When you read or talk about how the marketplace is changing, it’s generally linked somehow to the Internet, and technology that connects people to the Internet. The Internet has changed how businesses conduct their sales and marketing, as well as how they whole business operates (online-only businesses). The Internet has also changed how consumers research and buy products and services. The Internet has changed how people find and apply for jobs, and even what is sold. (What did Google start out “selling” anyway? Nothing. And Craigslist stays afloat without charging anything for classified ads (although, that’s starting to change in Craigslist’s bigger cities.))
Who would have thought that Wikipedia would render your parents’ Encyclopedia Britannica set useless? Wikipedia is not only as accurate as Encyclopedia Britannica, but is also over a hundred times larger.
Consumers also make recommendations to each other and discuss pros and cons of products and services in ways online that was never possible before the Internet. Now you can compare notes with people across the country, or even across the ocean. Homebuyers don’t have to consult realtors any more to browse available houses.
What do all of these changes mean for the marketing industry?
Plenty.
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Marketers need a blog. These days, blogs are more popular than forums or product review Web sites, and anyone can have a blog. It’s up to the marketer to find out what consumers are saying about your company on these blogs, and to either give out info that consumers need, or do damage control and correct the record when bloggers get something wrong about your brand.
Your company should already have some sort of Web site; a blog is the next logical step. But in addition to just having a blog, you should also be keeping closer track of the traffic to your blog. You need to have good visitor metrics and ways to find out what kind of people are visiting your blog. You should also think about video blogging, as that’s becoming more popular as well.
Texting. Texting consumers cell phones is also a new trend that seems to be growing. Many people say they don’t want marketing texts, but some marketers are having such success with texting that they keep doing it. This is an iffy trend right now that we’ll have to wait out to see how it flows.
Increasing your marketing budget, or better allocate your budget. If you can’t increase your marketing budget to include Internet ads, text messaging and newer technology, then you need to allocate your budget to include these tactics. Traditional marketing techniques like brochures, postcards and billboards still need to be used in addition to the newer marketing tactics. And if you can afford it, tweaking traditional tactics, like a billboard, into an electronic billboard is a great way to get consumers’ attention while integrating technology and traditional marketing.
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