Toucan Talks
EP23 Minisode: Marketing Ins and Outs for 2024
Tune into Toucan Talks this week with Laura and Alyssa from Kickstart Collective. In this minisode, we break down the freshest marketing trends of the new year. We play marketing "Ins and Outs" for 2024 and discuss how a strategic approach to digital content is key to resonating with the modern consumer. We also talk about why SEO is now cozying up with AI and voice searches. With a spotlight on conversational, long-tail keywords, we're navigating the new SEO landscape so you can optimize your online presence.
We discuss actionable tips for harnessing the influence of user-generated content and crafting personalized brand videos that pack a punch. We also cover email marketing along with insights on compliance tweaks and the marriage of email and SMS marketing.
Get more from Toucan Talks!
Watch on YouTube
Follow on Instagram
Subscribe to our email list
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Meet your hosts and learn more about Kickstart Collective at kickstartcollective.co
Kickstart Collective is a creative marketing agency based in Wilmington, NC. We offer our clients a creative advantage through creative content and marketing strategies.
Tune into Toucan Talks this week with Laura and Alyssa from Kickstart Collective. In this minisode, we break down the freshest marketing trends of the new year. We play marketing "Ins and Outs" for 2024 and discuss how a strategic approach to digital content is key to resonating with the modern consumer. We also talk about why SEO is now cozying up with AI and voice searches. With a spotlight on conversational, long-tail keywords, we're navigating the new SEO landscape so you can optimize your online presence.
We discuss actionable tips for harnessing the influence of user-generated content and crafting personalized brand videos that pack a punch. We also cover email marketing along with insights on compliance tweaks and the marriage of email and SMS marketing.
Get more from Toucan Talks!
Watch on YouTube
Follow on Instagram
Subscribe to our email list
//
Meet your hosts and learn more about Kickstart Collective at kickstartcollective.co
Kickstart Collective is a creative marketing agency based in Wilmington, NC. We offer our clients a creative advantage through creative content and marketing strategies.
Welcome to the Two Can Talks podcast brought to you by Kickstart Collective. Join us as we talk to local Wilmington business owners about what has led to their successes, challenges and more. No question is off limits as we bounce from topic to topic.
Speaker 2:And this podcast is brought to you by Kickstart Studios. Kickstart Studios is Wilmington's newest video podcast studio, equipped with multiple camera angles and an in-house producer. Creating a high quality video podcast has never been easier. Don't let the tech and gear learning curve hold you back from jumping into podcasting or creating video content any longer. Our team takes care of it all for you, so you can focus on the message you want to share. You simply show up record and receive the final product. No more wasting time setting it up and breaking down the gear, setting up lights or doing sound checks on your own. Our in-house producer will have everything set up and ready to go for you. Check us out at Kickstart Studios.
Speaker 1:Welcome to Two Can Talks. This is our first mini-sode of 2024. So we are going to bring you the ins and outs of marketing for this year. So, basically, what we're going to do is we have all of our topics in a can, we're going to take turns drawing them and then we're going to talk about if it's in or out and why we think so, and it's going to be a great time. Let's do it All right. I'll go first, I'll take the I don't know if it's the honors or the punishment. Okay, noisy messaging In or out.
Speaker 3:Out, out, out for 2024.
Speaker 1:It's gone. What do you mean? What does this can mean? What do we mean by noisy messaging?
Speaker 3:Well, mainly in reference to, like digital ads and digital content. There is already just so much stuff out there that you kind of got to be really strategic with the copy and the messaging that you used to kind of cut through everything that's out there. Yeah, yeah, making it really just concise, direct to the point. You don't want to add a bunch of fluff and people ain't got time for that. Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 1:Um, yeah, I think that's a good point, and I think, when you're creating content even like when we're doing it for ourselves or for clients, like we have to remember, just because we feel like we're seeing this over and over and over and over again, and like you get tired of it as the content creator yourself, like the people that you're serving it to when they're not seeing every piece of content and to you, they're seeing it amongst everything else. So they're probably they're not getting tired of it.
