There are several key factors that will help define any brand or business’s success in the advertising realm, and one that cannot be overlooked is that of audience motivation. Knowing how your target audiences are motivated and what will encourage them to interact with your brand in positive ways can make a massive impact on your bottom line.

As one of the top marketing agencies in Salt Lake City, we at BWP Communications regularly assist clients with concepts like branding and research, and audience motivation is a key part of these programs. Here are some basics on why understanding your audience and their motivations is important, plus some common pitfalls brands fall into here and some best practices for this kind of audience research.

Why Audience Motivation is Vital

Firstly, let’s discuss why understanding audience motivation is such a vital element of any successful brand or business. Put simply, if you don’t know how to make your target audiences care about what you offer, then it’s almost impossible to get through to them.

Knowing the ‘what’ and ‘why’ behind their decisions – what product they need, why they need it, etc. – enables brands to understand the best way to approach them. It’s like telling a story – if the audience isn’t invested in it, then they won’t care about what you have to say or sell.

Common Pitfalls

When attempting to determine an audience’s motivations, one of the most common pitfalls brands fall into is not diving deep enough into their research. It’s not enough to simply know who your target audiences are and what they’re interested in; you also need to understand why that is – why do they have those interests, their stance on certain issues, the messaging that resonates with them?

It can be easy to overlook important details like this if you don’t take the time to truly get into the nitty-gritty of their opinions and preferences.

Finally, let’s discuss some best practices for determining audience motivation across our next several sections.

Know Pain Points

The term “pain points” refers to the problems that your target audiences face and what solutions they’re looking for. If you can identify these pain points, it’s easier to determine why they need your product or service – and how to make them take action.

By understanding their struggles, you’ll be able to tailor messages more effectively and ensure that they understand why what you offer is important to them.

Strive for Feedback

In whichever ways possible, try to get feedback from your audience. This could be done through surveys, interviews, polls – whatever works best for you and your target audience.

Not only does this give you invaluable insight into what they want and need from your brand or business, it also shows that you care about their opinions. That in itself can help motivate more people to interact with your company.

Be On Top of Common Terms and Jargon

Within your target audiences, there may be terms and phrases that they commonly use. And if you don’t understand these, it can be tough to convey a message effectively.

So make sure you do your research – consider reading industry-specific publications or joining local meetups to gain an understanding of the language typically used by your target audience. That way, when it comes time to craft messages, you’ll be able to do so in a way that resonates with them.

Value of Desirable Content

While this is only tangentially connected to your target audience’s motivation, it is ultimately related to the overall goal of engaging with them.

Providing valuable content that people find desirable – such as blog posts, videos, articles, infographics and more – can be a great way to draw in an audience and show them why you’re worth interacting with. This also helps to build trust over time, ensuring that your target audiences will be more likely to come back in the future and even recommend your brand or business to their friends.

Overall, understanding the motivations of your target audience is a core part of any successful brand or business. Knowing why they care about what you offer can help you tailor messages more effectively, increasing engagement and ultimately leading to more conversions. Utilizing methods like understanding pain points, seeking feedback from your audience, being mindful of terms and jargon they use, and providing valuable content are all great ways to understand and engage with them in meaningful ways.

At BWP Communications, we make sure to incorporate audience motivation into all the brands and businesses we work with around SLC. If you’d like help doing the same for yours, don’t hesitate to get in touch – our team is here to help!

As anyone who has been in digital marketing for any appreciable period of time can tell you, online marketing is not a one-time thing – it’s a constant process that requires regular attention. One great example is your website, where just building a great site is only one piece of the puzzle – you also have to ensure your website is managed properly at all times.

At BWP Communications, we’re here to offer not only web design services, but also many other forms of online marketing that include website management, social media strategy and more to clients around Salt Lake City. Here are some basics on what website management is and its key tenets, plus some of the major reasons why it’s so important and should be attended to throughout the life of your website.

Defining Website Management and Its Key Tenets

For those who are just learning about it, the term website management refers to the regular maintenance and upkeep of a website. This includes a number of specific activities, such as ensuring content is up to date and fresh, responding promptly to client inquiries and comments, monitoring for any technical issues or other errors that need attention, managing hosting accounts, etc.

It essentially encompasses all those small but important tasks related to keeping your website running smoothly. Some of the most notable forms of website management include:

• Content management: Ensuring regular updates to your website content, such as blog posts and new information pages, is vital for managing your website. You need to have a plan for creating and refining content, as well as periodically revisiting older content.
• Technical management: Keeping up with the ever-evolving technical aspects of website design can be challenging, but necessary to ensure your site is running as it should. This includes things like staying on top of security patches and updates, managing hosting accounts, troubleshooting and more.
• Website support: Website support refers to responding promptly to any issues or inquiries from users. This can include anything from customer service requests to site errors and beyond – it’s important that you have someone in place who is available to help clients when they need it.

Why is proper website management so important? Our next several sections will look into this.

Avoiding Downtime or Other Site Issues

For many businesses, any form of website downtime or errors can result in lost revenue and dissatisfied customers. It’s important to have someone in place who is monitoring for any issues so they can be addressed as quickly as possible.

For instance, if your hosting provider experiences any sort of issues, you’ll want to be aware of them right away and act accordingly. The same goes for any errors on the site itself – if something isn’t working properly, it’s best to address it quickly before it becomes a bigger problem.

Maintaining an SEO-Friendly Site

Search engine optimization (SEO) is an important part of any online presence, and proper website management is essential for ensuring your site remains SEO-friendly. This includes regularly updating content with relevant keywords, optimizing images for faster loading times and more.

Let’s say you have a large website with many different pages. If some of those pages are not regularly updated or optimized, it can have a negative effect on your overall SEO ranking. By having someone in place who is managing your site, they can ensure that all of the pages stay up to date and optimized for maximum visibility in search engine results.

Providing a Positive User Experience

Proper website management is also essential for providing users with the best possible experience. If your site is not managed correctly, it can lead to slow loading times, broken links or other errors that frustrate users and push them away.

By having someone who is actively monitoring and managing your website on a regular basis, you can ensure visitors (and potential customers) have a positive experience when they visit your site. This is especially important if you’re running an ecommerce business, as it could be the difference between gaining or losing sales.

Boosting Traffic

Finally, proper website management can help boost traffic to your site by making it more visible in search engine results. By regularly updating content and optimizing images, you can make sure your site is optimized for search engines and showing up when people are searching for related topics. This in turn helps drive more organic traffic to your site, which can lead to more leads and sales.

In conclusion, proper website management is essential for any business with an online presence. By ensuring your site is regularly updated and monitored, you can avoid downtime or other issues, maintain a positive user experience, boost traffic and ultimately increase leads and sales. With the right tools in place and an experienced team managing the process, you can rest assured your website is running smoothly and efficiently.

At BWP Communications, our experienced team of website managers can ensure your site is running smoothly and efficiently at all times. From managing hosting accounts to troubleshooting issues, we have the knowledge and experience needed to keep everything running smoothly. Contact us today for more information about any of our digital marketing or print marketing services for clients around SLC.

What is COUNTERINTELL?

All elements of our society today depend on life-sustaining infrastructures and the computers that control them. Counterintelligence is a fundamental function for protecting critical infrastructures. What do adversaries know about the key assets we own and operate? Why, how, where and when would they want to attack us? What options do we have available to defend?

BWP Client, Critical Intelligence Offers Annual Conference on Cybersecurity

The Critical Intelligence  Conference, “CounterIntell” promotes analytical expertise necessary to answer those questions in a dynamically evolving threat environment. Learn how intelligence informs business leaders, enabling accurate risk management decisions. Find out how to build an intelligence team, train your analysts, provide them the necessary tools, manage your reconnaissance and attack surface, and degrade your enemies’ ability to successfully target and attack you.

Attendees Will Gain New Insights In CounterIntell

Through keynotes, case studies, networking, and in-depth training with intelligence professionals and infrastructure experts, conference participants will walk away with:
• An understanding of why intelligence is pivotal for adequately protecting critical infrastructure.
• An understanding of the Intelligence Lifecycle.
• The ability to identify your organization’s intelligence gaps.
• A blueprint for building an integrated cyber-physical intelligence team.

COUNTERINTELL Conference Details:

The Location
The Chateaux, Deer Valley, Park City, Utah

Dates
September 16, 17, 18, 2014

Format
16 September – Conference Session.
17 September – Day 1 Analyst Training.
18 September – Day 2 Analyst Training.

Price

Conference Only (September 16): $300

Conference + Training (September 16-18): $995

Register online at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/counterintel-park-city-tickets-11832265625

Now that everyone in Utah has received their Vote By Mail ballots in the mail, BWP Communications continues to work with Salt Lake City Corporation and the City Recorder’s Office to remind residents of the “Vote By Mail” campaign. Our company has worked in various creative capacities for this project such as, advertising, marketing, graphic design, digital media, print media, messaging, and media buying. You will see the online advertisement on Utah websites such as the Salt Lake Tribune, KSL,  KSL Latino, and in print publications City Weekly and the Daily Chronicle. BWP, a Utah advertising agency, is proud to be a part of helping grow the voter participation with this exciting new campaign, and remember your ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 2, 2015.

