It was a hook to sign up and read more, I didn’t, but it got me thinking about things I have noticed lately in online marketing...and this is my take on their five points.
1. Massive data collection across multiple touch points becomes standard (Bear with me, I’ll explain.)
Last night I was trying to find out my Google+ address to link it to my website. I knew my Facebook one is /LucyLavers, as is my Twitter address, but what was my Google+ address? If I wanted www.google.com/+LucyLavers they wanted my mobile number, and then to verify it.
Google now know what I do on the Internet; what I search for, what social media I use, they have my email address, my mailing address through Google places and a connected and verified mobile number; they have verified multiple touch points to gather data on all I do, research, share and spend on.
2. Marketers get a firmer grip on data they manage
I am working with a client and starting the process of moving years of invoices onto a simple Excel database so they can access data about their clients easily, to communicate with them more effectively; names, dates, addresses, email address, customers that live in Oxford, Witney and so on.
Looking at this data I am working with, it would be great to really use it, get a grip on it, and get a grip on collecting it. If you're a pub you don't want to promote your steak night to your vegetarian clients; if you clean your carpets, why don't you make a note of your customers with dogs?
The age of social media means customers want relationships with brands and companies, they want to know you better and to feel special. The only way companies can do that is to take a really good look at the data they collect on clients, and how that data can be utilised for more effective messaging.
3. Social media grows into big data
'Big Data' has been a buzz word for a while; big business using quantitative data and analysis to predict customers’ behaviour and attitudes, doing what small business have always been able to do, and that is personalise their service.
But now you can take 'data' from your social media channels to see what is working, who is sharing and to get to know your fans/customers better. Who is following you, liking you, retweeting, sharing, commenting? What else are they interested in, how can you engage with them? Using Facebook insights, Followerwonk, Google Analytics and other social media data tools, social media is now offering up 'big data' to anyone who wants to use it, small and big business alike.
4. Permission marketing becomes the norm
Permission marketing is the opposite to interruption marketing, so Wikipedia says, but this doesn't actually mean that companies are going to always expressly ask for permission to add you to email lists, but more and more they are asking for customers to opt in and sign up. They will also take 'implied' permission from a person searching the Internet for the product or service they provide.
To me this is the obvious evolution of personal/targeted marketing to people further along the buying decision, who have possibly expressed an interest in hearing more, rather than a general online campaign to thousands who may not be interested.
5. Programmatic marketing ends the age of generalisations
Programmatic marketing is already happening and is more than likely already happening to you.
..customers who liked this also liked......you still have two items waiting in your shopping cart....
You are on your computer and ads keeping popping up for items you were searching on Google for yesterday!! Programmatic marketing.
So yes, it will end generalisation. As cookies and algorithms track everything we search for, read, click through to, tweet, retweet, like, share, watch and write about, the marketing/advertising we will receive will be tailored exactly to our expressed interests.
A bad thing, or a good thing? I am not sure.
One thing I am sure of is marketing is getting smarter, and any business that wants to be successful with online marketing has to work out a way to really to get to know their customers.
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