Beyond the metrics: why today’s aesthetic marketing is about more than numbers.
Nowadays, the corporate world seems to place a huge emphasis on the numbers. How many followers do you have? How many likes and comments did a certain piece of content receive? What’s the reach of your campaign? And what about your click-through rate and cost per click?
Although numbers are useful, they only tell part of the story. While data can reveal important insights, it only provides you with cold, hard figures. It can’t tell you, for example, how potential customers feel towards your brand. That’s why, as an aesthetic marketing agency, we encourage our customers to look beyond the metrics.
Of course, you can and should be guided by data. It helps you understand how people are responding to your brand and the kind of content that resonates with them. But the figures need to be paired with creativity and aesthetic intelligence. By actively listening to your clients, you’ll be able to learn what makes them tick so you can offer them a complete sensory experience.
In this blog post, we’re sharing 6 reasons why you should be focusing on experiential marketing and not just on the figures.
1) Missing context.
There is no doubt that data is important. But what is often missing from data is context, AKA qualitative data. Do you understand the perspective of the people behind your data? Are you asking them questions and getting curious about their experience? If you’re focusing solely on data, you’re likely missing the mark and imposing your own perspective onto that data. We need their stories to understand the why. Surveys and measuring numbers have their place, but talking to your people is going to be the best way to contextualize the results.
2) Consumers are looking for an experience.
Consumers no longer just want to buy; they want an experience. The days of getting a thrill from the simple act of purchasing are over.
In fact, nowadays, people are seeking to buy less and simplify more. You only have to look at Marie Kondo’s success in recent years to see that people are concentrating on quality over quantity. They only want things in their lives that truly bring them joy.
Instead of looking for the cheapest options on the market, consumers are now searching for brand experiences that give them a solid reason to part with their hard-earned cash. They want brands to give them an experience that appeals to them on an emotional level while also making them dream.
In her book on aesthetic intelligence, Pauline Brown talks about how 85% of consumers make their purchase decisions based on how a product and service makes them feel. And yet, marketers tend to focus on the more rational features and function contributing to just 15% of the overall decision.
The 85% is where aesthetic marketing comes in. When we talk about aesthetic marketing, we’re referring to the creation of a sensory customer experience by appealing to the 5 senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. This starts with your content. Producing content that speaks to consumers’ senses and makes them feel something on a profound level will do far more for your success than stone-cold numbers. Making a sale is not the same as converting a potential client into a loyal customer.
3) You can’t put a figure on creating a connection.
Connections can’t be measured, but they are precisely what will turn potential clients into repeat customers.
If you want people to buy from you, you have to give them a good reason to invest in your product/service over others. And those who do will only become loyal, repeat customers if what you sell them is effective and you manage to connect with them emotionally.
There are various ways of creating an emotional connection. Leveraging shared values and common interests is one way, but in aesthetic marketing, connections are also formed by delighting customers, allowing them to derive pleasure from the content you’re sharing and the product or service that you’re selling.
This is something that computers and data will never be able to do. They can help you solve functional dilemmas and provide you with numerical insights, but they will never be able to create a genuine, deep and meaningful connection with your audience. Developing such a connection requires input from you.
4) Sales are not the result of numbers.
Sales are the result of creating these connections with your audience and appealing to their imagination.
Numbers are the outcome, but to achieve these numbers in the form of hitting your sales targets, you need to look at and invest in the how and why first.
To convert potential clients and turn them into repeat customers, you need to ask yourself the following questions:
How can you create an authentic brand story that your customers will be able to relate to?
How can you delight your customers in new and unexpected ways?
How can you make your customers dream?
Sales will flow when you achieve all these things.
5) Numbers aren’t an accurate reflection of success.
Sales and conversion are really important when it comes to running a successful business. Having said that, the numbers that lead to such conversions aren’t necessarily an accurate reflection of success.
When you look at your content, it can be tempting to think that because a social media post has only received a handful of likes, it’s been a flop. But many small business owners we work with find that it’s often the posts with the smallest number of likes that lead to the highest number of conversions.
If you think about it, it makes sense. The more targeted a post is, the fewer people it’s likely to appeal to but the more likely it is to convert. If you’re speaking directly to your ideal client to help them solve a specific issue, your content will hit the mark with those people facing this exact problem at this precise moment in time. Your post is unlikely to apply to your entire audience, but it will resonate with those who are looking for a solution right now.
6) Concentrating on the figures can lead to unhelpful comparisons.
Since conversions are essential, you need to make sure you’re targeting the right people with your content. And because this will mean it appeals to a smaller crowd, your likes and clicks might not be that high.
But if you get too hung up on these numbers, it’s only going to turn your marketing into a deflating experience for you. Whenever you see a post that doesn’t perform well in terms of likes, it can make you want to give up. You might even start comparing yourself with others, wondering what they’re doing that you’re not.
Comparisons are unhelpful, partly because every business is unique but also because they can be disheartening. Another business might seem incredibly successful, but you never know what’s going on behind the scenes and the kind of resources it has available.
Feeling disheartened and wanting to give up on your marketing is one of the biggest stumbling blocks for many small business owners. But successful marketing is the result of consistency, and this is where your sales will come from.
You’ll only be able to show up consistently for your audience, for the community you’ve created, if your marketing is a fun experience for you too. And what better way to make it enjoyable than by creating meaningful connections with your audience? It’s time to focus on the connections you build rather than judging success solely on the numbers.
Next time your marketing data leaves you feeling deflated, remember that the numbers aren’t everything. Experiential marketing is a holistic process where connection with your audience is key. Not only will the connections you create bring you joy, but if you manage to appeal to your audience’s imagination through aesthetic marketing, the numbers will naturally follow.
If you think you might be focusing too much on the numbers when it comes to your social media, we can help you get back on track and reignite your enthusiasm for marketing your product or service. Find out how we can give you an aesthetic experience through our social media marketing services.