Speaker 3:They need the repetition to really understand what your brand is, what your services are and benefits and all that so um especially now, too, with the way that algorithms are, you do see so many ads when you're scrolling, yeah, so you've got to find a way to stand out and like yes, reach the people that you're trying to reach.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just say it, say it, keep fighting, keep find your messaging and then just keep saying it Exactly Until you think, until you're so, so, so, so, so, so tired of it. Then you can modify it slightly. Yeah, okay, um, you want to draw?
Speaker 3:Sure Okay. Never used the cans before, really have I always hoarded the can.
Speaker 1:I'm so sorry.
Speaker 3:Okay, updating SEO.
Speaker 1:Ooh, get out, oh, it's in.
Speaker 3:Sorry, I was just gonna it's a weigh in.
Speaker 1:It's so in. It wasn't even an answer, it's so obvious that it's in?
Speaker 1:Um, yes. So I think for this year, what is interesting about SEO? Um, well, I guess two things. One, there was a lot of talk in 2023 about like, how does AI impact SEO if people are putting their topics in and having it like written for them? Um, so that was interesting. I think what is more interesting moving into 2024 is just thinking of trends and consumer behavior as people doing like the voice to text for search. Um, so, instead of typing something in or like no, you're not gonna be like burger near me, you might type that in, but you're going to do it more conversational if you're searching with the voice.
Speaker 1:So, that being said, how does that impact SEO? The keywords need to be long tail keywords, which is essentially longer phrases that people would search for, or be more conversational, and so when that comes into writing your content, you have to think again. This is a little bit like personalizing it to yourself and your brand, but like almost like write it as you're taught, like as you would talk it Versus back in the day, which don't do this, but people would just try to plug in like insert, like forcing keywords or things that people were searching.
Speaker 1:So now, as more people are talking, you have to shift your SEO strategy to match consumer behavior, not what you think you should be doing, necessarily. So you got to make Google happy, and Google is happy when the end user is happy. So that's what I would say in for SEO.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:Next, having a single or very few marketing channels, in or out.
Speaker 3:Out Out. What's in is diversifying and having many, yeah, email ad or email marketing, google ads, facebook ads, social media marketing, etc. Being on not necessarily you don't have to be on every single one, but being on multiple really helps with getting yourself out there to people. Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think when, because I feel like we were talking about this earlier, how like trends have ebbed and flowed, and I think we're ebbing back to where it was a few years ago. Yeah, I feel like for a few years people are like focus on one channel, make it good, and like stop trying to be everywhere. And I agree you don't need to be everywhere, but I think some people maybe took that a little too seriously. So it's like you're only on one channel but then your customers are on other channels.
Speaker 1:Yeah, if they go there looking for, either you know, credibility or social proof or whatever, and you're not there, then it's it's weird for them, but it's about your business.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you could be missing out on opportunities in other areas.
Speaker 1:Yeah, or you're like on social or you have some sort of lead capture, but then you don't have any email marketing to like nurture them. You can't in my personal opinion, in professional opinion, you can't rely just on social or just on ads Like you have, like it takes depending on your product or your service specifically like it takes people time to make a buying decision and you have to have at least a few channels to like stay in front of them and that message consistent and nurture them into making a decision.
Speaker 3:So I think part of it too is like doing market research and seeing where your audience is. You know for sure you don't want to put all your eggs in this basket when you should be working on this basket.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And I think, like with, especially with the way content is now, like you can create one long form piece of content and break that out into a lot of different pieces or different channels. Pardon this interruption. I got an update from DoorDash. We have ordered lunch for this podcast. He is very important. He is arriving. I said to leave it at the door. We'll update you on what happens.
Speaker 3:You'll be dying.
Speaker 1:DoorDash, but you can break your content out, for, like, you could have a long form video on YouTube and then you can break it out for social posts or write it up for a blog or you know, use little blurbs for email marketing, whatever makes sense for your customer journey and experience. Like don't feel like you need to make 100 totally different pieces of content so you can be everywhere. Like be strategic and smart.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And that'll build consistency. Anyways, what's your messaging? Very true?
Speaker 3:Okay, all right, let's do it. Next one oh, annoying influencers. Oh my gosh, sorry, but they're out. They're annoying. No, yeah, but by annoying influencers I mean businesses using influencers, however big or small they may be. That just don't fit with the brand. Yeah, they have nothing to do with the product or the service or whatever it may be.
Speaker 1:Yes, so they're just pushing product on you and you're like I followed you because I liked your interior. Why are you trying to?
Speaker 3:sell me gummies for something, something.
Speaker 1:Yeah, something sleep better.
Speaker 3:Exactly so. From a business perspective, it just means doing your research and finding influencers micro, bigger, however big that have a very targeted audience, that almost not a cult following but you know people that niche, niche, niche, niche.
Speaker 1:yes, yes.
Speaker 3:They enjoy them and connect with them, so that you know that you'll connect with their audience.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think, yeah, finding the right fit for the brand, even if they have a smaller audience, like the influencer has a smaller audience they are. People are probably a little bit more bought in and trust them more than I mean. There are huge influencers that have niches and I think that's awesome, but it's still finding people who it's like they have their brand, they have their niche and it aligns with what you're doing Exactly.
Speaker 1:So influencers aren't out. It's just make sure you're being strategic with the annoying ones, being strategic with your parent, match pairing, choosing hiring, you're hiring them.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Exactly, our food's been dropped off. No-transcript Right outside. Don't fret, don't fret, sorry, I've hit this mic like five times. Joshua, I'm so sorry.
Speaker 1:Speaking of hitting this mic, video content in or out? Very in, so in, beyond, in, beyond, in. Yeah, I think video content as a whole has been growing over the years. Again, it helps cut through the noise of everything people are seeing because it is more engaging.
Speaker 1:I think, obviously, tiktok and stream reels all that has made it a lot more accessible and easier for businesses and content creators to make video. I think what we're going to see this year, which I think we've already started to see through 2023, is longer form video content and video content that is a little bit more educational. I was listening to something this past week and they're saying their opinion with, like, as the economy is potentially going to slow down a little bit this year, that more people are going to turn to free resources for, like, educational purposes or like business owners learning, you know, business things tapping into like YouTube videos or podcast videos that it's free to consume and they can still learn what they need to learn, but they're not necessarily investing like money into, like, maybe still courses, but not like expensive, like Uber, expensive things. They're going to tap into the free resources that are available, and video is going to be one of those bigger things.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:There's a lot of ways you can go with video content too. You know, like you said, you can give free resources, free webinars, that sort of thing. Show off your products. You can do videos, podcast videos very popular, so popular, so cool. Yeah, so crazy cool. Yeah Long reform YouTube, just regular brand videos too. Yeah Great, you know that. Talk about your brand, maybe a little storytelling For sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think the storytelling portion, especially if you're using it for your business, is hugely important just in terms of getting people engaged and actually wanting to watch the videos you're creating.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's a great way to connect with your audience. For sure they can see oh, there's real people, yes, behind this business or this brand.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. And, like you said, like there's products, stuff like unboxing videos you could do live streams of whatever you want, but webinars and then different educational things. So I think, be creative. Don't like, if you're like just starting to dabble in creating video, I would say like start small and figure out like what's manageable that you can do consistently, and then go for it and just start creating something. Yeah, like, have a plan so that it can you know your messaging can still be consistent.
Speaker 1:I think we'll preach that until we're blown the face. But just figure out like what is sustainable and just start.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:If it's Instagram stories, if that's all you got the capacity for, yeah, I'm starting doing it.
Speaker 3:Shameless plug. If you want more tips on video content, you can watch Luke and Joshua's mini-soad from season one True.
Speaker 1:We might even link that in the show notes. There you go, gosh, that wasn't planned. Good call, good shout out, just serving these, these viewers, what they need from the video standpoint.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Love it Okay, okay Next.
Speaker 3:Okay, user-generated content, it is so in.
Speaker 1:So if you are like, what the heck is user-generated content? It is content, usually via social media, that your clients or customers have created and are sharing on their own, but about your company or product or whatever. So this is always like I'm going to say it's always in. But I think even more so this year, as I guess the word authentic authenticity with the prevalence of AI-generated content and I think that one there's like that personalization that people are starting to miss already, and then you add user-generated content and basically is just giving like an unbiased person's opinion of your product for originally their audience, because they're sharing it. But then you have the opportunity to either reshare it or you can reach out and actually you know if it's a video file or photos, reviews, get that content and promote it on your own socials or website or in emails. But I think it just goes back mostly to credibility. And if you're like that sounds cool, but how do I get user-generated content? Well, I mean you can ask.
Speaker 3:Yeah, do challenges online. You can still utilize the hashtags if you wanted. You can start a trend, you know. Get other people to hop on and make similar videos about your product service, whatever it could be.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think, yeah, some of it will happen organically. But if it's like you want to prioritize it, like you, you're going to have to ask yeah, I don't be sleazy about it, but if, especially if it's like e-commerce or you have like follow-up emails after a purchase or a service is done, like, you can ask in that like, hey, you know, share, we'd love to hear your opinion, share about it on social and tag us so that you see it, so you have the opportunity to reshare it, but you're also encouraging them, if they had a positive experience, to share about it to their friends.
Speaker 1:But yeah, like you said, social media like giveaways, I feel like it was. They're a trend for a little bit of like, posting and tagging and then the best image would win, or something like that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was all for incentives. Yeah, to post.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for sure. So yeah, I don't know anything else. I'll use your generated content.
Speaker 3:No, yeah, I. It's great for again, personalizing, building credibility, kind of creating like a community almost online, with the people that are making the content and then their audiences, you know yeah.
Speaker 1:I like it, I love it. Okay, let's see.
Speaker 3:Is there a last one?
Speaker 1:Hmm, we got a few more, unless we want it to be our last one. Oh no, because our door dash has been delivered from drift and we're hungry. This is a great segue. Personalized content.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, like that ties into almost all of our. It does points that we've made, so far.
Speaker 1:So is it in or out? Very in, no, in, no it's. Yeah, you're right, it does have a good umbrella for everything we're talking about. Yeah, so I think I think this goes in two directions. Do you want to talk about, like, personalizing it to your own brand and you as the business owner? And then I can talk about pot twist using AI to personalize?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, so Personalized content is very in across all marketing channels, but I think especially on with like social media content you know TikToks and Scram Reels, video content, that sort of stuff it's great to again let people know that there's an actual human behind the brand. And I mean utilizing like funny trends is great. Make sure it fits your brand actually and it's not just like coming totally out of left field, but that is a great way to like get yourself out there and get more engagement by hopping on some of those trends. But yeah, just making giving your content personality, making it funny and engaging and, you know, not just salesy all the time Cause a lot of times if that's all you're putting out there, it might not get the desired effects. But giving it making it entertaining. You know, telling a story is is really beneficial nowadays. Yeah for sure Online.
Speaker 1:Agreed.
Speaker 1:And then flip side of personalized content is personalizing it like not only showing your personality but personalizing it for your customer, your client, and I think the rise of this is going to come even more with different AI technologies and whether it's like chatbots um, that you can have a positive customer experience with a chatbot versus one that's like hi, what's your problem?
