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Get the micro right

By Craig Hannabus, issued by Havas Johannesburg

11 Aug 2015

Social media is often seen as the poor cousin in most digital agencies. Resources are expended on the big campaigns, while the little 'mundane' events are left to the smaller less experienced social teams. Often under-processed and over-utilised, these teams are required to push out well-designed and copy-written content on a weekly basis with barely any involvement from more experienced staff. The sweatshop nature of such productions means that quality is often sacrificed in favour of quantity.

It seems that despite the reach and influence that social media has over its users, agencies still haven't found a way to optimise workflows to favour higher quality output. The results? Images like BIC's Women's Day tribute.

Brand love is generated through micro-interactions. That means that while the consumer may not consciously notice it, there are small transactions that occur on a daily basis that make dealing with a brand a pleasurable experience.

What exactly is a micro-interaction? Let's say you've just bought yourself a brand new cellphone. Everything from setting up the contacts to taking a photograph is considered a micro-interaction. Apple is popular because an iPhone's micro-interactions are consistently good. But micro-interactions are not limited to devices and appliances, they live out in the real world as well. Every time you see an ad or deal with a sales representative, you are participating in a micro-interaction. Unfortunately, one bad micro-interaction can ruin a whole bunch of really good ones, so it's important to make sure that you have consistency. Things like well researched strategies and carefully thought out UX design become especially important. It doesn't matter whether you're a tech brand or a retail mogul, your micro-interaction chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

This is where a good social media experience becomes vitally important. Of all the micro-interactions you want to get right, this one should be at the top of your list. Social media's quick share nature means that if a micro-interaction goes wrong the effect can go viral. Social media teams should no longer be considered advertising's poor cousin. Due to its rapid-fire nature, it may not be possible to craft every message and image to the nth degree, but there is definitely room for senior resources to make sure that each piece of content fits in with general tone and consistency of the other micro-interactions taking place around the brand.

The key to making micro-interactions work? It's simply this, remove the silo-ed approach to marketing. Offer consistently good work across all your micro-transactions, and if you can't, go back to the drawing board.

About Craig Hannabus

Craig Hannabus is Group Digital Strategist at Havas, a communications industry leader that delivers impactful, integrated marketing solutions for leading brands and businesses in Southern Africa and beyond. He has spent his entire adult life in the technology and marketing industry, exploring both the development and the content creationa spects of it.

Havas Worldwide Johannesburg thrives on creative business ideas, proudly flipping the conventional advertising agency on its head. Our specialisation is world first, creative communication, that's designed to build meaningful connections between brand and consumers.