Real-Time Marketing with a Focus on Interaction

When strategic marketing is implemented in a planned manner, it becomes easier to attract the attention of the target audience and stand out in challenging market conditions. Based on research data, various marketing methods can be used to reach the target audience defined as existing or potential. Real Time Marketing is one of these methods. Although it is a method that brands or companies have frequently used in recent years, we have summarized this method, which is sometimes misunderstood, sometimes conceptually confused, can be misapplied by brands, but when applied correctly, it contributes to sales increase and brand communication in a highly successful way.

What is Real Time Marketing? How is it implemented?

Each brand has certain topics or main messages in its marketing communication, and how these will be included in the brand's marketing communication efforts is planned according to certain strategies based on the evaluations of various research and measurement methods. From time to time, real-time marketing efforts can also be included in marketing planning as a digital marketing communication method.

Real-time marketing: It is the interpretation of the topics on the social or global agenda in accordance with the communication language and topics of the brand and adapting them to the communication of the brand in question. These topics can be from different categories such as sports, art, magazine, country agenda, or entertainment.

Real Time Marketing and Real Time Communication

The inclusion of what is popular or much talked about in brand communication appears as an element of attracting attention in brand communication. However, the purpose of real-time efforts is not only to attract attention. Real-time is a digital marketing method; however, it can also be used in brand communication efforts from time to time.

Every brand has a unique identity, personality, image and a reputation that ultimately develops in the eyes of its target audience. Brands prepare real-time communication activities to reflect all these to their target audiences. For example, commemoration of national days, condolence messages, crisis communication statements are not a marketing issue, but a communication issue, and there is no expectation of conversion. At this point, it is a matter of managing and maintaining communication. Thus, support is provided for the brand to attract attention, to be kept in mind or to be preferred by the target audience. On the other hand, in the content work of the brand that started on Twitter, a message about the release of a film that the masses are eagerly awaiting can be seen as an example of a real-time marketing campaign.

When the creation of real-time content is prepared with the expectation of a return to increase sales, it is called real-time marketing; when it is used to manage the perception of the brand on the target audience, it is called real-time communication. With relevant communication efforts, a brand can be recognized as a brand that follows the agenda and adapts to developments, cares about the needs of the target audience, conveys ideas on social and global issues, and expresses sensitivity on certain issues. In the long run, this directly serves the brand's reputation. However, in real-time marketing, it is aimed to get results aimed at increasing sales obtained in a shorter period of time and rapid reaction.

Real-Time Marketing Content in Digital Marketing

Content prepared with a focus on real-time marketing can be published free of charge from the brand's own accounts in the applications, as in other digital marketing efforts, so it is cost-effective. Effective content production in real-time marketing can be used to increase sales on e-commerce sites. Topics that will attract the attention of the target audience by being popular in applications such as Twitter or Instagram, which determine the agenda of the country and the world, are triggers to increase sales on e-commerce sites. It is ensured to increase the awareness of the e-commerce company and to develop the e-commerce channel according to the feedback of the consumer. It plays an important role in increasing the loyalty of existing customers to the company and increasing interaction with the target audience.

In digital marketing, while preparing real-time content, especially in social media, content that users can understand immediately when they look quickly, attract attention, and have high creativity and expressive power should be prepared. According to academic studies, one of the most important features of real-time marketing is that the content should be strategically planned under the basic marketing plan.

In content that is strategically planned in the right way: "speed, creativity, presentation of the right message at the right time, diversity, relevance, surprise, humor and meaningfulness". It is stated that the criteria to be taken into account in measuring the impact of real-time marketing are; "social media interaction (access, likes, shares, comments), contribution to brand awareness and appreciation, popularity per unit time and the online spreading effect it creates "*.

At this point, creative content or content series prepared with the cooperation of a visual designer and a copywriter during the preparation phase of the content enables the brand to quickly deliver creative and purposeful messages associated with popular topics and gain profitability.

Sources: *Aydın, D., Bişkin, F. & Gürsoy, B. (2019). Gerçek Zamanlı Pazarlamanın İçerik Özellik ve Stratejilerinin Uzman Görüşü ve Örnek Uygulamalar Üzerinden Bir Değerlendirmesi. Akdeniz Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Dergisi, (32), 192-216. DOI: 10.31123/akil.617254 Access Date: 23. 11. 2022 *