Traditional media is dying a slow death. People are buying less newspapers and the really good magazines are happy to keep their subscriber numbers the same. Broadcast media are in a larger battle with online video, and competing with the internet for face time.
And with the decline of traditional media comes the slow death of traditional marketing.For all but the largest brands, who can afford to spend millions on “old” marketing, counting on traditional marketing for growth is more or less a dead end. The old way of interrupting people with a one way message (from company to consumer), hoping that the message had mass appeal, and keeping fingers crossed that this limited effort had some effect has been replaced. By default.
Consumers, and businesses, have become a lot more sophisticated, realizing that they could search the web to find out more about a company and its products. And its customer service. And its pricing. And get unsolicited, brutally honest recommendations. In fact, there is pretty much no place to hide for a company any more. The internet has turned marketing into a personal, and personalized experience.
Companies cannot afford to ignore this phenomenon. But it should not only be a defensive mission, it is the most effective way to gain and keep customers in the history of mankind. For every person that a company chooses to interact with online, there are potentially thousands that see it, and can either be impressed or disgusted.
Every company should choose impressed over disgusted, of course.
Be there where the customers are, on the blogs, discussion forums and chatrooms. See what they are saying about your products, experience and what recommendations they are making. Interact positively and humbly with them, and your brand reputation increases. Offer advice, give away knowledge, give consumers reason to believe and trust you. Be a part of the new marketing, and your bottom line will grow along with your brand.