How many ads have you seen in the past 30 minutes? How many have you seen in the past 30 days? If I had to estimate I’d guess it was a lot. The digital and physical world are littered with branding, ads and marketing messages. Companies looking to stand out on social media are paying more than ever to get in front of users and explain why their product/service is a perfect fit.
Most brands operate on limited budgets. Either they don’t have or are not willing to shell out the money necessary to buy a Super Bowl ad, NBA Finals placement, or jump a man from space. That does not mean that you can’t stand out on social media and accomplish your business goals. But how do you do it?
Disruption. It’s not a new statement, but humans are creatures of habit. We check our phone because it vibrates, eat food that we’ve eaten before, and even watch TV shows at set times during the week. This habit of forming and adhering to patterns creates a barrier to performing new actions (i.e. – clicking a link, making a purchase, etc.). But a properly crafted strategy can help you disrupt those moments and add value to those new actions.
Above you’ll see an example of creative that presents an apple in a unique manner. You immediately understand what is being sold to you, but you have to stop to interpret how it is being conveyed. In the above example we’re looking for users to find the image humorous. This is the disruption that gets them to stop. Once they have stopped, the opportunity to explain why anyone would want to dress an apple up like a grandma arises. “Your Granny says she loves you. Our Granny Smith says it contains 100% Daily Value Vitamin C.” This ties the product to the execution and also back to the user. This action helps us remain top of mind when users are purchasing products in the future.
Not every brand can afford to put wigs and lipstick on their product in order to stand out on social media. If this is the case, a great workaround is developing creative that all has a similar thread. For the above brand, Labatt Blue, we harvested and created imagery that featured their specific hue of blue. This allows users to build an affinity with their color and learn to pause for it. The physical act of scrolling through a phone often leaves images blurred or unrecognized. In that split second you can disrupt their movement by using a specific, bright, recognizable color. For brands that don’t have one color or rely on darker colors, I recommend leaning heavily on logo placement. In this way you can train your audiences on what to expect. This will help them notice you among the noise.
Disruption is becoming the new buzzword in marketing, but it couldn’t be at a more appropriate time. New companies are buying into social media every day. And existing companies are continually spending more than they did before. The noise level is at an all-time high. Using these above factors can help you stand out on social media and set you apart from the competition. Any questions? Looking to build your own brand? You can find me at @WillBradley3rd on Twitter and Instagram, feel free to send any questions or comments.
