How Technology Changed Marketing

For years, we’ve been bombarded with advertising. Target Field. Live from the Allstate Studio. Your Commute Sponsored by Apple, Google, and Amazon. I thought technology was going to change all this? I thought we were entering a new age of advertising. My Pandora flow keeps getting interrupted by commercials. My Twitter feed is loaded with people shoving their latest blogs down my throat. Every site I visit is loaded with ads reminding me of what I almost just bought.

The Old Way of Marketing is Over

But, when I took a step back, I realized it had changed.

Yes, my Pandora jams have ads squeezed between them, but most are location based. Yes, my Twitter feed is almost entirely tweets promoting the latest blogs of the people I follow, but I chose to follow them. And yes, there are ads on most sites reminding me of the items I have in a shopping cart, but I went to that site and almost bought something.

Content-Driven Advertising

So, while content is being shoved down my throat, for the most part (at least on the Internet) it’s content that I chose to see. Even the ads on Google’s search results are there based on some super secret algorithm set up by the brainiacs that control the world. It’s there for me!

This is the future. Targeted advertising promoting not only products and services, but also information. Especially when using social media to promote your business, if you’re not providing relevant content to potential customers, they are not going to stay on your site for very long.

Along with the demographics of the country (Millennials are now the country’s largest demographic), the entire buying process has changed because of technology. According to HubSpot’s Co-Founder Brian Halligan, “Buyers have more information accessible to them, and higher personal experience when making a purchase.”

Consequences for Small Businesses

Inbound marketing is about providing potential customers with the information needed to make an intelligent buying decision. By offering that content, you are building the trust of your customers. By promoting that content, you are driving more traffic to your site. By providing a great customer experience, you are building a loyal base.

Think about the amount of research you did before making your last business purchase. Did you simply see an ad on the side of a bus or hear a radio commercial, seek out that specific product, and buy it?

No. That’s because the buying process has been extended due to the amount of information available to customers. Everyone does research before making a purchase. Last month, when buying an office chair, I went into Staples, sat in a bunch until I found a winner, and Googled the chair to price match it. I ended up buying it from Staples, but only because the chair wasn’t discounted enough from other trusted suppliers.

The New Age of Marketing

The moral of that story is that everyone is price matching, but they are, just like me, buying from trusted vendors. Had I found the same chair online for $20 with free shipping from a site I’d never heard of, I would’ve researched the company first to see if they were trustworthy and how they were planning on staying in business if they were offering such discounts. 

By offering your customers information regarding your industry, without shoving sales down their throats the entire time, you are building a relationship. Even if a neighbor has recommended your business, the days are gone where people blindly dialed a number passed along from friends. These customers are going to Google your business and make a decision based on the way you present yourself online.

That’s why every Inbound Marketing Strategy provides:

• Content Creation
• Content Promotion
• Landing Pages to Generate Leads
• Lead Nurturing through the New Buying Process
• Great Customer Experience to Create Loyalty

If customers are researching before making a purchase, your company has to supply information. If not, your competitors will and your business will lose customers. The old way of doing things is over. Is your business adapting to apply the new techniques and strategies, or are you still trying to use yesterday’s sales tactics?

Michael O'Brien combines his creativity and storytelling skills with business acumen to tell your company's unique story and position your business as an authority in your industry. To get updates on inbound marketing strategies, follow him on Twitter @mikedobrien or visit his site mikedobrien.com.