In years gone by marketing was quite a simple game. There were x amount of newspapers, y amount of TV channels, z amount of magazines, direct mail, exhibitions, posters and radio. We knew where our audience was and where they would be. The PULL process (getting people to act on stuff you sent or showed them) was well entrenched and in effect the only way to market.
Then technology steamed into our world and completely changed the game. With Facebook looking at an IPO of $100 billion (yes that’s billion), Google’s IPO in 2004 being $23 billion now risen to a market capital of $153 billion, Linkedin estimated value at almost $9billion we can see that online communication has reached an enormous level and still set to rise. At the same time TV channels, magazines and radio stations have exploded with more choice than ever before and I haven’t even started on mobile apps and the explosion that has and will see over the next few years.
Our targets have moved and are spread far and wide across the internet. They now have the power, they decide where and what they wish to see and receive. Unwanted emails, texts or communication is given short shrift and blocked out. Newsletters that became so valuable to businesses, only a couple of years ago, have now been replaced with twitter and blogs. The world is changing at a ridiculous rate and anyone standing still and not embracing/understanding the online revolution is being left behind. Possibly for good!
For me though it goes even deeper than this. Everything now can be measured using online tools and processes; every interaction is looked at to see the return on investment or the effect it has on a brand. This has been happening and growing steadily for many years. However going even deeper into the company structure internal and external communication with clients is now online and driven by new pieces of technology. VLI (www.vli.co.uk a company we are lucky enough to count as a client) for instance have created the world’s first complete online business platform allowing for ALL interaction within a company structure to be driven through a single database. This will replace stand alone, bolted together options of the past and will create a new breed of companies working from a single platform connecting the back and front end of their businesses and making technology a mainstay of their businesses moving forward. Email campaigns, newsletters, training, document management, HR, social media, SEO, Websites, contacts, admin, all going through one place allowing business owners to see their companies from the first real 360 degree view and drill down into all communication processes.
These decisions and implementations for me will become more and more valuable for companies and the first ones to jump on board will deliver real cost savings and value to their organisations and clients. Through time saving, real integrated marketing and total clarity of operations and impact evaluations, companies will be able to react quicker and more cost effectively than ever before.
The impact this will have on marketers will be dramatic with them having to not only understand how these pieces (or piece) of software help a client but also having to work within the tools and processes to deliver even higher returns for their clients. Sure there will be business that can create a good profit by simply understanding how to use Facebook or twitter and helping those that don’t, however in my opinion things are moving so fast that you never know which app is going to win and be around for years and which isn’t. Equally you never know if even one of these giants will be around for the next ten years. Look at Nokia, everyone thought that they were untouchable however they are suffering greatly to Samsung!
So what of the future? Well for me we will be seeing more and more and faster and faster turnarounds of companies offering highly flexible and useful tools to use online which will mean that to pin you hat on anything could be dangerous. The future also depends on what size client you are or wish to work with. Marketing companies that work with medium to large organisations will have to help clients understand the value and use of online platforms. They will be required to understand how apps/social media bolts into the clients platform and also have to keep an eye on new developing technology. In effect they will need to be as literate with technology and its benefits as they are with marketing and those skill sets. Working with smaller companies will mean a clear understanding of how to use and abuse the world of social media, how to unlock technology on a smaller scale and how to integrate campaigns further. It will also require companies to strategically move a client forward as much from a technology perspective as a marketing one.
Either way Technology is here to stay and in my opinion it will become more and more part of marketing discussions around the boardroom table.
