Get Digital or Die - 5 Reasons Iconic Brands are Disappearing

Radio Shack, Sports Authority, everywhere you look iconic brands are disappearing but what happened? Simply put, digital has killed them and the list will only continue to grow. Failure to adapt in this marketplace has spelled certain death for some and you don’t want your brand to the next victim. So here are 5 things, future brands and you can do to keep today and future audiences looking your way.

1.      Attachment- Too many brands are too attached to older strategies and customer acquisition techniques that once reigned supreme in the marketing and branding universe. In this diverse and everchanging consumer driven climate, brands must learn to never become too attached to any one platform, medium, idea or to any one anything. You must learn when an idea is played out and let it go.

2.      Infrastructure Realignment- This is a critical mistake, focusing on opening in expensive real estate locations is recipe for disaster. Rather brands must focus on their online ecommerce infrastructure. Don’t think so, 62% of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile device in the last 6 months and 80% of shoppers used a mobile phone inside of a physical store to either look up product reviews, compare prices or find alternative store locations. Bottom line, digital infrastructure is far more important than physical.

3.      Social Media- Brands must realize that social media is so much more than the vanity metrics (followers and likes) of it all. It’s about connection and how do you make that connection with your audience? A story, your story, told in a way that engages audiences and encourages them to interact with your brand.

4.      Mobile Optimization- We’ll if you’re not mobile then none of this matters, because you have much bigger problems… You Are Not Mobile. Many brands have taken far too long to implement mobile whether it’s responsiveness or ecommerce, not investing in the mobile optimization of everything your organization does will cost you. If you are already implementing mobile solutions, awesome, time to throw something else in the mix…video and don’t forget to make sure that it’s mobile friendly because it’s the future of content. Better get going because if you don’t have a mobile presence, soon, no one will know you’re there.

5.      Advancement- I’ve heard it said, “If you’re not advancing, you’re retreating”. In business, nothing could be truer, brands must advance but how does a brand do that? Well you capture the next generation of decision makers, get their attention, engage and keep their interest or at least looking at your brand. The bigger the audience, the better the engagement, the more advancement you can make.

The digital era is here and so many brands that used to own the marketplace are being all but forgotten and soon that too. Don’t make the same mistakes, get your brand out there and let your digital flag fly. Now get your digital on and Go Sell Something!

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Mac McLaughlin

@thebadasscloser

GSS.digital