Marketing On A Shoesting. Yes ... It Can Be Done

More and more articles like the one linked below are popping up around the web ... tales of companies turning focus from advertising initiatives to engagement initiatives. For many agencies, this is downright frightening news and something that they'll probably not want to share openly with their clients.

But you can't stop progress. And despite those who want to keep the status quo, this is progress.

For the agencies and companies who embrace these changes - or even give a nod to the fact that there's a change in the air - the future will be fun and exciting. Like a lot of other businesses, the ad world as we know it will be significantly different in the coming years. And that, frankly, is the fun part. More than any time in the past, the changing ways that people consume information is creating extraordinary ways to create dialogues with consumers as opposed to shouting at them for attention.

But it's not simply about modifying your strategic approach. Agencies in particular must also realize that other parts of their businesses may need re-examining too, from staffing structures to client compensation plans. Although media will still have a place in the mix well into marketers' futures, we see more and more companies recognizing value in non-traditional areas and by tightening the processes surrounding the interest they've already generated in their product or service. In short, reaching the masses will be about diversification and an increased focus on more efficiently turning interest into a sale.

There is a lot of buzz around certain activities on the street now, most of it online. Much of it will remain buzz, but that's not the point. Should your company be on Twitter? Maybe, maybe not. But there's an advantage to simply participating. By doing so, a company or marketer is conditioning itself to be more nimble and broad-minded than others who ignore it. Although the payoffs may not be immediate, they'll definitely create an advantage in the future. Changing your view of what's possible will lead you to opportunities to find new and better ways to accomplish your goals.

Moving forward, capitalizing on even the smallest advantage is how companies will increase market share and keep spending in check at the same time.

Marketing on $700/Year: http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/direct/e3id3d058ba458918f0c3913b0b6f73ce88?pn=1