This is Not Your Mother's Market
Marketing in the New World
Social Media, digital marketing, websites, videos, and integrated content—they all give us the tools we need to create powerful relationships through marketing stories. But before we jump into using these communication mechanisms, let's discuss a few new premises in today's digital marketing world. You can't use "the way we've always done it" in the new world and be successful.
Here are a few key tips to gain credibility and retain your audiences:
Be truthful. Making false promises, creating fake success stories and all the other bogus claims won't get your business ahead. It will sink your opportunities. Today's audiences are too smart and too well informed to fall for that fake crap. Stop it. Tell the truth, honestly. If you don't have the value to tell the truth, then go back to the drawing board and find it.
Enough with the hyped up messages. People are just plain overloaded with hype and SPAM. It's the bane of social media and the backlash is becoming significant for those who continue to play that same old game. Hype marketing has gone the way of the Dodo bird. You push your audiences away with big flashy claims. That's especially true with interactive social media as well as your blogs and e-communications. Inform and advise. Leave the hype to that oft lambasted used car salesman.
Be yourself, warts and all. We are programmed to think we have to show perfection for our products, services, leaders and our company. That couldn't be farther from the truth. We all know that none of us are perfect—our businesses aren't perfect and neither are our products and services. So many business disasters could be avoided—after the incident happens—if we simply told the truth about our flaws. Open the kimono and be real. That's whom your audiences want to know—the real people and culture behind the company image. People trust the company that is 100 percent open, above board, honest and, well, slightly imperfect.
Customers want to trust you before they buy from you. So be the real people they can trust. Let them see who you really are. That's the best way to build relationships.
