Think back to the 1960s when consumers watched three TV channels and only a few brands could afford advertising. For the well-off brand owner, it was easy. He just made a loud, brand-focused ad and captured consumers’ attention.
It worked then so it should work now, right? Wrong, this type of advertising worked for a time but that time is a blip in the past. The world is a much different place and traditional advertising is ineffective.
Elaborate self-focused content doesn’t work anymore. Technology has changed the way consumers make purchases and interact with brands. Here are 6 reasons new technology killed traditional advertising:
1. Consumers Now Have More Resources
– They Don’t Simply Trust Brands
Your company probably can’t hire an entire team of people exactly like your target market. This means, your marketing team probably won’t all come from the same background and won’t necessarily have the same interests as your buyer.
Now the big question is: How do you expect your employees to persuade a consumer to spend his hard-earned money on your product? Why should a consumer listen to them if they aren’t peers?
Traditional advertisers used to play the expert. What they said about their brand was usually all the information consumers had. Now, consumers can easily access your brand’s information, consumer reviews, their friends social media posts, and all types of user-generated content with a simple Google search. They can read what you say about your product but also what people just like themselves think about your brand.
User-generated content is 50% more trusted than other types of media because people trust their peers. You should inspire your influencers to talk about your brand in order to effectively drive conversions.
2. Disruptive Advertising Is Too Much At Once
– Consumers Build Relationships With Brands Overtime
Instead of running drawn-out ad-heavy campaigns, marketers should build content with the goal of creating many, lightweight interactions overtime. You can’t assume a consumer is instantly interested in your brand.
You should build a relationship with your consumers like you would build a relationship with a new friend. Think about it, friendships aren’t built by bragging about what you have to offer and real friendships don’t form overnight. Instead, chat, connect with similar interests, and develop a relationship overtime.
It would be great if consumers had in-depth conversations about your brand but in reality they usually talk about it in passing. In order to break into this conversation, brands must create pieces of content that are worth mentioning.
Designing heavy, brand-focused content assumes people notice and care about your specific product. You should develop an always-on framework and create content that’s relevant to what’s happening in the world and what your consumers are interested in. This way, you can spark conversation and help build a relationship instead of diving straight into pitching your product.
3. Traditional Campaigns Are Temporary
– With Today’s Technology, Content Is Forever
In the past, ads would last as long as you paid for them to be printed or aired but technology has changed the lifespan of your marketing content.
The internet is forever. Whatever we post now (or back in college) is searchable and viewable. For brands, this means your blog post from 2008 or your branded video from 2006 is always accessible.
Unlike the alternating themes of ad campaigns in the past, today’s marketing needs consistency. If consumers search for your company and find content with different messaging, they might be confused. Don’t run a campaign for three months using a talking dog and then use a frog for your next campaign. Commit to your brand, message, and voice to ensure your consumers will remember your brand and have a similar experience no matter what year or month your company’s content was published.
4. Big Traditional Advertising Is About You
– Today’s Marketing is Focused On The Consumer
Back in the day, marketers could shove content at consumers because people had no choice. Today’s consumer knows every trick for avoiding your messaging. They have DVR, spam blockers, and caller IDs. You no longer have the power to blast one-way messages their way, now you must earn their permission.
Your marketing needs to be about your consumers and potential buyers, not you. You need to know what makes them tick, what interests them, and what inspires them. Once you gain their trust and see they want to know about you and your products then you can start to talk about yourself.
5. Outdated Advertising Is Broad
-Now, Marketing Is Personal
Advertising used to be about producing content for the masses. It wasn’t about speaking to people directly. Marketing teams had an idea of their audience, but they didn’t know (or care very much) about the specifics.
Today, we market to the individual. We include their first names in our email marketing, we follow what they click on and download, and we ask for their feedback.
Instead of setting a time and place for market research, we continuously get to know top influencers and consumers. We interact with them on a personal level and inspire them to engage with our content. To effectively identify your top influencers and engage with them, gather feedback, and find out more about them, you can invite them to a branded community.
6. Traditional Advertising Is Slow & Planned
– Today, Marketing is An Ongoing Conversation
In the past, you planned a big campaign, you launched it, and you sat back to watch as it overtook the airwaves and the print publications. Today, there is no such thing as turning off your marketing. You can’t throw content at people and walk away. They expect you to be there and they expect a response when they contact you or interact with your marketing content
Marketing is a commitment. Engaging with your audience and then disappearing just isn’t a good idea.
The Wrap-Up
We’ve come a long way. Technology keeps us moving forward and we’ve left traditional marketing far behind.
Although traditional advertising is dead, there are other methods to effectively capture people’s attention and gain their trust. Influence-based and community-oriented marketing can help you create authentic customer relationships and drive. Want to learn more? Request a demo and check out Mavrck’s influence marketing platform.
