"The past three decades, new products and innovations have allowed people to entertain and inform themselves anywhere, anytime." -
With the onset of the age of the customer, businesses are struggling to compete in a changing world of technology. They're trying to determine where their business development dollars should go because where they're used to spending isn't providing the same returns. There are also more choices, more software platforms, and more challenges to consider than ever before. Traditional sales tactics are struggling to drive the same level of production too. Tradeshows, cold calls, and mailers just aren't cutting it.
The reasons for these struggles are simple. Less and less people are seeing or responding to their tired method of communicating. The world we live in has changed, and so have our expectations for how we'll allow businesses to market and sell to us.
Marketers are challenged with developing new strategies
source: State of Inbound 2017
Salespeople are trying to figure out how to remain relevant
source: State of Inbound 2017
We don't want to be sold, we want to buy. We don't need to go through their mail or listen to radio ads to find the best offers anymore. We simply have a more convenient and useful way to find information with the internet available at our permission (and fingertips). Think of it this way, would you rather be advertised to as you're scrolling your Twitter feed in an elevator or while going through your bills after dinner?
Digital philosophies like inbound marketing work off the simple asertion that people would rather discover products and serivces than be beat over the head by them. We'd rather engage with brands and learn about companies they are proud to reprent than take their word for it in a commercial. Once we adopt a brand as our own, we promote it vigoriously to our friends and family.
"People don't believe what you tell them. They rarely believe what you show them. They often believe what their friends tell them. They always believe what they tell themselves."― Seth Godin
Businesses are much more likely to get a referrals from their online marketing efforts than they are by mailing out a ton of $25-for-telling-a-friend coupon. And it's a lot cheaper too, because digital marketing efforts last. Reusable assets build and provide more value over time.
So does your business stack up in this digital world of marketing dominance? Do you even have a digital marketing campaign in place? Are you getting sales-ready leads through your website for your efforts? Do you know what people are saying about your company online and are you participating in the conversation? Are the people looking for you on the internet finding you for the search terms the associate with your services?
"89% of US internet users search online before they make a purchase, even when the purchase is made at a local business." - HubSpot
If you think you might be missing out on some opportunities it might be time to take a closer look. Because digital marketing campaigns are complicated, and it's hard to judge where you need to improve, we've got an offer for you. We've built an eBook dedicated to helping you understand modern marketing, and to help you compete in our digital world. We feature all of the key platforms to evaluate, explain how they work, and give tips to improve your results. If the time is right for your business to shift it's marketing efforts, start here:
