Staying Relevant in a Social World Means
Embracing All It Has to Offer
Despite the fact
that we're well into the 21st century at this point, there are many
businesses that are truly afraid of addressing exactly what that entails
for whatever reason. It is not uncommon to meet a marketer that is still
relying on the tried-but-true techniques of yesteryear, while at the same
time turning a cold shoulder to the advancements of the last decade:
namely, the social media-centric society in which we now live. If you
distill the goal of marketing down to its most bare essentials, all
professionals operate with the same end result in mind. Marketing is a
quest to stay relevant. It's a battle to keep a brand at the forefront of a
customer's mind and to engage with an audience in new and meaningful way.
It's an attempt to create a world in which the customer cannot fathom
living without Product X or Service Y. In the 21st century, that means
embracing social media and technology in general.
Social Media is Meaningful
By staying firmly ingrained in the techniques that have always worked in
the past, the "old school" segment of the marketing population is
forgetting that these new technologies bring with them a huge variety of
advancements that can't be ignored. For starters, social media eliminates
much of the guesswork that marketers used to have to contend with. You no
longer have to guess which conversations your customers are having and try
to interject in any way that you can. Thanks to Facebook, Twitter, and
other sites, you can literally see the conversation as it's taking place.
You don't have to attempt to steer the conversation in a new direction to
attract attention - you can attract attention by contributing meaningful
content to something that is already taking place.
If a customer is having an issue with a particular product and posts about
it on Twitter, a marketer is, at most, three mouse clicks away from solving
that problem and creating a meaningful example of brand engagement at the
same time. Social media also tears down the obstacle of geography, creating
a world that is literally as large as it's ever been but figuratively much
smaller. Do you want to quickly get a message out to customers in
Cleveland, Ohio? Filter Twitter accounts based on location and send away -
they'll receive it in seconds.
Most importantly, social media allows you to make use of one of the most
widely used platforms for any type of activity in existence today - mobile.
People spend a massive amount of time on their smartphones each day thanks
to their ease-of-use, small size, convenience and more. You don't have to
fight for their attention anymore - if you're putting the right content out
in the world using the right social channels, you've already got their
attention.
Social Media is Not a Replacement
One of the biggest misconceptions that the "old school" marketers
have is that social technology, in general, is replacing the way things
used to work. This couldn't be farther from the truth. The timeless, best
practices that worked in the 50s and 60s still work today. They will always
work. Social media and other digital marketing techniques are not a
replacement to the techniques that you've always depended on, but a
compliment to them. When used in conjunction with one another, they're
creating an environment where success is practically a guarantee.
A properly designed direct mail piece will be just as effective in 2025 as
it was in 1975. If you also add a hashtag or a QR code or some other type
of digital element to that mailer, however, you're performing the most
important task of all: You've given the customer an option regarding where
and how they'd like to continue the conversation. You've included them in
the process in a meaningful and organic way and, rest assured, they will
thank you for it. That is what social media is all about.
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment