The three C’s you should consider as you build your new marketing strategy

Building a new marketing strategy can seem daunting, with so many opportunities and directions to take it can seem difficult to know where to begin. Should you focus on traditional or digital channels? Should you favour content over style? Does your brand present the image it should? All of these questions often lie at the heart of decisions to be made when building a new marketing strategy. While every strategy is different, this week we’ve picked our 3 Cs of marketing that we believe every organisation should consider as the heart of their campaign; creativity, colour and content.

Creativity

We believe creativity, originality and flare are key ingredients for any new marketing strategy, whether it is a new start-up company or a rebrand of an established organisation. In the face of ever-increasing competition in the marketplace and consistently high customer expectations, it is more important than ever for a business to use its marketing strategy to stand out from the crowd and get noticed.

According to an article by Forbes Magazine, in a noisy and over-saturated marketing ‘in order to win, your brand marketing must be so compelling, it can’t be ignored.’ Forbes highlights the likes of Dove, who through their Campaign for Real Beauty set itself apart from others in the industry. It highlighted industry flaws, challenged consumer perceptions and engaged with its customers in a creative and emotional manner. 

EConsultancy also highlights a number of creative marketing examples which can act as a good example to follow. Google’s 2014 Say It To Get It campaign is a great example. It combined traditional billboard marketing with humour and originality to advertise their voice-search function. With a little outside the box thinking, openness to new ideas and confidence, creativity can revolutionise a marketing campaign and dramatically extend its reach.

Colour

A somewhat obvious element of the initial branding stages of a company, colour can also be used to great effect as part of a wider marketing strategy. It’s important even long after the initial establishment of a brand. Eye-catching, thought-provoking and great for arousing an emotional connection. The power of colour should not be underestimated when putting together a marketing strategy. Colormatters argues that ‘color [sic] offers an instantaneous method for conveying meaning and message without words’. Research suggests that colour is the visual component that people remember most about a brand. 60% of the time people will decide if they are attracted to a message based on colour alone! 

FastCompany confirms this emphasis on the importance of colour in marketing, suggesting that specific colours suit specific industries. They claim blue suits corporate, high tech companies wishing to convey a message of credibility and calm. Green, for FastCompany, is best suited to government or medicine companies with organic, educational business qualities. Using colour to drive a marketing strategy can prove crucial in an attempt to attract attention, drive sales and convey a strong message for your organisation.

Content

That infamous word which lies at the heart of all marketing strategy wish lists. Content. Content driven strategies are essential for both traditional and digital marketing platforms. They have become the focus of organisations great and small. The value of rich, original content which boosts SEO rankings and generates strong social media presence. It also creates trust in a brand message cannot be over-stated, and has dominated the building of marketing strategies in recent years.

The trend towards content shows little sign of slowing, and as Business2Community.com argues, against the backdrop over ever- increasing regulations by Google and a constant promotion to create genuine content, organisations need to be content focused than ever. The Guardian has proposed that the combination of content and context is crucial. They suggest that ‘without context, even quality content risks coming across as pushy brand intrusion’. They continue ‘strategic digital content, if delivered in the right context, optimises the impact of brand connection and should be fully integrated within live experiences if brands want to reap maximum rewards’.

Using the 3 Cs of marketing

Through creativity, colour and content, it is possible to give your marketing strategy a direction and personality. This can attract the relevant attention and build a strong relationship with customers. In the face of competition and noise, use these three simple tools as a basis for further strategy development. The creation of an original, lively campaign will follow and is a great start to your new marketing strategy.

Need some help with the 3 Cs of marketing? Click here to see how OTB can help with all your creative marketing needs.