I love marketing (obviously). To me, it is the most dynamic aspect of being in business. Just look at the rapid changes we have made globally in the past 45 years since the delivery of the first email in 1971. Twenty years later the world went “social” with LinkedIn and Myspace and Facebook born in 2002, 2003 and 2004 respectively, and YouTube and Twitter not far behind in 2005 and 2006. (Pinterest in 2009 and Instagram in 2010) And let us not forget the many other social platforms although this article would be 10 pages long. Since then social media has grown at an exponential rate with new platforms constantly being created and with it new methods and means of marketing.
Life has become a constant stream of status updates, photos and tweets. Social media has become a form of constant communication, a way we talk to each other and touch base with each other’s lives.
This phenomenon of online communication is undeniable, and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t understand the basis of most social network sites. How often, this week alone, have you caught yourself with the phrase “I saw that on… (insert your preferred social media site here)?”.
In the same short few years, businesses have shied away from traditional forms of marketing – such as flyers and newspaper ads, to more interactive and virtual forms online. Even in online marketing, selling and promoting products, services and brands can take on many shapes and forms, all of which is determined by your target media and social platform of choice.
It is due to this constant ongoing communication that businesses need to be aware that social media marketing isn’t a box merely to be checked-off or a campaign to be launched and forgotten. It’s about thinking differently about your marketing, customer service and your entire business. That is the exciting aspect of marketing: it is constantly happening whether you and your brand are involved or not. Wouldn’t you rather be involved, steering the conversation and honing your target market?
Social media makes it possible for you to have more meaningful interactions with your target market without appearing intrusive. Once you have developed the art of marketing through targeted, relevant, shareable and valuable content, then converting them into customers, you have a customer base that will come back again and again. People share, read and generally engage more with any type of content when it’s surfaced through friends and people they know and trust.
Marketing is now moving toward more meaningful interactions between customers and brands where they can voice their opinions in a communal “Social” setting. People love being involved in discussions; it is an effective way of gaining their trust. You become believable, trustworthy and a business they can go to when they need the “right” answers. The future of marketing is no longer about making the sale, it is about bridging the gap between your brand and your customers, and creating relationships that will last beyond the next “new” social platform.
This sharing and engaging creates a more dynamic, interactive form of Marketing. With interactive video marketing and mobile internet usage on the rise, the future of marketing is constantly developing and changing. It is the merging with business technology that makes marketing such an exciting aspect of business to be in and truly the reason why I love Marketing.
The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the ownership or management of Chadds Ford Live. We welcome opposing viewpoints. Readers may comment in the comments section or they may submit a Letter to the Editor to: editor@chaddsfordlive.com
About Maria Novak Dugan
Maria L. Novak Dugan is president of Marketing Solutions & Business Development, a firm serving Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, offering creative marketing services and goal implementation for small businesses. She has more than 30 years’ experience in the Marketing & Sales Industry ... 13 of those as the sole sales representative for a Pennsylvania payroll company growing their client base by over 500%. Maria Novak Dugan is also the former Managing Director of the Delaware Chapter of eWomenNetwork. Creating, developing, and conducting this division of a national organization strengthened her knowledge of networking, event planning, fundraising, and small-business development. For more information, contact Maria at 610-405-0633 or Maria@Maria-L-Novak.com or visit www.Maria-L-Novak.com
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