

Instagram

Instagram is a photo-sharing application – and what is there to lose by posting visual content to draw in a guest? In addition to photos, videos are now able to be uploaded. You can choose who can view your content: Your followers only (set the account type as “private” or anyone visiting your page on Instagram (set the account type on “public”).

Direct Messaging (DM): Another great feature of Instagram is the ability to send other users direct, private messages. In direct messaging on Instagram, a picture must be attached to the message. This allows businesses to reach out to people that may not use the app daily but still receive the message notification. The direct message function also reaches out to people who may have missed the initial posting.

Tagging: Instagram allows users to be “tagged” on photos and if their username is included in the caption, they will be notified of the post when they open the app.

Snapchat

Snapchat has become increasingly popular over the past two years, especially among younger Millennials. Snapchat is a photo and video sharing app that uploads in real time. Snapchat is good for leading up to an event by posting different elements such as the venue, production, and conversations about the event. In addition to pre-production, Snapchat is great for posting content during the event. Once people see how exciting your event is they may plan to participate next time. Snapchat really hones in on the closeness between the business and consumer because the consumer could end up on the business’ Snapchat in real time and consumers love that!

Cross-posting Saves Time

Each one of these platforms offer a unique ability to engage consumers and reel in a broader audience. The great thing about each application is that you can link them to post across platforms. The content you post on Instagram can be sent to Twitter and Facebook. The content you post on Twitter can be linked to Facebook.

To improve your efficiency, schedule your postings. There are several apps and websites that allow users to schedule posts across several social media platforms and accounts. The most popular among these is Hootsuite. Hootsuite allows you to schedule future posts to Facebook and Twitter saving you lots of time!

Ensuring Steady Traffic at Your Event Booth

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Tanya Isley

The purpose of hosting a booth exhibit or activation is to market your products and services by giving the most accurate information to the consumer. In order to do this, there must be things in place to make the exhibit appealing. A plan to have consistent traffic is key to informing consumers about your product and strengthening the appeal of your area.

Depending on the level of engagement you plan to have with your consumers, you must make sure they are comfortable. If they will be entering your booth and it is allowed, budget for carpet and padding. You do not want the message to be passed along that your exhibit included talking points AND a concrete floor! A bistro table and chairs or folding table and chairs are an option, too, in case you will have a longer engagement period with your guests.

Demonstrations are engaging and exciting. There is an unlimited amount of possibilities when it comes to creating a demonstration for your booth or activation. Depending on your goal, you can narrow the list of demonstrations down based on the space you have to work with, budget, creativity, and the amount of people you want to engage in the demonstration. You want to make a lasting impression, therefore, creating a memorable demonstration will work to increase sales and consumer conversion and retention. Raffles, quizzes, and demonstrations that show the finished results of products are all advantageous.

Promotional items will be sure to drive traffic to your area. People love free items! It is necessary to understand your audience so that you order the correct promotional item(s) and the correct amount. There are many tradeshow websites that have items for all audiences, just browsing to select the items can be fun! Just like the demonstrations, you want to choose items that will have a last impact on the consumer. Selecting an item that will be thrown away quickly after use may not be as effective. Search for items that have consistent usage in the home, work, and school.

IF you ensure steady booth traffic, you have a good chance to increase sales and brand impressions.

Gearing Up for Great Events!

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Tanya Isley

Aaah, Spring is around the corner, the weather is warmer and the days are getting longer. Here at Marketing Resource Solutions those are the signs that we’re gearing up for our Spring and Summer client event activations and getting ready to hit the road! Our upcoming events have been strategically planned to afford our clients the maximum return for their activations. We have analyzed their markets and carefully planned activities that best serve their clientele. We will be traveling the country, meeting new people, making sure each of their events goes as planned.

We kick off our journey with The Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage Cruise. This is our third year aboard the Party With A Purpose and each year gets better than the last. Each year to prepare for the cruise, we review the previous year’s activation and work hard to exceed that. We want to make the passengers feel like celebrities so we ensure they have all the components in place to make their sailing adventure a memorable experience!

We’ll also be back at the BETX (The BET Experience) for our second year with one of our major clients. We plan to bring a bigger and better experience for everyone to enjoy. Our main activation at BETX brings together family, friends, and fun making a huge impact for our client. We reach out to over 100,000 people giving them an unforgettable experience which keeps them on the lookout for us each year.
Follow our journey here and across our other social media networks for updates, photos, and exciting moments from our upcoming events.