Looking back over only a few years, would you say your buying patterns have changed? I know mine have. My family’s have. My staff’s have. Parcels with customs stamps now arrive at our office from overseas pretty much every second day.
As a marketer, I’m fully aware that the new connected world is responsible for completely transforming today’s consumers’ buying decisions. Importantly for you, as a business owner, this raises the question “what plans do you have to keep your brand alive?”
As buyers’ motivations become more and more globally based, are you positioning your business to take advantage of this new insatiable search for information?
Today, consumers are being drawn into what I call the ‘upgrade culture’. Consumers don’t just act on their own or in small groups anymore. In the online world their awareness is being amplified by others, often leading them to behave as a mass movement, I think of it as social collectiveness.
What does this mean for your business? For those prepared to act, it offers new opportunities.
Firstly, we have to understand that decisions are now often driven by recency. In an ‘always on’ world, media and consumers are being swept up in a collective excitement that has for many become addictive.
We love it – being part of the latest trend has become a status symbol, we want the coolest stuff and find satisfaction in change, eagerly awaiting the new connections, tools and upgrades that provide that wired sense of being part of a tribe (thank-you, Seth).
Secondly, for many people buying has become associated with success, and increasingly that success is driven by hashtags and crowdsourcing. When a brand becomes a trending idea the associated authority fuels the need to buy.
Right now, your brand can grow or die on the collective judgment of hundreds, thousands or even millions, and what’s scary is this is happening in ever-shorter timeframes. It’s never been so easy to be successful so quickly – or to disappear from view so fast.
Thirdly, connection and connectedness now drive the reasons we buy. With the ability to find new ways to think about issues, debate ideas, find solutions and ignore or embrace data comes a new way of thinking and choosing.
So what can you do about it?
Undoubtedly content is the key; and quality, not quantity is the answer. Your business should demonstrate your expertise, your commitment, your passion and your leadership through video, blogs, epapers, reports and the like.
Message to all SME’s – Please, we really don’t need any more average content. Choose one inbound tactic and do it well. (tweet this)
To be successful, businesses must move through the fog of data and debate to position themselves as a thought leader. As humans we have always looked up to those who inspire, choosing them for what they say and what we learn from them. This is why Inbound Marketing is talked about so much today.
Rant over…
That brings me to my new ebook. Let me know if the The Ultimate Brand Survival Guide points you in the right direction.
We are living in a world that no longer faces a shortage of goods but a shortage of customers. What’s your plan?
About the author
Peter Engelhardt
Peter has a ridiculous amount of marketing and communications experience. He is an inbound marketing advocate and passionate about branding. Above all he is the driving force behind Creative Brew and a proud dad.
photo credit: Joriel “Joz” Jimenez via photopin cc
