Building A Framework – Paving the Way Toward the Project Proposal
Preliminary Research
As with every other task, I started off by doing some background research on what methods are effective in promoting a product or service. Most of the sources talked about promoting brands, however, some tips are useful and I think I can apply them to my product as well.
The first interesting point I found was the concept of storytelling (you can read more about this topic on neilpatel.com). The act of storytelling is very popular. People love telling stories and listening to them too. Which is why brands these days are taking a different approach when it comes to brand promotion. In fact, many leading brands such as CocaCola and Disney adopted such strategy long before this became common knowledge. Coming to think of it, it reminds me of the research I did about ‘function-focused’ vs. ‘human-focused’ design. In this case, although we are talking about marketing strategies, the same logic can be applied. Brand strategies across the world are focusing more on the audience and user. ‘What resonates with the user?’ ‘What presses the right buttons?’ as opposed to ‘The is the best product. You must buy it because you need it.’ Such a strategy has proven to work as the power of storytelling instills trust between the speaker and the listener. Some argue it is the descriptive element is what builds this circle of trust and makes the project ‘a success story’.
The above also made me realise that if I want people to contribute to my project, it is more logical to ask them to share a story, rather than a secret. Secrets may have negative connotations and may be perceived as invasion of privacy; from what I have seen in the survey I conducted last week, people were not keen to share anything. However, stories are more favoured, as people do like telling stories.
In addition to this, I also came across a rather extensive, yet still useful list of different promotional tactics that can be used in various projects. These are:
- Email marketing
- Press mentions
- Source user-centered content
- Work with an Influencer (although on this one I am not very keen on).
- Feature video
- Direct mail (depends on the product or service provided)
- Tradeshows and conventions
- Pre-order promotions
- Leverage a loyalty program
- Custom audiences with Facebook ads
- Tell your product story
- Promote your products with Pinterest
- Write Guest posts
- Use eye-catching visual media
- Use social posts to generate engagement
- Create product inserts
- Use product recommendations
- Create gift guides (this is a but questionable. I think the writer is referring to catalogues)
- Social proofing
- Promote in various platforms
(this can be found on startupbros.com)
As we are living in a world where you only have a few seconds to attract the clients’ attention, setting the right tone is imperative. As humans, we are naturally impatient, therefore it is important to make it clear what the product or service is all about.
The Plan-Of-Action
Following the research and some background reading (this included also looking up books that may come in handy) I decided to write down everything in points for now. It helped in getting a clearer picture and see what I would need to provide in terms of information.
PROJECT NAME:
(Still in the works….)
DESCRIPTION:
A book written in ciphers (possibly different) each story written in a different cipher. The stories will be people’s experiences, feelings and even secret. It will be a collection of experiences that people want to share, but for anterior motives they do not.
GOAL:
To show different ciphers in an artistic context. As they are often presented in a more scientific light, I think that the design of the cipher glyphs and the cryptographic system should be appreciated as well. In addition, I want to include the narrative element, as I want to give the content a context too. Otherwise it would be simply another catalogue.
PRODUCT:
Printed Book
Website (not sure yet) to promote the book and purchase the book.
PUBLISHING:
I have looked at potential publishers locally. I have also been suggested a couple of names that would be interested in design publications. Should I go with some of the leading publishers, the book would automatically be sold in their bookstores.
PROMOTION:
- Digital – Social media presence on Instagram and Facebook
- Print – I have looked up some design publications. The ArtPaper is a popular publication in the local creative scene and although it is published 4 times a year, it has a good circulation and good quality content. I will consider writing to the editor as well as a couple of contributors. In addition, there is also another publication named Encore. It is not as popular as ArtPaper, however the creators of Encore are well connected on the island, and I have worked briefly with one of them.
- Apart from the above, I am considering writing to the Malta Society for the Arts in hopes of gaining their interest and may be featured in one of their social media pages and/or even be invited to an event of theirs and maybe promote the product.
Lastly, I am considering some merchandising material. Posters can work very well as a small purchase or as a free gift with pre-orders.
The marketing strategy for this project is relatively simple for this project. It can be described as a passion project to an extent, as it is rather on the experimental side. Although it would be very good if I sell a lot of the books, but I would prefer to make less sales and the buyers truly appreciate the work behind it, rather than selling more on for the book to be tossed in a waiting room or end up in the bargain bin in a bookshop. I would really love to get to explore further this project in the upcoming modules. Although I would also like to work on a better name for it.
