Author: Sophie Anderson

Marketing Trends We Expect to See Take Off in 2024

Posted on March 25, 2024 by Sophie Anderson - Strategic Marketing

It’s that time of year! As we move into the new year, brands and businesses across the globe assess, analyze and revise their marketing strategies. To help you get a better grasp of what’s likely to come, we’ve gathered a list of growing marketing trends we expect to see take off in 2024.

Marketing Trends We Expect to See Take Off in 2024 | Giant Voices Blog

AI-Driven Content and Conversations

Picture this: personalized content that’s practically a mind-reader and tailored just for you. Thanks to increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI), marketing messaging, chatbots and online conversations will move forward with ease, making it seem as though each virtual interaction is designed perfectly for clients and customers.

While not all businesses will make the jump to fully AI-driven content creation, many will likely start or continue using AI to predict and stay ahead of trends, making content creation more adaptable, fluid and timely.

That’s not to say humanization isn’t required when harnessing AI-driven content. It can often come across as robotic and inauthentic, which is why incorporating human touch is crucial.

Customize AI-written content to make it unique, decipher whether an AI-predicted trend is worth your time and investment and analyze AI-fostered online conversations to ensure they come across as genuine.

Authenticity is Key

As many consumers are no longer swayed by perfection and beautifully curated content, authenticity is likely to be a key driver of growth, engagement and sales moving into 2024. In the era of transparency, consumers aren’t just buying products—they’re investing in brands that they trust and genuinely connect with.

How can your business embrace authenticity? Expose the human side of your brand, build a strong foundation of credibility and foster enduring relationships with your customers and clients with marketing materials, content and service that represents your company and people accurately.

Eye-Catching Animated Marketing

Introducing animation into your marketing strategy offers a unique blend of creativity, innovation and visual appeal that captures the attention of today’s fast-paced and visually-oriented audience. Plus, it’s really fun to make and watch!

Compared to video marketing, which is still an effective tactic, animated marketing is not only more accessible and implementable for everyday brands, it’s also short, sweet and to the point—ideal for younger audiences with shorter attention spans.

For inspiration, check out this simple, animated graphic Giant Voices posted for New Year’s Day.

Human-Centric Approach

Hyper-personalization will be a key part of marketing in 2024. No longer are we viewing our audience as “customers” or “clients.” Instead, marketers are seeing them for what they truly are: humans that need help solving a problem.

Coinciding with AI-driven content and conversations, expect to approach each and every client and customer interaction with care, authenticity and a unique solution to their challenges. You can do this by leveraging creativity, humor and emotion within your marketing campaigns—in a way that aligns with your brand, voice and—more importantly—your audience.

Ethical and Sustainable Marketing

Ever heard of ESG marketing? Also known as environment, social and governance marketing, this strategy highlights how well a brand is meeting its ESG goals, using specific benchmarks, KPIs and reporting metrics.

With a strong ESG strategy, you can bring attention to your energy and water management practices, greenhouse gas emissions, charitable contributions, workplace diversity, company culture and responsible supply chain management practices.

Rather than simply talking about ESG in company meetings, bring it to light and showcase your efforts in an impactful ESG marketing strategy, as sustainability will be an important consideration for younger generations during the purchasing process.

Ethical and sustainable marketing also applies to your recruitment and retention strategies. Ensure that your hiring process is fair, consistent and purposeful, and implement meaningful retention tactics that make your employees feel valued, respected and unified. This will help you build a strong, impactful team that moves you forward year after year.

Short-Form Video Content

With the rise of TikTok and Instagram Reels—and, as such, much shorter attention spans—short-form video content is becoming more and more relevant in today’s dynamic online world.

We expect to see brands roll out easy-to-make, short-form video content on a regular basis in 2024. Everything from quick tutorials and tips and tricks to influencer collaborations and utilizing user-generated content (UGC) with the help of content creators.

Harnessing the Power of Analytics

Relating to our earlier mentions of AI-driven content and human-centric marketing, we expect brands to better harness the power of analytics to get exceptional results.

Deeply understanding your target audience, how they operate, the type of content they enjoy consuming, their purchase behavior and other vital components is crucial for building out a strong human-centric strategy (which, as we mentioned above, will likely be a 2024 marketing trend).

At Giant Voices, we utilize data to improve everything from social media engagement and email opens to click-through rates, brand experiences and website interactions. Our team truly believes that data is one of the best tools businesses can harness to create growth-driven results.

Utilizing Influencers and Creators

In the last few years, influencers and content creators have upheaved and transformed the social media landscape. With more influence and leverage than ever before, online figures have the power to make or break your brand.

When used correctly and intentionally, influencer marketing can grow your brand’s reputation, following, sales and revenue rapidly. On the flip side, if your product or services aren’t up to par, just one influencer’s strong review can seriously hurt your business.

Capitalize on Better Marketing in 2024

By modifying your 2024 marketing plan to integrate one or many of these predicted trends, you can capitalize on better marketing strategies that deliver long-term results. Questions? Reach out to the Giant Voices team. We’re here to help.

Intern Spotlight: Molly Trullinger

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Sophie Anderson - Giant Interns

Giant Voices is excited to welcome Molly Trullinger on as an intern this spring! Get to know her in this intern spotlight. Learn more about where she’s going to school, her major, favorite hobbies and more.

Hi there, my name is Molly and I’m joining Giant Voices as an intern this spring!

I’m excited to gain real-world experience and see how marketing agency’s use creative solutions to adapt to changes, address problems and meet client goals.

Where are you going to school and when are you graduating?

I’m attending the University of Minnesota-Duluth and will graduate in the summer of 2024.

What is your major?

I’m majoring in Marketing.

What is your favorite class?

My favorite class I had was Digital and Social Media Marketing, where I learned about keeping up with the continuously-evolving digital world, social platforms, online trends and more.

What interests you most about marketing?

I love the creativeness behind marketing and how it is not an exact science, that makes it more fun and allows for more ideas.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I have a minor in Deaf Studies and have been learning American Sign Language since high school!

What are your hobbies?

I love to read, hike, paint and crochet. I love going to coffee shops with my friends and love playing Scrabble with my parents!

7 Impactful Podcasts Our Giants Tune Into to Elevate Their Intelligence

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Sophie Anderson - Business Tips, Productivity

Looking for some podcast inspiration? Explore our blog to uncover 7 impactful podcasts our Giants regularly tune into to expand their intelligence, elevate their creativity and improve their everyday lives.

Podcasts have boomed in popularity over the last few years. From business and strategy to self-improvement, true crime, comedy, history and everything in between, you can find a podcast on virtually every topic known to man.

At Giant Voices, our talented team of creatives is always searching for ways to expand their intelligence, knowledge and expertise, and many of us tune into impactful podcasts regularly.

We sat down with some of our Giants to get their top podcast recommendations—explore them below and gain inspiration on what you should tune into this week.

The Tim Ferriss Show

Starting off strong with a recommendation from our CEO, Pascha Apter.

The Tim Ferriss Show features Tim Ferriss, a bestselling author most often known for his book The 4-Hour Workweek, digging deep into the tools, tactics and tricks that world-class performers and experts utilize to further their growth, expand their minds and reach new heights.

Listen to The Tim Ferriss Show on Spotify, YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

Leader of the Pack

If there’s one podcast we’re truly excited to feature, it’s Leader of the Pack, a podcast started by Tom Sega, the CEO of a favorite local brand, Duluth Pack.

With Duluth Pack swiftly rising from a small business to a global brand with a loyal fanbase of outdoor enthusiasts found in every corner of the world, it’s no wonder the Leader of the Pack podcast features great business advice, impactful conversations and exciting stories from admirable individuals.

Listen to Leader of the Pack on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Stitcher—and be sure to check out episode #40, featuring none other than Pascha Apter!

The Goal Digger Podcast

The Goal Digger Podcast, founded by influential Duluth local and entrepreneur, Jenna Kutcher, is a go-to podcast for Heather Wink—one of our exceptional account executives.

