Harnessing the Digital Possibilities
By Lee Leschper
Far too often in financial downturns, marketing and
advertising are the first victims of cost cutting. And for a very
short time, past goodwill can carry the business. But once
market share begins to erode, it costs many times more to
regain it. Because your smart competitor, who chose to get
aggressive while you cut costs, now owns a bigger chunk of
your pie.
Most of us have tried some
form of digital marketing, if only
because of its relatively low cost.
But it's far more than just changing ad horses.
There are important shifts in
your own marketing perspective
that are as critical as the shift in
tools to deliver your message.
Today we have access to incredible, almost magical and constantly evolving tools that help us target, deliver, measure and
refine our marketing campaigns.
But a million-dollar rifle with a two-bit aim still misses.
So when customers are more demanding and harder to
find, and competitors are relentless, how do you know whether your digital marketing is a Godsend or another distraction?
If you haven’t defined your potential new customers
down to their children’s sports or the political party they
support or the college they root for or the type of fishing gear
they prefer—you’ve got some work to do.
Yes, you can target your audience that precisely.
Not unlike fishing, instead of
casting a bait in a big water and
waiting for a fish to find you, we
can deliver the bait directly not
just to the fish’s mouth, but pick
the size, the kind, the income of
the fish we want and even decide
how many times today we put
the hook in its mouth. And with
every cast learn and improve our
Lee Leschper
ability to do so.
Digital is not easier. It’s more
work. As with all things in business, it comes down to smart
strategy, hard work and conti