“The aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous…[it is] to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him and sells itself.” – Peter Drucker
An interesting exchange occurred this week on David Meerman Scott’s WebInkNow blog. In a post, David mentioned how lucky we are to live in a time where technology has made it so easy for businesses to reach their customers, negating the need for enormous budgets. Here is David’s post.
In the discussion that followed, one visitor commented that the new social media tools, enabled by technology, have made marketing and strategy redundant. They asserted that it’s now just about tweeting, a facebook fan page and a monthly press release. Here is David’s response: Marketing and PR must start with strategy
Strategy is still crucial and the marketing fundamentals remain the same
Whilst technology affords us seemingly magical access to information and renders exciting possibilities, it hasn’t altered the marketing fundamentals.
It is still paramount for every business to understand its market, customers and brand; and strategise accordingly.
Shaping products and services to suit customer needs, providing these products and services in a unique and more compelling way than competitors, and communicating with messages and via channels that are most suitable for their target audiences – remain integral to all marketing efforts.
Social media are simply channels through which businesses can connect with their customers, if indeed customers are using these platforms.
Whether or not to use social media is a consideration after the fundamentals have been addressed – and therefore social media forms just one small part of the marketing story.
Technology has created many exciting opportunities for businesses, none moreso than enabling them to connect more easily with customers.
Technology however hasn’t eliminated the need for sound marketing strategy. Businesses will always need to understand their customers first and strategise accordingly.
So, understand your market and customers first. Don’t ditch the marketing strategy!
How are your customers using technology? Have you aligned your marketing strategy with your customers’ behaviour?
Do you have a marketing issue or question you’d like to discuss? Please contact us. We’d love to hear from you.
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