That title might be slightly inaccurate, as it really should say DEATH to cable.
I cut cable TV out of my life about a year and a half ago. It is all Internet for me. Admittedly, it has driven my chicken wing and alcoholic beverage consumption up because I have to go to the local sports bar to catch a game, but I’m not complaining.
I’m not writing this article to talk about my experiences in relying solely on the Internet to deliver anything and everything to my TV – you can catch that here. I’m writing about how the TV was my last connection to the 3 big boys of traditional local marketing (Newspaper, Radio, Television).
Yes, I agree with you, I am a bit ahead of the norm.
As more and more people shy away from our marketing comfort zones how are we to get our messages out going forward? Sure, there is PPC, SEO, billboards, display ads and all that jank. But what we should really be talking about is a revolution in marketing. This is a revolution that is going to rip advertising to its core. It isn’t about shifting mediums; it is about a complete and utter shift in delivery. And guess who isn’t in control anymore: you the marketer.
Today’s marketing is about Push. Tomorrow’s marketing is about Pull.
Today we push our message to a broad group of people as far as we can reach. It doesn’t matter what media it is, we are simply trying to get as many eyeballs on our message as possible. That has been the basic way marketing has been practiced ever since we were able to purchase ads.
Consumers are shying away from this method. Supply is plentiful, deals are only a few clicks away, and your loud voice is just an annoying interruption.
Tomorrow’s advertising will be more about public relations than what we call marketing. It will be based on your deeds. It will be based on your image; your brand, and it will be shaped by your customers. We’re starting to see the power of consumer reviews. For car dealers, the power of reviews is still in its infancy. For restaurants, it is full bore.
But there is another piece we can’t see. It is a piece that lives behind privacy and topples governments. It is social media and it is mostly Facebook. For the first time individuals can quickly and easily rely on a lot of their friends to help them make purchase decisions. These aren’t just decisions about cars. Your friends are asking for advice on virtually everything. Think of some of the questions as practice for when they really start looking for suggestions that have massive impact on the way local businesses are viewed. If you’re on Facebook, you’ve seen your friends ask for advice. I see it every time I view my news feed. People flock to the most influential; the one with the most “klout” on that particular topic. This is the person you’re going to see marketers flock to as well.
It is just the beginning. Be cognizant of it. As marketers, understand this is going to reshape the messages we send. Don’t be the next Middle Eastern dictator.
P.S. Have you ever noticed how DealerRefresh has had some major impact on various automotive vendors?
