Not long ago, the world was dominated by analog marketing technologies like print media (newspapers, magazines, journals and mails). These were then overtaken by the broadcast technologies of radio and television, which remained dominant for decades but by the mid 1990s faced a powerful new usurper: The Internet. The abundance of internet-enabled digital technologies like personal computers, smartphones, and tables have led to shifts in the following categories, which we will expound upon in the following article:
- Marketing automation
- Market research
- Customer relationship management (CRM)
- Skill development
- Reorganization of marketing function
Big Change #1: Marketing Automation
Marketing automation uses powerful software that enables a prospect to receive customized and timely dynamic messages to suit their needs. Old technology only sent emails, social media messages and blog posts without tracking the impact of the marketing campaign tool on total revenue. Marketing automation has changed this, as leads generated can now be tracked from point of purchase to sharing with friends, return purchase, shared links and clicks, website checks. This enables a marketer to analyze the effectiveness of a marketing campaign and make quick, nimble calibrations to improve it.
Marketing automation enables a marketer to rate a prospect and to pre-determine a prospects database to save money and cost on having the prospects on board. It allows for growth of a customer with a brand through tracking messaging, deadlines, the need to deliver results and finally analyze the prospect whether he/she is stagnating, back tracking or advancing to adjust campaign for future automated personalized communication.
Big Change #2: Market Research
The current marketing technology trends have made research easy, fast and reliable. Social media usage has increased the area of research. Unlike the use of manual surveys, mass Email- which was filtered as spam, it provides real time feedback and the target market have a wider knowledge of brands. Brand management and reputation through customers feedback has greatly improved. New data collection software has widened retail business target market increasing the market share and provides businesses with tools that meet customer needs. Mobile communication technology uses data analysis to retain customers and long term loyalty through various value-added services.
Big Change #3: Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
The use of mobile technology has increased social media usage. This function allows direct interactive platform with brand management and other brand users. Information on the product is two-way, the brand management and the brand consumer. Automated marketing cloud technology has integrated old marketing channels with digital era technology to communicate to prospects. The increased use of applications, smartphones, laptops and tablets, permits marketers to communicate faster to prospects through CRM technology like Convertkit. It makes marketers to provide relevant solutions faster and probably meet the demanding needs of a prospect. Real time marketers have to customize their campaigns, display advertisements and e-commerce to connect with the target market. Marketers are challenged to incorporate creativity and technical aspect of marketing strategies to launch a marketing tool that meets a prospects needs. To enhance customer loyalty, business- consumer relationship has to be beyond expectations. There is no room for low quality products or broadcasts advertisements that just outlines the feature of a product rather the feedback from users gives the true picture of the brand.
Big Change #4: Skill Development
Digital marketing has increased relevance with direct focus on target groups offering specific content. To develop automated market software one needs these skills: mathematics for data collection, statistics for data analysis, computing to multi task various functions in the software. The skills are effective in delivery of timely reports for quick action; create marketing tool that reach the target population faster. Any marketing agency has to incorporate web developers, data experts, and social media professionals to speed communication and offer timely feedback, for example, the contact us interface need one-on-one interaction. All these professionals work in collaboration to create and develop a brand. These skills are essential in running the current technology-based marketing tools.
Big Change #5: Reorganization of the Marketing Function
The current trend in digital era, big brands have a higher budget in marketing. These brands outsource the best marketing agencies, e-commerce utilities and service providers in the globe with all the skills integrated in modern technology marketing to obtain effective technical experts to reach their target market. They use marketing tools. The outsourced agencies have a workable structure and a team to develop a marketing campaign, advertisements, affiliate marketing tools, which reach the market. The tools are customized to meet the competitive demand of chain partnerships.
Generally speaking, technology has made marketing effective and reliable. The success of marketing in the digital age depends on innovation and creativity of marketing tool developers. Competition among marketing software providers has made marketing tools affordable with multiple functions. MailChimp has enjoyed great customer experience until Convertkit was developed with value added functions. The widespread use of computers and android powered smartphones and tablets allows access to all marketing tools at the fingertips. Analogue marketing agencies have had to re organize their structures to meet the emerging trends of multiple functionality automated marketing tools within a constrained budget. For example, brands have had to create the position of a social media marker to answer to queries and get feedback from consumers. Digital marketing meet a wider market with personalized Emails, the marketing automation provides feedback on the success or failure of a marketing campaign to allow quick action to correct or enhance a specific marketing campaign. For example, a major marketing launch event taking place in a city in the United States of America can be streamed live in Africa through the internet. Technology has made the world a global village.
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