How to Market In Today's World

Marketing to consumers and businesses in today's economy

---

The world is full of commercials.  TV, billboards, social media, and everything else in this world that gets attention has been saturated from marketers.  As this kind of marketing continues to grow, consumers find newer ways to block it out. 

Let's take a look at your own personal behavior;  
Imagine yourself laying in bed watching your 100% favorite movie on cable television.  Suddenly, the screen goes dark and a commercial begins to play.  
Do you:
A) watch the television intently and take in all the commercials
B) change the channel to another show that you like and wait for commercials to end
C) grab your phone from your lap and begin to cruise through your Facebook or Instagram feed?

In truth, this is an easy answer for every single one of you that is reading this right now.  The problem is that even though we react to advertisements this way, we continue to pursue marketing leads as if we are the only ones!  STOP IT!

Times have changed

The solution to our problem in THIS world revolves around doing more for our consumers to be noticed.  We have to provide true, honest value up front and we have to do it with no expectations.  That means your actions need to be genuine and meant to assist another instead of giving and expecting an instant return on your investment.  Seriously take a moment to let that sink in.  

Bottom line; You want success, you need to open your mind to the prospect of being a good person rather than another salesman.  Set yourself apart from all the others doing the exact same thing you are just because it worked in the past.  

Let's talk about Social Media

---

Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are the new television

So you have a social media account for your business.  That's great!  But do you manage it like a commercial?  This is one area where people make THE BIGGEST mistakes.  They get their social media accounts and instantly start posting advertisements.  "Come see our low prices," they say.  "Sale on this, price drop on that."  Maybe throw in a nice picture to really set it off.  Now, why doesn't that get any notice from people?  

Be the Sitcom, not the Commercials

Go ahead and think about your own habits for a minute.  If you're a regular user of social media, then this will really key you in.  How many advertisements do you stop and examine while scrolling through Facebook or Instagram?  How many do you skip over?  
Maybe you aren't a social media person so let's look at it a little differently.  In the evening, while you're watching TV, how excited are you to see the commercials in between the segments of your favorite show?  Do you wait with serious anticipation to see the next ad for Walmart or a new prescription medicine to ask your doctor about? 

The answer is that no one likes the commercials on any platform.  If possible, we skip them and move right along.  If this is how you are in your personal life, why would your customers and clients be the complete opposite?    That is the defining factor here!!

Key takeaway points

Your audience is human, just like you.  Also just like you, they have wants, needs, and preferences that play a major part in their daily decisions.  Think about that next time you go to post on social media for your business as well as next time you come face to face with a customer.  They'll appreciate it even if they don't buy, but even more important, they will remember you when they are ready or when their friends ask.