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An Inbound Marketer's Guide for Navigating the Need for Instant Gratification

digital marketing for the distracted

 

The world today is completely different than the one most of us grew up in.  Anyone who caught up in the hype around Back to The Future’s 30th anniversary in 2015 got a great reminder of what things were like 30 years ago.  Our behavior has shifted over the last three decades due in part to the rise of technology.

The rise of computers, the internet, and mobile devices has had an effect on how we interact as we’ve gained widespread access to information.  Our new access made it easier to communicate and gain information, therefore changing our behavior.  Gone were the days of the Industrial Age where advertisers simply needed to run TV commercials to sell millions of products and in came the Information Age.

The average American spends almost 2 hours per day on a mobile device  -Search Engine Land

Today we have smartphones, social media, apps, and 4G connections.  As technology has advanced further the access, behavior, and expectations of the consumer have grown. We can have whatever we want, whenever we want it,  wherever we are.  It’s instant gratification or bust.  Enter the Age of the Customer.

 

age of the customer

image credit - Forrester

 

So how do we compete for time and attention as we try to do business in these times?  As digital marketing experts we design our strategy, content, and promotion with an understanding of what we're up against.  We must structure our assets to interrupt, engage, and cause prospects to slow down just long enough to see the value in our proposition.  I believe this can be accomplished by applying this approach over eight fundamental steps of digital strategy. 

Eight Steps to Managing the Chaos

1.  Develop the strategy & foundation
2.  Create a fantastic website that converts
3.  Optimize everything for search engines
4.  Publish helpful content that educates
5.  Promote your content through social media
6.  Understand & serve your ideal client's buying cycle
7.  Answer questions before they ask them
8.  Measure everything, revise, and repeat
 

Focus your efforts around a complete and successful campaign and you’ll drive results.  If you’d like to expand your knowledge of any of the elements discussed I invite you to download our expanded detail on each of the eight steps in the eBook below or stay tuned for future articles that break down each element in more detail.