You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know, So Who is Going to Teach You?
Marketing and technology are merging at a ferocious pace, which makes it harder than ever to get your business message out.
It used to be easy. In the old days, you could buy radio, television and print advertising. You trusted the media sales rep, saw what you got on the medium, and hoped you would make sales. Call it pay and pray.
When these mediums were exclusive channels to your market, chances were high that you could get a reasonable return.
These days it has changed. The internet and the mobile phone mean that choice is abundant and the digital world rules the roost. Even if people are watching TV, they are doing it with a phone in hand. If they are reading newspapers, it’s a flick through at best. With the phone in the car, do commercials on radio stations even get a look in?
54% of consumers believe that it is easier to find information on mobile-optimized sites. (ExactTarget, 2014 Mobile Behavior Report)
Digital marketing means technology, and technology means the world of super geeks.
There’s a fast changing, 24/7 marketing (r)evolution going on all day, everyday, globally.
Technology has taken over marketing, which means, to get in front of your market, you need to harness and understand digital marketing and use it to your advantage.
But where do you start?
Social media is a skill, web design is a challenge, blogging, content marketing, digital remarketing, inbound, outbound, CRM, CMS, PHP and every other thing in between present ever growing challenges to the modern marketing manager or business owner.
It’s a busy world of evolution. Take a quick quiz to see where you stand…
Is it okay to stick your head in the sand?
Yes, but you better have a good outsourced marketing consulting firm to assist.
Is it okay to ignore the digital revolution?
Yes, but you better have a big budget, a well-established brand and a product that is in monopoly.
Is it okay to sit on your laurels about what you know, without understanding more about the tech revolution?
Yes, if you are within 1–2 years of retirement.
Technology and marketing merging is not going away, they are becoming one.
If you answer no to any of the above, then you have recognised the need to enhance your understanding of digital marketing. But where do you start?
Here are five free tools to help you understand more.
1) The Sales Lion — Marcus Sheridan — Website
Marcus Sheridan is a market leader in getting businesses to focus on their customers and their clients problems. The Sales Lion website is a cracking website filled with fantastic ideas on marketing, all free. He is a market leader in content marketing, and an extraordinary public speaker. So much to learn here.
2) Content Inc — Joe Pullizi — Podcast
A fast 5-minute podcast everyday that is not just about great content creation, which it is, but also clear ideas on how to improve your business. Perfect for that last 5-minutes of the commute.