The new customer is elusive; cat like. You can’t trap them. You can’t trick them. In the online, socially connected world, the best means of attraction is to tag and track the customer, leaving multiple tasty treats across many platforms to lure them when they go searching for food…well…products.
The days of expensive, broadcast marketing trumping all else are gone. The current customer wants to feel in control. They want what they want, when they want it, and they want to feel confident of the product’s quality through reviews and endorsements from friends.
The business landscape has also changed a lot. To succeed now, the mandatory, minimum requirements are:
- A killer website: One which perfectly reflects your brand, is highly credible, has a clear proposition and is fully responsive.
- SEO dominance: You need a clear strategy around the keywords you’re targeting, then a comprehensive dissemination of these terms across the full text hierarchy on your site.
- External Inbound Drivers: You need SEO dominance when people search for your product or service. On top of this, you need a good range of credible inbound channels. Channels like social media are a minimum. To trump your competition, you also need a YouTube channel, with some basic product explainer videos, plus links from external review sites, directories, referral entities and credible industry associations.
All of this might seem a little overwhelming, but today it can be achieved very cost effectively. Once the right tools are in place, you can do most of the ongoing maintenance yourself. Most importantly, it’s nowhere near as difficult or expensive as the previous broadcast marketing models used to be. The playing field is a lot more democratic now. With a great product or service, the right strategy in place and ongoing work, you can play with the big boys too.
