In the context of marketing, what do you understand by the term ‘learning’?

Discuss any one learning theory which you think is most relevant to an

understanding of consumer behavior?

5 EASY STEPS TO UNDERSTANDING CONTEXT MARKETING

The importance of content in your marketing campaigns is a subject that’s been

extensively written about, analyzed and proven to be the major differentiator when it

comes to digital. There’s a reason the expression “Content is king” never gets old. But

content on its own has no value. The only real measure of value when it comes to

content is from the person that is consuming it – its relevance and its impact. When we

think of content, we shouldn’t ask ourselves only how to do it better, but how to do it

differently. 

ENTER CONTEXT MARKETING

When content meets or exceeds customer expectations, when it solves an issue or

teaches the audience something new, when it’s adapted to what the consumer is

looking for – we can speak of context marketing.

Context marketing is the ability to deliver the right content or experience to the right

person, in the right place, and at the right time based on the sum total of that person’s

past brand interactions and current needs.

So how do we succeed in implementing context marketing to our own digital

campaigns? Let’s look at 5 easy steps on how to start.

“Context marketing is the ability to deliver the right content or experience to the right

person, in the right place, and at the right time based on the sum total of that person’s

past brand interactions and current needs”

This isn’t a magic formula and you probably know all this in theory, but it’s very

important to keep it in mind and apply it:

1. Know your audience

As previously mentioned, writing and distributing content just for the sake of it won’t cut

it. Even a broken watch is right twice a day, meaning that eventually your “one size fits

all” content will strike a chord with someone. 

However, in order to successfully create meaningful content, you need to know exactly

who it is you’re talking to, what their intentions are and how you can help them move

forward.

2. Content isn’t just words

When we think of content, we tend to think mostly of text on a website, in an email or in

brochures. But content is much more than that – and it can be in the right context as

well, no matter its shape or form.

Customers don’t like to read only text – think of infographics, videos, short stories,
pictures, animations and much more. A good content and context strategy manages to

serve the right media as well as the right content to the audience.

3. Data, data and more data

Think about it – if you know nothing about your audience, it’s extremely complicated if

not downright impossible to market anything within context. That’s why the importance

of data can’t be overstated.

Big data is a term that’s been thrown around a lot in the past few years and while AI and

Machine Learning are opening up even more avenues for data gather, you need to

understand that the value of data can only be measured around its usefulness. That’s

why “intelligent data” is a better way of looking at it.

Collect and gather only what you need, when you need it and if you can use it to

actually provide content with an added value to your audience. Remember to keep your

data in one place and make sure it’s clean and reliable.

4. Personalize more than on a first name basis

You guessed it – you couldn’t be reading point 3 without thinking point 4 is going to

come up. That’s because personalization without data is impossible – but this data can

come from many places. There’s implicit and explicit data you can use to convey your

message in the right context.

Implicit data looks at customer behavior online (such as pages visited, mobile device
used, location etc) while explicit data is customer data that was provided by the

audience itself (such as name, email, a form filled in etc).

By gathering and combining these two different types of data, you can personalize each

customer experience in part by understanding intent from the first page visit to the last

interaction on any channel.

5. Test and optimize

No matter how well you gather data, personalize the customer experience and deliver

different types of content for each audience member in part, customer behavior will be

unpredictable at times. And that’s ok, you can’t be 100% accurate at all times.

It’s important to learn what works and what doesn’t though for the most part and the

only way to do that is by testing and optimizing. The beauty of digital marketing is the

speed with which you can launch campaigns, content and offers, all the while adapting

on the fly by constantly testing everything to increase conversions and keep customers

happy.

Understanding of consumer behavior?

Consumer behavior is the study of individuals and organizations and how they select

and use products and services. It is mainly concerned with psychology, motivations, and

behavior.

The study of consumer behavior includes:

  How consumers think and feel about different alternatives (brands, products,

services, and retailers)

 How consumers reason and select between different alternatives

 The behavior of consumers while researching and shopping

 How consumer behavior is influenced by their environment (peers, culture,

media)

 How marketing campaigns can be adapted and improved to more effectively

influence the consumer

These considerations are influenced by three factors:

Personal factors – A person’s interests and opinions. These will be affected by

demographics such as age, gender, culture, profession, background and so on.

Psychological factors – Everybody’s response to a particular marketing campaign will

be based on their perceptions and attitudes. A person’s ability to comprehend

information, their perception of their need, their attitude, will all play a part.

Social factors – Peer groups, from family and friends to social media influence. This

factor also includes social class, income, and education level.

Collecting consumer behavior data

As the motivations that influence consumer behavior are so wide, a research mix

including a variety of data will be the most robust. Some are more cost effective than

others.
Customer Reviews – Reading customer reviews can highlight common problems or

wishes.

Q&A sites – These sites can give you an idea of the questions and concerns that

people have in relation to your brand, service or product.

Surveys – Online surveys can be easily set up with sites like Survey Monkey and

allow you to ask specific questions.

Focus groups – Bring a group of consumers together and ask them questions directly.

Keyword research – A mainstay of SEO, keyword research can tell you what

consumers are interested in and the relative level of interest. It also helps to reveal the

language they are using.

Google Analytics – Analytics can be used to tell you where your traffic is coming from.

The Audience tab shows geography, interests, and a range of demographics.

Competitor analysis – This can provide useful information about consumers that are

shopping in your vertical but don’t buy from your brand. Read our post on the  top

competitor analysis tools.

Blog comments – Comments on your blog can be a good way of discovering any

questions your audience might have.

Twitter Insiders – Twitter recently launched Insiders, a 12,000 strong focus group of

US & UK Twitter users.

Google trends – Google Trends can help you to understand if a topic is becoming

more or less popular.

Government data – Government data is available for free and can help you

understand a group, and several other sources can also be accessed without charge.

Social media – Millions of people reflect their lives on social media, so information that

can enrich several strands of consumer behavior can be uncovered with the right tools.