In addition to guest posting on the UpCity blog, NuStream Media is featured as one of the Top Digital Marketing Agencies in Allentown, PA. Check out their profile here.
What is ASMR?
ASMR stands for “autonomous sensory meridian response” which describes the tingly sensation a person feels in direct response to certain sounds. These sounds are referred to as “triggers” because they prompt ASMR.
YouTube creators use the platform to set up a small set and perform these sounds to help those suffering from anxiety, insomnia, and depression. Common types of triggers you might see are:
- Whispering
- Tapping
- Brushing on a microphone
- Roleplays
- Scratching
- Eating
According to studies, the ASMR triggers above can reduce heart rate, as well as elicit a tingling sensation in some viewers. Researchers from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Psychology examined whether ASMR has the potential to benefit the physical and mental health of people who experience the phenomena.
The study included a mixed group of those who experience ASMR and those who do not and found that those who feel ASMR showed significantly higher reductions in their heart rates when watching ASMR videos, about an average decrease of 3.14 beats per minute, compared to those who do not. The results also demonstrated significant increases in relaxation and social belonging.
What Does ASMR Have to Do With Marketing?
With over 10 million ASMR videos on YouTube, it makes sense that marketers are starting to tap (no pun intended) into the trend. YouTube allows marketers to create content that will resonate with users and provides a platform to reach a broad audience.
Due to the growing shift in consumer behavior, video marketing on YouTube is an essential part of many companies’ marketing strategy today. In fact, studies show that by 2020, 80% of marketing efforts will be video driven, which means marketers need to learn how to create immersive content that will appeal to their users in more than one way.
ASMR marketing can create a more immersive experience for your viewers while simultaneously building brand awareness. The numbers don’t lie: brands who use video marketing get 66% more qualified leads than those who do not.
“ASMR marketing can create a more immersive experience for your viewers while simultaneously building brand awareness.” – Cara Luther, NuStream Media
Examples of Creative ASMR Marketing
ASMR is continually increasing in popularity among users on YouTube, which gives brands limitless opportunities to create content for this growing list of engaged viewers. ASMR is far and away the top YouTube search query in the United States with over 8.2 million searches per month, and ranks among the top five queries worldwide with over 25.7 million searches per month.
The term “community” should be a high focus for brands who want to tap into ASMR and the people who view this content. While ASMR strives to help people relax and overcome anxious thoughts, it also revolves around a massive community where people interact with each other and act as a support system.
Brands that hope to take advantage of ASMR in their marketing strategy must deliver a message that focuses on community-building and support in some way.
KFC
KFC created a series of ASMR related videos which they titled “The Comfort Zone.” These videos used tactics to relieve stress while promoting their different food products.
Michelob
Michelob used ASMR for their Superbowl commercial featuring Zoe Kravitz in which she tapped on the bottles and whispered into the microphone.
McDonald’s
McDonald’s developed a speechless campaign to promote its new 100% fresh beef Quarter Pounder. The campaign features 30-second commercials starring Charles Barkley, Gabrielle Union, and John Goodman in which they sit in a McDonald’s restaurant eating a Quarter Pounder in silence.
Unboxing hotter and juicier fresh beef with Sir Charles Barkley. pic.twitter.com/T1GBjfhjYG
— McDonald's (@McDonalds) May 7, 2018
Utilizing ASMR in Your Marketing
1. Partner with an influencer
Influencer marketing is arguably one of the top digital marketing trends of the last few years. As a marketer, you can build a partnership with an influencer to create a powerful campaign that will reach a wider audience. Influencers already have their audiences’ trust, which allows them to act as a credible rep for your brand.
You can have the influencer demonstrate ASMR techniques with your products, or have them use one of your technology-based products to create a video for their audience.
2. Create an ASMR video internally
Find a way to execute a video to promote your product or services using the ASMR that your team creates. You can use your products in the video to elicit the “tingles” that come along with ASMR. You can have your whole team involved or have the video focus on one individual within the company.
Engage with your audience through other channels, such as social media, to get an idea of what they want; your marketing team can use some of the feedback to create content that both resonates with your audience’s interest and tells the story of your brand.
3. Use VR technology to create an immersive ASMR experience
In today’s technology-fueled atmosphere, it’s essential to stay ahead of the curve and utilize new advancements to add another layer to your advertising efforts. Long gone are the days of purely text-based advertising, which is a pro for ASMR marketing. Take advantage of virtual reality, and all of its capabilities to take your marketing to the next level.
When you create something internally, think of ways to personalize the experience because ASMR is all about the effects on that person, both mental and physical. The benefit of creating an ASMR video internally is that you can accomplish multiple goals at once.
As a business, you have a solid understanding of your target audience, meaning you can use a modern form of technology, VR, a popular platform, YouTube, and personalization to create content that directly resonates with your audience.
VR is designed to take people to another place. You can use virtual reality to put your audience in an environment, surrounded by your products and services in which they can fully experience the different sounds they make. A VR-based video will allow your audience to connect with your products and brand on a deeper level which will lead to stronger relationships and brand loyalty.
4. Produce a weekly ASMR series with your product
With marketing in general, consistency is critical to a successful campaign. If your business consistently incorporates video marketing into your strategy, it will increase the amount of exposure your brand gets due to the popularity of consuming video content and the large platform your videos are hosted on.
To utilize ASMR marketing techniques in the best way, make sure you create content that your audience will regularly tune in to watch. If you produce a new video every week and let your audience know about it by promoting it on social media, it will prompt them to return to your site every week to watch. A weekly ASMR series can simultaneously build a loyal fan base and promote your products.
5. Use ASMR techniques for an FAQ-themed video
This strategy accomplishes two things in one swift motion. With frequently asked questions videos, you can inform and entertain your audience at the same time. Take a look at your social media inboxes, your company email, and other forms of communication and compile a list of questions often asked by consumers. Once you have that list, take a look at what products they revolve around to decipher what products to include in the video.
When filming, the person who is in the video can use each product to tap or scratch to elicit triggers while whispering the answer to each question. The sounds from the objects will put your viewers in a relaxed state allowing them to absorb the information and learn about what your products have to offer. Your business can put this video content on your website and social media platforms for optimal engagement and traffic.
ASMR is an impactful trend that can help your business reach younger audiences
ASMR has been popular among smaller groups of people over the past few years, but it gained a lot of attention in recent years and has grown since. The amount of ASMR content is continually rising, along with an increased interest in the topic.
Not only is the trend incredibly popular but it originated on the second largest search engine, YouTube. With such a mass following on YouTube, ASMR marketing involves the perfect combination of excellent content and widely used social media platform.
Through influencer marketing, creative in-house initiatives, and an experienced social media marketing team, businesses can use this unstoppable trend to reach a broader audience and expand their business.