Has Marketing 101 Changed?
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by mysocialgameplan.com
Marketing in the digital age has shifted from content to context. Up
until recently, many brands created the content that was used to
market their products. Consumers were expected to like their products
just because they looked cool or were hip. With the rise of social
networking with sites such as Facebook and Twitter, this started to
change. People began to express themselves online more and more.
Ultimately, this led to sharing their experiences online. Noticing this
trend, many brands immediately launched Facebook pages, this lead to
the shift from content to context marketing. Instead of creating
content, many brands Like Coke and Pepsi had their consumers create
content for their marketing campaigns. Customers would upload videos
of the products and they would like the brands Facebook pages.
Consumers have access to more information about products and
services than ever before so brands have to have a compelling
message.

I attended the Pivot Conference in New York City. This conference
examines marketing and the social consumer. One theme rang true
throughout the whole conference. This theme was that consumers own
the content that is created by brands. However, consumers alone and
brands alone do not create content. Instead content is co-created.
Today a brand is not just about selling and marketing products; it is
about creating experiences that both the consumers and brands create.
People engage with brands and vice versa.
However, although the tools of marketing may have changed, the
basics have not. When marketing products and services it is important
to do the following: Identify your target market, create a compelling
message that makes people want to buy your products and services,
engage your consumers, have your products and services tell a story
and promote your content using both traditional and digital platforms.
1 Identifying Your Target market
As I explained in my previous post, it is imperative to identify who is a
good fit for your offering. You need to make sure you are sending your
message to people who will be receptive to your products and services.
Depending on your industry, this may be heavily focused or very broad.
Consumer products tend to have a larger potential customer base than
other industries.
2 Creating a compelling message
People today are bombarded by marketing and advertising messages.
When we see pop up ads and banner advertising we tend to click off
them. The results of all this advertising whether it be a television ad or
billboard is a severely shortened attention span. As a result, a message
has to really compelling to make it through the filters. This objective
can be fulfilled by thinking like a copy-writer. You need to craft a
headline that will grab the reader’s attention immediately. This
headline could take the form of a though provoking question.

Something that will make the reader uneasy and have them think I
better act now to either gain a benefit or avoid losing one they care
about. Life insurance is marketed in this way.
3 Engaging consumers
It is important for brands to engage consumers. Now that brands
create experiences in our lives it is important for brands to stay
connected to their customers and fan bases. This could be achieved
through social media. Many brands use their Facebook page walls to
allow their fans to comment, share experiences, like their products and
to upload videos of their products being used.
4 Having your products tell a story
Many successful brands have their products tell a story. It is imperative
that your brand tells a story that its customers can relate to. The Old
Spice and Dos Equis campaigns are great examples of this. Earlier I
said the consumers own the marketing content created by a brand.
Now content is marketing in the context of a consumer’s life. Brands
call on their customers to help create the story of the brand though
the sharing of videos, thoughts and ideas.
5 Promoting your content using both digital and traditional platforms
The digital age is here. Social media is the marketing tool for the 21
century. It is tempting to focus all of our marketing and advertising
resources on digital media. However, when marketing products and
services a one size fits all approach does not work. Many people are on
Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites but many people
are not. As a result, marketers need to make sure these people are
included in their marketing messages and that these messages reach
people who are not on social networking sites. This is why using print,
television and radio ads are still important. In order to reach
everyone, brands still need to use traditional means to reach the
people who are still not connected and the ones who choose to

connect with them on digital platforms. One thing that television is
doing to stay relevant is using social media. Almost every show that is
on TV is using social media. Specifically they are using Twitter and
Facebook to connect with their audience. The stars of these shows have
Twitter and Facebook accounts. They tweet live with their fans during
and after the show. These shows use hash-tags. A hash-tag consists of a
numbers bracket and a word. This is used to create an index on topics
on Twitter.
These hash-tags allow fans of these shows to share thoughts and ideas
that will reach far beyond their followers. Facebook is also used by
television to allow their fans to comment, like and share ideas on their
favorite shows. Twitter and Facebook is even used by the TV news in
the manner I described above.
As you can see, the tools of marketing have changed but the basics
have not. It’s about engagement.