There is a new report on digital marketing making the rounds and after reading it I thought it was important enough that everyone involved in alumni or college sports marketing should take some time to read.
FEED: The 2009 Razorfish Digital Brand Experience Report is an annual study charting how technology is changing the way consumers engage with brands. Download the full report (pdf) or view a summary of the key findings embedded below.
As you are all well aware, a lot has happened over the past 12 months with the explosion of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others. It has no doubt changed the way we will all look at marketing going forward.
One big takeaway from the report is that, more so than ever, experiences matter. So much so that they are becoming the new advertising and marketing. And research proves that digital brand experiences create customers. According to the report:
“The overwhelming majority of consumers who engage with a brand online move from passive “receivers” to advocates almost instantly.”
This means that every alumni or college sports marketer must constantly be thinking about the kind of digital experiences they are creating for their alumni and fans, as well as how to make them aware that these experiences exist. What good is a viral video if only a percentage of your target audience is aware of it?
Of course use email, of course use Twitter, of course use Facebook. But don’t forget that traditional direct mail should also be used to drive people to your digital assets in order to provide an effective multi-channel and multi-touch strategy.
My name is Ryan Erisman and I'm a founding team member at Replay Marketing. This is my blog about college sports and alumni marketing.
