This is the second installment regarding posts that are inspired by the Art of Marketing Conference that I went to in Calgary on June 14th. After attending I'm convinced that the function of marketing is indeed going through a revolution in the Western World. Rather than post some of the general highlights I thought it would be best to frame my key takeaways as they relate to digital marketing, specifically. Today's post is inspired by the presentation given by Mitch Joel who is considered one of Canada's leading authorities regarding digital marketing.
Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Everyone To Your Business. - Mitch Joel
It was great to hear a presentation from a Canadian who is regarded as a worldwide thought leader regarding digital marketing. In true Canadian fashion, Mitch Joel delivered a message that was both humble yet powerful and emphasized the need to make personal connections. In a nutshell, his message was about quality over quantity and that digital marketing should be considered as "with" and not "instead of" traditional methods.
Digital marketing is not what it once was - Since 2007 banner clicks have declined 50%! Those that click on banners only account for 8% of web users. With social media going mainstream the nature in which people utilize the web has shifted considerably. We no longer use the web passively; it has become a personal communication channel where companies don't control what their brand is, Google does. In fact 70% of web activity starts at a search engine - Research and Social Media are the two most prominent activities conducted on the web. If you can't be found online you don't exist.
It is important that you are integrating the digital channel into your overall efforts so that you don't end up fading away. There is no reason to be scared since the benefits far outweigh the costs - A study by BizarreRate found that of the companies who provided customers the ability to review things online that the average score was 4.3 out of 5! Yelp, a popular review site, has reviews that are 80% positive. If you have a good product or service then allow people to rate, comment, and provide feedback about it. Granted, you will get some bad reviews but at least you'll have a chance to reply or offer a solution. In addition, Mitch Joel pointed out that websites that contain negative reviews are actually trusted more than those that only have positive reviews! It shows transparency and authenticity which are things people respect.
Many companies are afraid to put themselves out there and the degree to which they do depends on their goals and audience. Traditional methods of marketing are still going to persist since many will remain to be effective. The key is to understand how you can integrate digital practices to help augment your existing operations. Digital and traditional are not mutually exclusive. The thing that companies need to remember is that business is still all about relationships and the genuine connections it has. It's not about how many Twitter followers or Facebook fans you have but rather who they are and what your level of engagement is with them. If you have a solid number of good relationships then they're likely to provide you more benefit than a bunch of acquaintances.
There are three certainties in life - taxes, death, and eventually everything will be on the web. Customers have always had a voice it's just that the web amplifies them but it also amplifies your brands voice, too. Spice things up and add some digital to the mix.
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