I can’t believe I began my marketing career almost 25 years ago. When I was senior in high school, I was offered a position at an in-house advertising agency for a mail-order cosmetics firm – today, I am the newest Account Executive to join the Marketing Plus team…and WOW! Have things changed!

Back in the day, we had a telephone book, three channels on TV and a Rolodex. (If you’re under the age of 25, Google that last term.)

Insight over information

Today, you don’t need companies to provide you with information, there’s already more out there than any of us know what to do with.  Have you (recently) thought,  “I wish there was just some sort of global source of information I could get my hands on. Some single location where I could just type in what I’m looking for and have the answers given to me.”

Of course not.

The internet has given us the availability of unlimited amounts of information, 24/7. How many times have you done product (or service) research, checked out references, asked your friends if any of them have used the particular item, looked at samples of pictures, and ordered and paid for the item without ever leaving your couch?

Side note: The word “google” is an officially recognized word in many languages.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/google

Listen over talk

It’s more difficult than ever to get people to hear your message. Between no-call lists, email filters and DVRs, your target customers can easily block your message. To make an impact, you need to stop talking and start listen. Paying attention to what your customers are saying and engaging them “on their terms” is more important than ever.

What happens in Vegas stays on Facebook

Social Media’s biggest impact on big business: they have to deal with the public face-to-face. The old-school suggestion box has gone digital. Now your complaint (or praise) is in the public eye. Not only that, other people can jump on your bandwagon in support of or against a product or service.

From a CEO’s vantage point, the customer is not necessarily always right, but the customer has a very large, very public platform to speak from.

Proof over promise

Talk is cheap! Consumers today want to see proof and decide for themselves. Case studies and testimonials are worth their weight in gold. Check this out:

http://ijustdid.org/2012/06/social-media-influence/

The supportive (or declaration of war,) “I’m going to tell everyone I know about this!” really means something in today’s connected world.

What has not changed is the objective – Marketing is still about getting someone who needs or wants something to know, like and trust you (your company). What has changed is how we go about accomplishing this goal.

Good marketing helps people wade through this sea of information, giving them the confidence to make a sound buying decision.

The internet is not a fad, traditional marketing techniques have to be constantly evolving.

In 2004, Facebook was created by a college kid who was drunk-blogging trying to get back at the girl who had just dumped him.

In 2012, 17% of marriages were the results of people meeting on a dating site. (Statistic Brain, 2012.)

In 2006, the first Twitter prototype was used as an internal service for Odeo employees.

In 2012, Twitter was recognized by CNN as being “faster than traditional press release services.”

And for the wrap up question: When’s the last time you bought something straight from a printed catalog?

Have a nice weekend,

Katrina