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Real-time marketing has received a lot of attention in recent years, although different outlets define real-time marketing in different ways. While real-time marketing can be boiled down to a well-timed tweet about a current event, true real-time marketing is not about accidental success with a single social media post. Instead, it means providing the right message to a customer at just the right time.

In order to do that, brands have to have a deep understanding of their customer base. A marketer cannot deliver the right message to the right customer at the right time if she doesn't know precisely what her customers want and need. Brands that get it right haven’t fallen into a happy marketing accident; they spend a great deal of time and resources planning out strategies that will allow them to respond quickly when real-time opportunities present themselves.

When Brands Got it Right

The most widely cited example of real-time marketing that hit the mark was the famous “You can still dunk in the dark” tweet from Oreo during the Super Bowl blackout of 2013. Since that moment, brands have been trying to replicate the success of that single tweet, with most attempts falling flat. However, some brands have scored major points with their customers thanks to well-timed, well-planned campaigns.

Brands that have been successful at real-time marketing show a true understanding of what their customers want, when they want it. It is that understanding that allows them to respond quickly to current events and happenings.

During the 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards, Target tweeted a picture of Tina Fey alongside several items from its inventory that would allow customers to achieve a similar look. Consumer response was overwhelmingly positive, and the campaign was viewed as a rousing success. 

Great real-time marketing doesn’t always have to be about current events. Sometimes a strong campaign involves responding to an action that someone else has taken online. A member of the AMC Theatres marketing department recently spotted a Tweet from Oreo and capitalized on it, showing moviegoers that AMC has a sense of humor about the cost of movie theater snacking.

Real-Time Marketing Means Nothing Without the Customer Connection

Timing is a critical piece of the real-time marketing puzzle. Content marketers cannot release an image, blog post, or video six weeks after a noteworthy or newsworthy event and expect it to gain traction. They must be on their toes, ready to respond instantly to events and circumstances. However, timing is only one element of a successful campaign. Without a plan in place, brands cannot expect to ever achieve real-time marketing success.

It might seem contradictory to suggest that you can plan a successful real-time marketing campaign, since, by definition, marketers must be able to respond instantly to outside circumstances. However, there are very few accidents in successful marketing. Remember, the definition of real-time marketing is delivering the right message to customers at the right time. That simply cannot happen without a great deal of planning and strategizing.

While Nabisco had no idea there would be a blackout at the 2013 Super Bowl, the company clearly had a team in place, ready to react to events that would unfold throughout the game. That team probably spent weeks getting ideas in place based upon different possible scenarios, which made them poised to react quickly when an opportunity presented itself. 

In the same vein, it was no accident that Target was ready with a plan for real-time marketing during the Emmys. They may not have known ahead of time what celebrities would be wearing, but they likely had a list of people to watch — perhaps including celebrities who were highly popular while unlikely to wear anything too controversial. They also may have had clothing items planned out based on color themes, so that they could respond according to what those celebrities were wearing. When Tina Fey showed up in cobalt blue, they saw their opportunity to capitalize, knowing that customers like to replicate high-profile looks after such gala events.

AMC also showed a unique understanding of its customers when it responded to Oreo’s tweet about sneaking cookies into movie theaters. This brand demonstrated a full awareness that customers don’t like paying high prices for movie snacks, and AMC took the opportunity to empathize. 

All Marketing Is About People

With the rise of Big Data, it can been easy to forget that marketing is actually about people. Products and services come and go; the people who purchase them are the real key to success — and data-driven decisions mean nothing if marketing campaigns do not connect with customers on a personal level.

Consumers are savvy. They know how to navigate around irrelevant marketing noise, as they must do it hundreds of times every day. While many consumers view impersonal ads as a nuisance, many more appreciate the individualized messages they receive from things like personalized emails and targeted remarketing campaigns.

Just a few years ago, consumers were more likely to survive a plane crash than they were to click on a banner ad. Why? Because those ads were almost always irrelevant and intrusive. Now customers are much more receptive to well-timed messages that speak to their needs. Consumers want to be treated like the people they are. They want to see messages that matter to them, as individuals. In order for real-time marketing to have any impact, it’s not enough to loosely connect a brand to a current event. There has to be a human connection there, as well.

Real-time marketing is not always about bombarding customers with sales messages or shareable quotes. When done correctly, this type of marketing can actually provide customer support, helping to strengthen relationships. Through well-timed newsletters, blogs, downloadable references, and social media, marketing teams can give customers advice, news, insight, information, and technical assistance when they need it. When these resources are in place, it shows the organization has a true interest in customer needs, and those customers will recognize that effort and respond to it.

Real-time marketing success is never an accident. It is the result of careful planning, a deep understanding of what customers want, and delivering that message when it matters the most.

About the Author

FMegan Ritter is an online business journalist with a background in media marketing. In addition to covering start-ups and the importance of managing business communications, her writing also covers business technology, the impact of globalization, and unified communications. Follow her on Twitter today! 

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