She enjoys Kutcher’s valuable advice on all things business, social media, branding, budgeting, goal setting, productivity and so much more. With over 650 episodes and authentic conversations with ambitious women, you can spend countless hours diving into this incredible podcast.

Listen to The Goal Digger Podcast on Jenna’s website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Podbean.

Creative Pep Talk

Need to revamp some of your creativity? Tune into the Creative Pep Talk podcast by Andy J. Pizza.

Recommended by one of our outstanding graphic designers, Claudia Blees, this podcast is ideal for creatives like graphic designers, illustrators and Canva enthusiasts (and even you, doodlers).

This fun and quirky podcast shares inspiring stories, actionable strategies and clever tools to help you build a thriving creative career.

Listen to the Creative Pep Talk on the Creative Pep Talk website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

Marketing Against The Grain

Are you curious as to what goes on in the brains of HubSpot and Zapier’s chief marketing officers? With the incredible success of these two globally-recognized brands, we sure are!

Suggested by our awesome account assistant, Alec Beaulieau, tune into the Marketing Against The Grain podcast for a deep dive into all things marketing trends, growth tactics and innovative strategies with Kipp Bodnar, HubSpot CMO, and Kieran Flanagan, Zapier CMO.

Listen to Marketing Against The Grain on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Deezer and Podcast Addict.

The Tony Robbins Podcast

Ready to change your life in a meaningful way? Tony Robbins is a renowned life and business strategist who has transformed thousands of lives around the world.

Pascha also recommends tuning in to The Tony Robbins Podcast to receive game-changing tips, tricks and advice on how to uplevel your life, improve your relationships, elevate your mindset and maximize your success.

Listen to The Tony Robbins Podcast on Tony Robbins’ website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Podbean.

That Will Never Work

How many times have you heard the word no? Or been told “that will never work?” Created by Marc Randolph—veteran Silicon Valley entrepreneur and the co-founder of Netflix (along with many other successful brands)—this podcast seeks to radically shift your perspective of rejection and problems.

Tune in to That Will Never Work and learn how to develop your analytical skills, hear from entrepreneurs and how they overcame hurdles, and gain actionable insights on building a thriving business.

Listen to That Will Never Work on Marc Randolph’s website, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Elevate Your Business with Giant Voices

Listening to podcasts can only help your business succeed if you make changes and take action! Fortunately, with Giant Voices by your side, you don’t have to grow your business alone.

By combining our teams and utilizing the Giants’ strengths, we can work together to catapult your brand’s growth and impact. Ready to take charge? Contact us and let’s maximize your marketing.

How to Execute a Successful UGC Strategy

Posted on July 6, 2023 by Sophie Anderson - Digital Marketing, User-Generated Content

As we discussed in our previous blog on user-generated content (UGC), this tactic can be an incredibly powerful way to maximize your reach, influence and exposure. The key to executing a successful UGC strategy lies in understanding and avoiding a few potential pitfalls. Let’s take a look at how we can successfully overcome them for excellent results.

How to Execute a Successful UGC Strategy Graphic

Through social media posts and videos to blogs, podcasts and more, the marketing world is embracing UGC.

Many brands are using it to their advantage by engaging with the content, sharing it through various marketing mediums (think social platforms and email newsletters), and utilizing it in their advertisements.

For all intents and purposes, it almost seems UGC has become a way to harness the power of word of mouth marketing… without needing face-to-face interactions with customers and clients.

Instead, the cultivation of organically (and sometimes paid) created content from real users does the talking for you.

With the impressive amount of UGC benefits, it begs the question: is there downside to UGC? Like any other type of marketing or content creation, there are a few. But with the right action steps, you can strategically overcome these pitfalls to maximize your UGC success.

Possible Downsides of UGC

Negative Content

Most UGC is organically created by users, customers, clients, employees and other brand advocates. This means the creators have most of the control and, as such, companies may occasionally be subject to negative content.

Negative reviews, testimonials, social media posts and blog posts are certainly a risk associated with embracing UGC.

However, while you may instinctively rush to remove the negative content (if you have the opportunity to do so), we recommend if it’s appropriate, that you keep most of it published.

This provides valuable feedback, increases your authenticity and can help amplify the sincerity of positive content. You may possibly learn something about your brand positioning, or product offering.

How to Address Negative UGC

Use negative content as an opportunity to reconnect with your audience. Show them you’re not afraid to listen to customer feedback and acknowledge their user experience. Ask them what you could do better, and make the necessary changes if you feel it’s important to do so.

Being open to negative feedback illustrates to your prospective customers that your brand cares about their well-being and is always willing to improve and learn.

UGC Can Be Anonymous

In some cases, anonymous users or fake profiles may publish negative content, such as comments, reviews and social media posts.

On social media platforms, these people are often labeled as “trolls” and, without context, the content can be harmful. This can put your real, hard-earned reputation and positive content at risk, as it could cause others to second guess its authenticity.

How to Address Anonymously-Posted Content

If this happens, it can sometimes be hard to address because you don’t know who they are or even if they’re a real customer, or user.

While there’s not much you can do about anonymous users or fake profiles posting negative content, you can attempt to verify their identities, reply in a constructive way or create steps to have customers verified before publishing content (this often works best with product or service reviews on your website or an e-commerce platform).

For more information regarding the legalities of removing harmful or damaging content, take a look at this blog from Kohrman Jackson & Krantz.

Monitoring Can Be Time-Consuming

Consistently monitoring UGC can be incredibly time-consuming, especially for large brands with huge audiences that consistently create and provide reviews, testimonials, blogs, social posts and other forms of content.

However, foregoing regular monitoring can be a major oversight, as unaddressed negative content may be left to fester and spread, which could lead to a major PR mess.

How to Optimize UGC Monitoring

You need to keep an eye on your brand’s online presence, activities and audience engagement. In some cases, this may mean hiring a new team member as an online community brand manager.

You’ll find the benefits of content moderation and management far outweigh the cons, as you can keep spam content to a minimum while upholding your brand reputation and authenticity.

UGC is a Legal Labyrinth

As mentioned above, one of the major disadvantages of UGC is that you have little control over what content is being created. This also comes along with several legal issues that you need to be aware of when integrating UGC into your marketing strategy.

Though your brand may be tagged in a social post, associated with specific branded hashtags or featured in customer photos, you do not have the right to use that content as you please. The sole owner of that content rests with its original creator.

How to Navigate UGC Legalities

Before sharing and publishing UGC on your website, social feeds, email newsletters and other forms of marketing mediums, you must obtain explicit permission from the content owner.

This could be as simple as getting a “yes” to the question, “can we share this content on our marketing channels?”

And don’t forget—if you share on social media, it’s best practice to give credit to the original creator. This also benefits your brand by creating a sense of community and inclusion, prompting other customers, users and clients to share their experience.

Amplifying Your Marketing Strategy with UGC

Take your marketing potential to the next level with UGC. The Giant Voices digital marketing team is experienced in helping brands get the most out of UGC, including content moderation and management, implementation and optimization.

What You Need to Know About User-Generated Content (UGC)

Posted on May 23, 2023 by Sophie Anderson - Social Media Marketing, User-Generated Content

User-generated content is quickly becoming a popular marketing tactic that brands throughout all industries are implementing in their marketing strategies. Here’s what you need to know about it if you’re interested in learning more about what it means and how you can utilize UGC to improve your brand’s reach, conversions and sales.

Whether you’re ready to show off your brand’s new product, get the word out about your company’s ESG (environmental, social and governance) investing or increase visibility of your next-level services, user-generated content can be an effective strategy.

But what exactly is UGC? And how can you use it in your business to amplify your success? We’re covering everything you need to know in our UGC guide.

What is User-Generated Content?

User-generated content, sometimes referred to as customer-generated content, is unique product- or service-focused content created by someone other than the featured brand. These people can be consumers, brand advocates, followers or everyday users.

UGC comes in many forms, like photos, videos, testimonials and reviews, which is generally published on social media. However, UGC can also include consumer-written blogs, live streams, articles and even podcasts published on other channels, such as consumer-owned websites or media platforms.

