Thanks to the internet we've seen marketing change at rates not seen since the introduction of television.  The internet is now the #1 research source for consumers looking to purchase a product or service.  The internet has changed the way businesses interact with their customers and prospects.  You may have saw this coming 15 years ago and probably saw it 10 years ago.  If you haven't seen it by now then you need to catch up... NOW!  Below you'll find a few examples of how the internet has changed marketing:

Consumer Education

Although the internet started as an educational tool it is now widely regarded as a commerce platform.  That said, your customers and prospects will use the internet to do a great deal of research before making a buying decision.  It is easy for them to check on your reputation, compare benefits and pricing, and the reliability of the products they want to buy, just to name a few.  Often these actions will precede ANY buying decision.   Some customers will buy online and others will come into your store to complete the purchase.  As a business owner it is important to make the information the customer is seeking easy to find and easy to understand.  The customer now expects you to have this type of information available.

Customer-Initiated Interaction

 Previous marketing efforts left the company in control to interact with the consumer through advertising.  Now, however, the internet has empowered consumers with the ability to initiate contact with virtually any company they wish.  They can easily check out a website, a fan page, or submit a question through a form.  Because the internet is always on, the consumer can get this information any day at any time.  If you're not on top of your game then your customer will notice and likely go elsewhere.  These interactions are important because the customer is drawing a conclusion by he sees (or doesn't see).  Do you show up in the search engines?  Does your website look up-to-date?  Do you give the customer resources he can use?  These are all important questions to answer because it means the difference between a sale for you or a sale for your competitor.

Paralysis by Analysis

Most consumers crave information and, as we've discussed, the internet has more than we could ever digest.  However, most consumers become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information This is important for two reasons.  First - it is imperative that you provide the most important details of your product or service:  pricing, benefits, usage instructions, awards, industry distinctions... you get the idea.  Second - you want to make this information easy to find and easy to understand.  You want to control and shape as much of the message as possible so your prospect will find what he needs right away.  Remember - there are lots of places for the consumer to find information so if you have an inferior product or poor customer service there is a good chance someone has talked about that.  There is no substitute for providing a quality product with exceptional service.

Good News Travels Fast, Bad News Leaves Lightening in its Dust

Before the internet it was possible for a company to succeed with inferior products, services, and customer care as long as they had a large enough marketing budget.  While you still find those kinds of companies they are increasingly rare.  The internet puts the consumer in his own driver's seat in communicating his experiences with your company.  It used to be a company could handle a few dissatisfied customers because he had a limited sphere of influence.  However that couldn't be farther from the truth today.  Blogs, review sites, and the ease of word-of-mouth information through outlets like Facebook and Twitter mean that your customer service must be exceptional or a lot of people are going to hear about it very quickly.  Social media allows you to engage dissatisfied customers to make things right before they spin out of control.  Additionally they give you a way to monitor your brand to see what others are saying so you can respond appropriately.

Increased Customer Input in Product Selection and Offerings

It wasn't that long ago when traditional marketing departments would develop a few prototypes, get customer feedback, make the appropriate changes and then do an official product launch.  Marketers, and especially manufacturers, may look back on that time as "the good ole' days".  The internet has made it easy for people to customize the products they want to buy, choose their desired shipping option, and even what price they're willing to pay.  Personalized service and personalized service is becoming the norm in the online marketplace. 

Instant Customer Feedback

So much of marketing is testing and tweaking, testing and tweaking.  The internet gives marketers access to millions of beta-testers and nearly instant feedback.  It used to take several weeks to set up a focus group, get their feedback, and make the changes.  You'd even see marketing departs run one ad in one city and another ad in a different city to see which one worked best.  While this provided valuable information it also took a lot of time.  With the boom in the number of websites marketers can now simultaneously test a multitude of variables withing a few days to a few weeks.  Do you want to know if you make more money when priced at $19.95 as opposed to $24.95?  Or if the ad with the family works better than the ad with the scenic vista?  Multi-variable testing makes finding out the answer to these questions easy.  However, the biggest benefit to the business owner is that once a clear winner is found changes can be very quickly.  And once those changes are made you'll start to see profits increase.

As the amount of information grows and as new competitors enter the marketplace it is more important then ever for business owners to have a website that illicts trust, an online marketing program that builds the brand, and a customer interaction program that develops loyalty.  Flintys, by Amnet, can do that for you.  Call us today to find out more:  719-442-6683.