As I’ve said in the past, the term marketing is often used interchangeably with the term sales.
However, marketing actually defines a process as opposed to an action.
One of the main functions of marketing is to provide effective communications, which is an important part of helping businesses grow and prosper. Communication is about creating relationships, strengthening an organization’s effectiveness and, and helping people learn about one another.
Enter technology.
Current technologies, including such things as the Internet, smart phones and tablets, social media platforms, apps, and CRM (customer relationship management) systems are impacting the way companies communicate with clients and prospects, and the marketing strategies they employ.
More and more consumers and business professionals are using their portable devices to obtain information and to connect with other people and businesses. Thanks to the accessibility of the internet, prospects and clients have the ability to acquire tons of information in mere moments, including information about your competitors!
Despite lots of talk over the years about the benefits of things like telecommuting, technology is helping that to evolve. More people are working from virtual offices, using their cell phones and various social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to communicate with others. These changes will affect the way business spends money on different forms of communication as we continue to move forward and technologies evolve and improve. How a company communicates the features and benefits of their products and services will also have to evolve or the company runs the risk of fading into oblivion.
One of the most important things a business can do is to continually deliver a consistent message about their brand to their clients and prospects. Integrating their brand into every aspect of a business’s communications – whether TV, radio, print, internet, mobile platforms or social media – establishes recognition familiarity, developing strong customer relationships while developing a solid impression for prospects.
The younger, up and coming generation, is driving this change. These consumers have never known a world without cell phones, computers, and other technologies. As a result, they are quick to embrace using these new forms of business communications, such as ads on their mobile phones, social media ads, YouTube, etc. Traditional forms of media, like newspapers, television, and radio, are being forced to adapt to compete with the emerging changes in communication in order to remain relevant.
But these changes do not come without challenges.
Although technology has been implemented for years now, using it effectively for marketing still manages to evade many.
Results can be hard to measure, since the traditional measurement tools don’t necessarily apply. For instance, at one time, a business might run an ad in a local daily newspaper. Obviously, the reach of that ad was primarily limited to the local town or city where it appeared.
Fast forward to advertising on the internet. The reach of the World Wide Web is, indeed, just that – worldwide.
Technologies do improve, however, and advertising on the internet, whether pay-per-click or social media advertisements, are able to be more targeted. In fact, you have probably noticed that some of the sites you visit will now automatically load ads on the sidebar based on your previous browsing behaviours.
There is no question that technology is having a huge impact and is changing the way business communicate their message. Don’t fear this, but instead embrace it. Clearly define your message, your audience, your budget and your marketing plan, and how you will measure your results. Refine and repeat to come up with the proper recipe for success.
Until next time…
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