What are the Benefits of UGC?

When utilized in a meaningful and strategic way, UGC is a smart marketing tool that delivers countless benefits and meaningful ROI.

Increased Brand Awareness and Reach

Social media and UGC go together like chips and salsa, peanut butter and jelly or [insert your preferred food combination here!].

When you consistently share content created by consumers, employees, brand advocates, organizations or another creator, you not only capitalize on the original post’s visibility, awareness and reach, but also the positive growth that comes from sharing it on your own brand accounts.

UGC is Highly Influential

According to Adweek, 85 percent of people say UGC is more influential than content made by brands directly. Consumers trust other consumers.

The influential capabilities that UGC marketing provides could be considered akin to the power of word-of-mouth marketing, which is why many brands are choosing to implement it in their marketing strategies.

A great example of a big brand harnessing the power of UGC is Coca Cola’s #ShareACoke campaign. With over 620,000 Instagram posts and thousands of tweets using the hashtag, the campaign garnered a significant amount of reach, engagement and excitement.

Establishes Trust and Authenticity

Considering your brand isn’t creating the content, UGC is generally based on the experience consumers have had, or are having, with your products and services.

Using UGC in your marketing strategy can be a powerful way to build trust and authenticity, as the content and brand feedback is coming from genuine and honest users – demonstrating your brand’s commitment to transparency.

Unique and Exclusive Content

As a business owner, you know how hard it is to continuously and regularly create unique content. With UGC, you can effectively minimize the amount of content you have to create in-house, by sharing and amplifying content your users have already created.

Valuable Data and Feedback

UGC, especially in the case of reviews and testimonials, is a practical (and often overlooked!) way of gathering valuable data and feedback. When you start to implement UGC in the form of direct consumer feedback, you may begin to attract new users to your brand.

Showcasing your customer’s thoughts and feedback delivers increased brand visibility, and encourages the rest of your community to interact with your brand.

In turn, you have a process that can provide you with impactful data to inform your future business decisions, such as product development.

How to Maximize UGC in Your Marketing Strategy

With the impressive benefits mentioned above, you may be wondering how to implement UGC into your marketing strategy. Here are some ways to maximize user-generated content to amplify your reach, awareness, lead generation and sales.

Encourage People to Share

Implement strategies that encourage your customers, clients, brand advocates and employees to share their experience with your brand, such as a unique branded hashtag, trend, challenge or contest.

Some brand loyalists have even created communities (often online) where like minded people can come to ask questions, exchange tips or share their experiences with (or passion for!) products or services.

Publish UGC on Social Media

Whether it’s in the form of a review, testimonial, photo, video, social post, podcast, blog post, case study or something else, share it on your social media accounts to increase exposure for your brand.

For example, here’s a social media post from Schroeder & Mandel. It highlights a testimonial received from a worker’s compensation client, further positioning the firm as a reputable, trusted and dependable brand who can help in this particularly challenging practice area.

Share UGC in Other Marketing Forms

In addition to social media, which is the most common place to publish user-generated content, you can also share positive UGC on your website and in email campaigns to bring further awareness to how your brand is impacting your customers and community.

One way to do so is by creating an engaging testimonials or reviews page on your website that shares all of your favorite customer or client feedback.

Or include UGC in an upcoming email marketing campaign by using part of a witty or funny customer testimonial as a subject line to increase your open rate and engagement, as LoveRaw did in a recent email blast.

Use User-Generated Content as Ad Material

Did you know that roughly 92% of customers trust the reviews and recommendations shared by people more than advertisements?

On its own, UGC that’s used organically can shift how prospective customers and clients view your brand, but when amplified with ad dollars, UGC used in advertising can be a seriously powerful way to maximize your impact, increase your conversion rates and improve the potential for sales.

Harness the Power of UGC with Giant Voices

At Giant Voices, we have the experience and knowledge to amplify your business with powerful user-generated content. Get in touch with our skilled team and let’s work together to take your marketing to the next level.