The Utah Hive Pass Media Campaign continues to run on Buses and Trax across Salt Lake City. BWP, a Utah based marketing company,  works together with the Salt Lake City Department of Transportation on the “I Ride With Hive” advertising campaign. Our creative agency responsibilities include branding, advertising, marketing strategy, brand identity, campaign development and execution, media, print design, digital design and strategic consultation all for promoting the Hive Pass Program. The Hive Pass is a program Salt Lake City offers to all city residents with the goal of making transit more affordable and accessible. Current Hive Pass holders love it!  They have been able to reduce the number of cars in their households now that they have a pass to travel with.  Hive Passes can now be purchased for any number of consecutive months.  One month, two months, five months to a year, whatever works for you.  With the colder weather and snowfall coming to Salt Lake City it is important to limit our driving and help our air quality during peak inversion months. Utah is nationally known for its poor air quality, the more people riding transit is good for everyone, lightening the loads of car travel in our neighborhoods, cleaning the air, and reducing household costs for transportation.

Get your Hive Pass Today!

The Utah Association of Counties contracted BWP to develop their brand and create a marketing campaign and messaging to educate the public about local government. Here are some of the results of our research for their marketing campaign.

The Closest Level of Government to the People

The notion of a county originated in the middle ages, when they were called shires. American colonists adopted the idea, and today county government is the closest level of government to the people. The Utah Association of Counties recently launched a new website detailing the notion of Why Counties Matter.

A Wide Range of Service Areas

Utah’s county governments, working alone and in cooperation with other governments at the municipal, state and national levels, develop innovative and successful programs in a wide range of service areas, including arts and historic preservation, children and youth, community and economic development, corrections, county administration, emergency management, environmental protection, health, human services, libraries, parks and recreation, transportation, volunteers and many more.

County Services Vary by County

While each of Utah’s 29 counties differ somewhat in the services they provide, each county government is organized around the needs and desires of the communities served. Animal services, for instance, in the rural counties is different from the way it works in the urban areas. It all depends on the needs of the citizens who live there.

Important Documents

Perhaps you got married recently, renewed your passport or had to pickup a copy of your birth certificate. Those services are offered mostly through County Clerk’s office. Local government works because it provides services that folks depend on, and recognizes what local people need, like fire prevention and search and rescue.

Recreation and Health

When you think back on all the fun your family has had at the county recreation center, you’ll realize many areas where county government intersects with your life story again and again. Family health and senior services provide support to citizens throughout their life spans, including home delivered meals and activity centers. Health departments also offer flu shots, child and travel immunizations and oversee waste management to name a few of the contributions that impact health and wellness.

Tourism and Economic Development

Community development, tourist attractions, parks and recreation make our lives more enjoyable and support economic growth. County services from emergency management to road repair and maintenance bring tremendous value to each of our lives.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

With America’s system of federalism, counties are a key component of government. It’s truly local government and it works well because it’s the closest level of government to the people. At BWP, we think of it as where the rubber meets the road. Visit the Utah Association of Counties website, WhyCountiesMatter.org to find out more about your local county government services and see more of their marketing campaign ideas.

The Heart of the Matter

President Barack Obama and candidate Mitt Romney both received their undergraduate degrees in the humanities. Other notables who studied the humanities on their way to final careers are Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Harold Varmus, current director of the Nation Cancer Institute.

American Academy Commission on the Humanities

Richard Brodhead, president of Duke University and the co-chair of the American Academy Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences, related this information in a talk he delivered at the annual meeting of the National Humanities Alliance on March 20, 2013. The organization he chairs developed a film on the subject that describes the “Heart of the Matter” and, in fact, why Humanities still matter. I came upon my own realization when I visited a meeting of the Clemente Course at East high School a few nights ago. Here is what I discovered.

The Clemente Course at East High School

The Clemente Course is a partnership between the Utah Humanities Council, East High School, the Salt Lake City School District, Westminster College, the University of Utah, and University Neighborhood Partners. The course is a two-year, interdisciplinary humanities course for underserved 10th and 11th grade AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination program) students. The goals of the endeavor are:

• Encourage underserved students’ eager engagement in school by involving them in a challenging but personally meaningful and relevant humanities curriculum.
• Introduce students to some of the most powerful and influential texts, art, and ideas from cultures around the world.
• Foster academic excellence and critical thinking.
• Demonstrate connections between book learning and the “real world.”
• Nurture the goal of attending a four year college and assist students in selecting challenging college preparatory courses during their junior and senior years.
• Develop thoughtful and engaged future citizens.
• Increase school and public understanding of the value of the humanities to personal growth, academic achievement, and the strength of our communities.

How the Program Works

Clemente draws from five subjects for its curriculum: literature, history, art history, critical writing, and philosophy. It follows an intellectually rigorous curriculum and focuses on important multicultural works using group discussion, writing, group projects and a focus on primary documents as the basis for learning.

