The Digital Era Forever Changed Marketing

Although marketing is the same essential 4Ps (Product, Price, Place, and Promotion) – and beyond – the way these 4 Ps are utilized has primarily changed. Welcome to the digital age, where marketers and brand managers have had a very narrow window to escape the traditional channels they used to employ to be heard. However, specialists everywhere often tailor year-long plans to adapt to fast-changing trends and rising competition.

The Digital Era and Marketing

Thanks to expanding the primarily known platforms such as Facebook and Google advertising and networks, increased brands have abandoned the “push-marketing strategies” and have accustomed themselves and their customers to “pull-marketing strategies.” Instead of shoving several ads on billboards, TV, radio, and other media channels, they can now customize their techniques according to their audiences and the channels they employ so that brand retention is relevant and the customer goes to the brand. While this is not easy, many successful brands embrace this cyberspace adaptation and have created impactful ads that have helped the brand evolve in the face of competition. Cool, right?

It does not just stop there. Technological innovation allows specialists to edit the conventional funnel, which starts with a broader base of the customer journey that begins with several brands to choose from and ends at the ultimate step. Brand managers and marketers have yet to consider many other options, such as customer feedback, pre-purchase research, and online reviews by brand users.

To help you, we have conducted research to pinpoint advertising channels in our current digital age that will allow you to focus on a few starting points with customers. Of course, to keep building your relationship, you need to listen to your customers and consistently incorporate their feedback into your systems. Amongst the changes and innovations in how brands market themselves in this era, the only consistent fact is that the customer is still king.

How Brands Can Help Themselves

Below are a few things that have evolved from brands innovating with technological advancement.

• Customer service

The customer must feel you are the utmost priority in your digital journey. No matter your marketing channel(s), brands must have a conversation option that the customers can opt for at any point. Is the product out of stock? The customer should be able to reach out to you to know. New product? Let the customer know where it is available for them to interact with before their purchase. Packaging updated? The customer must understand that their product is still the same, with new and improved packaging!

Because most of us are now operating behind screens, it has become highly integral that communication is essential.  Research conducted by Bain and Company shows that about 89% of companies compete for customer service support because of its growing importance. Customers should be able to reach out to you around the clock if necessary.

• Diverse playing field

Brands now have access to equal channels due to the digital outburst. All brands can start at the same level and access the same resources. Before the new platform age, brands competed for their shelf space, the share of air, and ads on billboards, TV channels, et cetera; however, now brands are looking at top-of-the-mind recall through customized marketing techniques and the share of social media space.

You can use the Facebook channel to reach out to your audience or use banner ads on the Google Display Network to show off your brand. You can get influencers to endorse your brand and increase walkability or YouTube pre-rolls; the possibilities are endless. And the best part is that not all your options cost money. For instance, SEO effectiveness requires reaching the top positions on your Google Search Results. You can employ many options with a fair chance at audience retention as you do not have to pay massive amounts on various fronts.

• The ad culture is dead

Traditional ads are finished, and it is no secret. People can opt for the premium option and block ads when browsing the internet, even on social media and other online options. And what is worse that even if you advertise on digital networks such as Facebook that do not allow you to block ads, you can be positive that the phenomenon of ‘ad blindness’ – resulting from audiences’ exposure to brands and their tactics – will make you go unnoticed if you do not innovate your online ads. Brands must break the clutter instead of going with the herd and following prevalent trends that will include them in the masses that constitute ‘ad blindness’. 

When the marketing gets tough, the tough get creative. 

Last Thoughts

The need of the hour for brands is Go Big or Go Home. However, the dilemma for experts is to reach the right audience, which requires brands to tread carefully and avoid wasting resources such as advertising budgets, brands’ share of space, and brand retention amongst the competition. Brands can stand out by providing excellent customer care, carefully picking their advertising platform of interest, and making creative ads that impact their audience’s minds.

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