Willow here.
For goodness sake – can we all stop talking about traditional versus digital marketing!
We have to accept that it’s all now just marketing albeit in a digital world.
Challenge #5 – Combining traditional and digital marketing
Let’s have a conversation about message and medium.
They are both separate but intertwined.
Marketing involves communicating with customers. In the world of disruption that we live in, I have long advocated the importance of disrupting customers – teaching them better ways of doing things. (This seems to work much better than “Roll Up, Roll Up – Willow’s Closing Down Sale – Everything Going Cheap!!!!!!!)
So that would be the message – “Are you aware that organisations like you who are doing things this way, are probably spending 15% more than you need to?”
But – and here’s the thing – if we yell this out on Instagram, and none of our customers are on Instagram – it doesn’t matter how important our message is, no one will hear it!
Solving the conundrum
So – as I’ve always said – when in doubt seek guidance from the customers.
This sounds basic – but you can work out the messages they want to hear by simply talking with them.
Don’t try and sell them something – simply ask 10 of them something like “What are the top 3 ICT challenges you’re trying to solve at the moment?” Every pain point is an opportunity – but across your sample you can produce a MESSAGE to teach all your customers how to do things better.
While you’re at it though – also ask them how they prefer to consume this sort of content ie what are their preferred MEDIUMS? Do they trawl through LinkedIn? Are they on Twitter? Do they prefer to attend live events? Do they value their account manager ringing them with advice?
Or – indeed – is it all of the above?
Running a traditional event in the digital world
I love running events.
It gives me a chance to show off – but that’s not the point right now!
At the end of the day….
All of this said – at the end of the day, if your message is poor – all you’re doing by amplifying it digitally is turning the market away.
Equally – if your teachings can save prospects heaps of money per year – but they can’t hear you, what’s the point?!
Help is at hand
Aria’s MESSAGE is that your success makes our success – and hence we’re here to help.
Contact us to see how we can work in partnership to combine TRADITIONAL and DIGITAL marketing for all our benefit.
Coming up
In the next edition, we’ll review Challenge #6 successfully productising services – and I’ll provide my usual commentary.