Instructors for the Course consist of four college professors, four teaching fellows, and a writing teacher at East High. Students enrolled in the Clemente Course will become a learning community, encouraged by their teachers and each other to become highly engaged in their learning and put forward their best efforts. Clemente excites the young learners about higher education and strongly encourages them to attend college. Students will receive an elective humanities credit for successfully completing the Clemente Course.

Example of the Learning Experience

The Clemente class took a field trip to Salt Lake Community College South City Campus for a tour of the New Media Center. The Dean of the School of Arts, Communication and New Media, Richard Scott, showed them the sound room, the broadcast journalist room, the theater, and the filming area.

The students got to have a hands-on, interactive experience with public art exhibit, Camera Obscurra. They learned how the cameras could be used for conceptual or performance art because people can perform in front of the cameras and be seen by viewers inside the New Media center. That students can also create art by using the cameras and take pictures or drawings of the projections.

Support From the Utah Humanities Council

The goal of the endeavor fits exactly within the mission of the UHC: “The Utah Humanities Council provides leadership by empowering individuals and groups to improve their communities through active engagement in the humanities.” This notion goes along with what Richard Brodhead is trying to accomplish with the American Academy Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences. He proposes that STEM, (science, technology, engineering and math), cannot be the only focus of our education system. Without the critical thinking that comes from a Humanities education many of our greatest leaders might not have achieved success.

The Humanities plays a crucial role in the drama of strengthening communities, improving cooperation and building better lives. by participating in humanities-based programs and education, young people are inspired to cross over into the world of others and discover an affinity with the different way people see, think, and believe in order to imagine a common good that serves us all.

Growing Up on A Farm In Poland

Dominika decided early on to become a psychologist when as a young teenager she successfully manipulated her father into letting her attend a rock concert with friends. Her curiosity about understanding people’s behaviors and motivations led her to receive a Master’s degree in psychology from Warsaw University.

Received a Fulbright Scholarship

Propelled by the desire to acquire more expertise in social and behavioral research she came to the United States, and with the help from a Fulbright scholarship embarked upon her path to a doctoral degree in social psychology.

Getting her Ph.D. at the University of Utah

During her Ph.D. studies Dominika also gained experience in business and industry doing user experience research for University of Utah Commuter Services and helping a global company specializing in information services and publishing to innovate and improve their products and services.

Director of Research at BWP

We’re happy to have Dominika join the agency. She’s a great contribution to the group and adds a global understanding to our communications endeavors. Thanks, Dominika!

Branding the Idea of Stop Texting and Drive Safely!

In 2011 at least 23% of auto collisions involved the use of mobile phones. Nation-wide, that’s 1.3 million car accidents. If you’re traveling at 55mph, your car will cover the length of football field in just 5 seconds, which is the minimal amount of time your attention is taken away from the road when texting and driving. That’s long enough to cause serious accidents. And most assuredly, even fatal accidents.

Drivers are Still Texting and Driving

Amazingly, 55% of adult drivers still claim it’s easy to text and drive, and 77% of young adults are “very” or “somewhat” confident that they can safely text while driving. This is a troubling number, especially considering the fact that 39 states currently have laws that prohibit all drivers from text messaging while behind the wheel. (Source: textinganddrivingsafety.com)

Miss Utah USA, Jamie Lynn Crandall

Jamie Lynn Crandall, former Miss Utah USA (2011) and a professional model, made it her platform during her reign to promote the message that it’s very dangerous to text and drive. She helped found the campaign “Hang Up – Save a Life.” Her good friend, Lauren Mulkey, a student at East High School in Salt Lake City, had just dropped Jamie off after a holiday event, then moments later was killed by a texting driver. This life-changing event inspired Jamie to use her position as Miss Utah USA to promote a campaign to alert the people of Utah about the dangers of texting while driving.

Her Campaign Against Texting While Driving

Now, seven years later, Jamie is still very committed to the cause. Though her efforts were instrumental in helping create a no-texting while driving law in Utah, the statistics shown above demonstrate the need for continued messaging targeted at both young adults and all drivers alike. During her year as Miss Utah USA she campaigned across the state, mostly speaking at high schools, as a person who had experienced the tragedy first hand.

Jamie: Not Going to Give Up

After relinquishing her crown, Jamie continued her career as a working model, which has taken her from Chicago to Florida to Los Angeles. Now back in Utah she intends to continue the messaging campaign and branding to alert drivers throughout the state and beyond to help people understand the personal tragedies and life-changing consequences of texting while driving.

“Hang Up – Save a Life”

BWP was fortunate to work with Jamie on a branding project for our clients where we had the opportunity to get to know her. (Shown here are some of the photos she did for us.) We are very happy to help Jamie further her cause by helping to promote the notion of “Hang Up – Save a Life.”

Thanks for all you do Jamie! And from all of us at BWP, we encourage Utah drivers to turn off your phones before your drive.