Speaker 1:A representative will be back to you in 24 hours. It's like cool, yeah, that didn't mean no good, I could have filled out your website form, but different chatbots and different companies are developing things to where it does allow you as a business owner or your employees or whatever, to not be doing that cause you can use AI and it can be effective. Um, so I think that will be interesting. I think, um, like on the website side of things, just like being able to show, like recommended products and if you like this, you might like that, and like those sort of recommendations improving, um, again, that's personalized to that individual customer and their experience and what they're doing on your website. Um, so I think that's going to continue to grow this year, which I personally like.
Speaker 1:I'm like don't make me search for things, Show me what I'm going to like.
Speaker 2:Oh, let me buy it.
Speaker 1:Like, let's, let's do this, um so um. Yeah, I think it's a good time to let your personality shine and then, when appropriate, use AI and technology to personalize the experience for your customer.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:All right, I think we have one more.
Speaker 3:All right, yeah, just one more.
Speaker 1:Oh, was I supposed to let you draw that? Oh says email marketing, email marketing, email marketing it's in, it's always in, it's going to forever be in. If you ask me not changing my ways on that stance, um, but for real, um, coming to you 2024, um, there are changes on the compliance side of things which I don't think is going to probably apply to most of our listeners, because it's for people who are sending 5,000 emails or more a day.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Um, it's a lot of emails.
Speaker 1:It's a lot, um, but maybe you are. If you have a huge list and you're e-commerce saying just shooting off emails, I don't know, I'm not going to. If you are more power to you, let's do it. Um. But the changes that are coming for people who are sending a ton of emails, um, within like your emails actually landing within like Google, gmail and Yahoo and all that fun stuff, um, is you're going to have to have a custom domain so you can't be like at gmailcom. You're going to have to be like at to your business namecom or at blah blah, blah, blah, blah blah. The only the main reason I'm pointing this out is because that's good for any business, no matter what um it will. Having your own custom domain on like the email that you're sending your mass emails from, is going to get you three more spam blockers anyways, um, and it's just good for branding and like credibility. It just makes it look legit that you're willing to spend $12 a month to have your custom email.
Speaker 1:Um. So if you don't and you're like I don't send 5,000 emails a day it's okay. But I would recommend, highly recommend, especially like if they're putting this compliance in effect for, like, larger businesses, it's going to eventually trickle down Like maybe not this year, maybe not next year, so go ahead and do it. It's good for your business, it's good for your branding, it'll make me happy.
Speaker 1:Um, people are going to be more likely to open your email because it's going to look legit If your domain again you're like a dot calmer dot co is the ending of the email address, um and the other compliance change. There's a few, but the other one that I think is applicable to um everyone is they're going to require those larger senders to have a one click unsubscribe option, um, which I think is great because I hate having to click and then get to the landing page and click just I want to unsubscribe, unsubscribe me, um, so again, that might be something that's coming down the line for other people that your email, like mass email provider, would probably be the one that would enforce that change.
Speaker 1:So you don't really have to do anything, but just as a consumer just know, you're gonna be able to unsubscribe stuff way easier and I think that's a win for all of us. Yes, um, yeah, I mean other than that, in terms of like other trends, um, there's again making your emails more like customer centric and making the content relative. Um, and you can do that through email automations are segmenting your list between, like leads or customers or people that live in this region I don't know Whatever makes sense for your business. Um, segmenting it and trying to customize your content to those different audience groups, I think will be important. Um, and then and then Having so this is like two opposite trains of thought Doing more text based emails that read a little bit more personal, like a letter, versus like over the top emails, but something cool that is like starting to happen in emails is making them interactive.
Speaker 2:So I know those are two very different things.
Speaker 1:Depending on your business and what you're doing and the purpose of the email, you might wanna go one way or the other. But by interactive email design it's not like you click on something and it takes you to a landing page or you actually like do your action. Like you can there, like H&M yeah like H&M, for example, you can leave a product review directly in your email. Very cool, like so cool so cool for them, I'll leave a review if I don't have to like do five extra steps.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's the thing is like making it easier, make it easier for people and then like they're never really.
