Click the image for details Traffic is more expensive than gold 'Channels are king' is absolutely correct Every capable marketer must not only master creativity but also carefully manage their 'river of traffic' to achieve the realm of 'creation-flow integration.' This year, it is a very realistic and important matter to determine whether your marketing department is a tycoon, middle class, petit bourgeois, or poor peasant, because this self-awareness determines the basic framework of your marketing strategy. The following content is cautionary: it may make you feel that comparing people to people leads to death, and comparing marketers to marketers leads to vomiting blood and dying. Framework for Marketing Strategies by Class (1) Struggling Poor Peasant Brands Products are in the introduction stage, and company resources must be tilted towards product development, as a quality product is the basic condition for future success. Annual marketing budget is several hundred thousand yuan or less. Note: 'Struggling' has no derogatory connotation; although it is called struggling, this stage is one where a sense of achievement is easily attained. Also, there is internal friction due to lack of budget and competition for resources. Respect to the struggling! The Struggling's 3 Creative Strategies = 80% Create surprising events (concentrate budget, use limited resources to maximize exposure, but high risk and easy to become self-congratulatory) + 20% Innovative social media (there is nothing that creativity cannot solve. Because besides creativity, there is really nothing else; well, there are recharge cards and small gifts) + 0 budget to leverage various resources (exchange goods for resources, comment under big V articles, comment under relevant topics on Tieba, self-question and self-answer on Zhihu...) (2) Petit Bourgeois Brands Targeting clear market segments, under the styling of designers and copywriters, the brand forms a unique personality, exuding an attractive aura from the inside out, and successfully gathers millions of fans. Annual marketing budget is 3 million yuan or less. Mostly consumption upgrade brands. Petit Bourgeois Basic Strategy = 60% KOL endorsements (must be internet celebrities with their own followers) or 60% Targeted promotion (must capture those who actively search/find; Series B financing depends on it) + 20% Co-Branding joint marketing (mutually ride on hot topics, hold press conferences, do experiential activities, 1+1=infinity) + 10% Innovative marketing (the boss is a literary youth, watching every day, social media matrix, riding hot topics, event hype... everything that can be used is used) (3) Middle Class Brands Brands in rapid growth stage, products and services are known to a large user base, but competitors are constantly joining. Annual marketing budget is tens of millions, such as internet recruitment industry, news APP brands from two years ago. Middle Class Basic Strategy = 50% Selective strong exposure resources (invest for influence and snipe at new entrants) + 50% Targeted precision promotion (effect conversion is the lifeline; without results, the director's position is not secure) + 1%-2% Innovative marketing (content creativity mostly supports the above strong exposure resources, in a coordinated and linked battle) (4) Tycoon Brands Brands in rapid growth or maturity stage, having formed a moat. Due to profitability, market competition is extremely fierce, annual marketing budget is hundreds of millions, hundreds of millions, hundreds of millions. Examples: beverage industry, mobile phone industry. Tycoon Basic Strategy = 80% Strong exposure resources (essential for burning money, essential for screen domination) + 20% or so Targeted precision promotion (supplement effective frequency, backup force for strong exposure resources) + 1% flexible budget for innovative marketing (events, content creativity... mainly for the marketing department to win awards, get promotions, and become famous) I'll go to the bathroom to cry for a while first Actually, regardless of the stage, every strong and capable marketer will carefully draw and manage their own 'river of traffic', which is the 'target audience behavior path map' , which I habitually call the 'monster-fighting map' (consumers = little monsters) or 'spider web'. Restore 5 States to Draw Your 'Traffic River Network Map' This map allows you to have a more holistic view, rather than focusing energy on a single point; it makes you clearer about where the key battlefields are, so as to allocate budget and intelligence more effectively. Although users' time is still fragmented, with the gradual formation of internet company monopolies, users' media trajectories have become more predictable compared to three years ago. Below, taking young workplace professionals as an example, by restoring their life states, we get this map. State 1: Commuting Auxiliary tools: ride-hailing apps, bike-sharing apps, subway, bus, taxi; Information acquisition: social networks (for sharing photos use in/Nice, for following stars use Weibo/Tieba/QQ groups, for expressing moods use Weibo alt accounts and QQ space, for acquaintances use WeChat, for workplace use Maimai, for dating use Tantan, also Same, Mono), weather apps, mobile music/video/games/comics/online literature; Company surroundings: building TV, outdoor light boxes, building advertisements, convenience stores, restaurants. State 2: During Work Work communication and information acquisition: WeChat, QQ, Email, navigation sites, search engines; Workplace life: online shopping, express delivery, food delivery platforms, dining out (canteens/restaurants, coffee shops, convenience stores). State 3: After Work/Going Out Auxiliary tools: map apps, ride-hailing apps, subway, bus, taxi radio, review sites; Destinations: Shopping Malls, cafes, cinemas, sports venues. State 4: Resting at Home Online video/TV, social networks, live streaming, online shopping, online literature, mobile games, comics, magazines. State 5: Holidays Auxiliary tools: travel websites, airports, high-speed rail, hotels; Destinations: scenic spots, concerts/music festivals; Information acquisition as above. Three Insights for Using the 'Traffic River Network Map' (1) Relevance between Scenario and Consumption When attacking a channel, you must consider the relevance between the scenario and product consumption, and the distance from seeing the promotion to completing the purchase. Simple example: Many people have a need for afternoon desserts; for promoting yogurt, targeted placement around noon is better; similarly, promoting crayfish is better in cooperation with sports and online video platforms during evening hours. (2) 2/8 Principle, Find the Mainstream of the Traffic River Tag every promotion with trackable data labels to count conversion data for each branch—CPM, CPC, CPA, retention rate—to find the mainstream of the traffic river. For example: Weibo big account: 2.2 yuan/CPA News APP feed: 3 yuan/CPA Coffee shop ground promotion: 10 yuan/CPA These mainstreams will occupy 80% of the media budget. (3) Always Reserve Flexible Budget to Explore Value Depressions Be sure to reserve a flexible budget to try new media, in order to find value depressions, such as Toutiao three years ago, APP alliances five years ago, Weibo six years ago, and current audio FM, etc.
Finally, thanks to: Vivo, Vita Coco, Zhaopin, and Beast (野兽派) marketing friends for sharing their experience. Zhang Zhang, a junior brand marketer, has been in 4A agencies and internet company marketing departments for over a decade, committed to making brand operations simple and effective. Source: Market Department Network (市场部网)