I recently presented this topic to my colleagues at the Oakville Networking group, and they found it very informative and helpful, so I thought I would repurpose it and share it with you – not to mention it’s a long overdue blog post for us at Sydcam! Here is Part 1 of a two part series on this topic.
The Customer is King
So what has changed so much in marketing to make it such a historically different playing field? Simply, the consumer has evolved into a position of power, if not even control because of many of the developments in the last 10+ years. The era of the internet has provided consumers with something they never had before – easy access to a plethora of information on virtually every topic under the sun.
From product information to customer feedback and ratings on products and services to direct feedback loops via social media to retailers and manufacturers etc., the consumer has real influence over the marketplace and the products and services offered to them for consumption.
Being “Social” is more than Social Media
Many who read this blog’s title may assume that I was just going to talk strictly about social media and its influence on marketers. Wrong! While social media is an integral part of the many ‘social’ changes affecting society today, it isn’t the only one.
Being social touches on social media but goes much farther. In general, it influences marketers' ability to actively engage with their customers, to add value to this relationship on a regular basis and to broaden the reach of their marketing and communications messages – both on social networking platforms along with other mediums.
Use this engagement to learn more about your customers, and what they need or want from you. Encourage them to collaborate with you to build better products and services, and to share any ideas and unfulfilled wants they might have. You’ll build brand awareness, customer loyalty and a whole lot more!
Part 2 of this blog post will follow shortly in February, so stay tuned!
 "Pin It")