Speaker 1:I'm so sorry I've hit this mic 500 times, not talk with my hands. But making it easy for people to do whatever that desired action is, I think is gonna be important. But there's different applications and programs to where you could do like a quiz or a survey or have, like the person, add a product to their cart directly within the email, like so cool. Again, I love it for us as consumers and as people that do email marketing.
Speaker 3:And for those of us that are impulse shoppers yeah, add it to your cart.
Speaker 1:Yep done. So there's just options there like, as you're thinking through, like I think that for like service based industries, like the surveys and like reviews, I think is super cool because if you need like customer feedback, you can do it right in the email without requiring any extra steps. So I think that's exciting. And then, within email marketing we were talking about this earlier, but like being able to email and SMS marketing together.
Speaker 1:So you're hitting them in their email, but then also with text, Because text messaging is all I don't say always, but is more likely to get an open rate because someone's gonna open their text.
Speaker 3:You've always got your phone on you.
Speaker 1:You always got your phone on you, you're gonna see it, as long as those first few words are pretty catchy. It's easy to click to open it, versus like an email, it's very easy to just delete it. I do. I mean there are a few brains that I follow that I don't need to shop regularly and I will swipe to delete their texts without opening. So I'm the worst but in general, most people are gonna open the text to move it to on or read, so the notification goes away.
Speaker 1:So they're at least gonna see your message. And if it's good and it's the right time for them to buy, they're more likely to click through.
Speaker 3:Or if they see enough texts, then oh, this must be good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they really want me to know about this 70% off right now, which got me a few weeks ago, but anyways. So yeah, doing those in conjunction or if you're having success with email marketing. But you kinda wanna see if you can improve some of those metrics. Maybe tapping into some SMS, which is text messaging, essentially marketing, would be worthwhile. So yeah, we emptied our can of questions. Our lunch is here. It's a great day at 2K and Talks, podcasting, kickstarter, studios, kickstarter collective, all the things that we are, I don't know any. Closing thoughts ins and outs of marketing 2024?.
Speaker 3:I think the overarching message is with 2024 is personalization. Yeah, yes, whatever you're doing, make it personal. Yeah, make it fun.
Speaker 1:Yes, I agree, I like it, josh, anything you wanna add Any trends? You're seeing that we didn't get on the video side of things. Sorry, I think we're good. I saw, I see it was one trend where there's like someone doing a very basic task. Oh yeah, so it was like a song and you had to click it in caption. True, yes, I put that way of play on the video.
Speaker 1:True, yeah, so he was saying I don't know, wait, I stole your mic. I think it's like the videos mostly on social, but it's just like someone doing a task but then you have to hold it to read through the caption and the text. So yeah, that'll force some engagement especially if you got a good hook in there. And again, it's a way to use video that's not overwhelming. Or like oh my gosh, how do I do this? So yeah, that's a good one.
Speaker 3:Very good.
Speaker 1:All right. Well, thank you guys for joining us for this very first mini-soad of Two Can Talks for 2024. We hope you guys found this stuff helpful, but if there's anything we can do to help you on the marketing side, feel free to reach out to us. Our website is kickstartcollectiveco and you can, let's see, subscribe to this podcast. Oh, have we pitched the Instagram? We started another Instagram account, folks.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Just for this lovely podcast. So if you aren't, following Two Can Talks podcast on Instagram. You should do that, because that's where we're gonna share new episodes, some of the funnier little blips that happen and all that good stuff.
Speaker 1:So, do that and send it for our email Kickstartcollectiveco. Subscribe on YouTube, spotify, apple podcast. We got it up, been working on there, so it's gonna be a fun season. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Two Can Talks brought to you by Kickstart Collective. If you loved this episode, be sure to subscribe. Wherever you watch podcast and follow Kickstart Collective on Instagram at Kickstart Collective.