In the present we require a smaller segment of the market to want our products and services. Market communications are about influence, building consensus and developing followers. I can remember that as a younger person marketing was advertising; on TV, in the press and on road side bill boards. We still get this today and I’m sure it still in some way influences our thoughts and our purchasing habits.
But, today we more and more (certainly where I live and the people I know and socialise with) access markets through devices; smartphones, tablets, laptops and yes even in some cases desk tops. I use may TV and my smartphone the most to make purchases. I buy at all times of the day and all from the comfort of my own home. I dont need to get in may car, drive for an hour to a very large building stuffed full of shops, full of products I dont want only to wonder why I cant find anything I really want.
This is a pattern I’m sure repeated across the UK and other developed westerised nations. This is change and change must be managed and much more importantly change requires leadership.
Think about this, how many companies do you immediately think of when you want to buy some thing or service that were around 20 or 30 years ago? Not many, if any at all. Correct, the way we do things has changed and our organisations have to move with the change or better still our organisations have to reinvent themselves again and again and again…. or stop being what they are altogether.
How we communicate with our markets is all about how we lead our markets. We’re looking for followers not customers. We’re looking for people to like our social output not be satisfied with our product. We’re looking to be the go-to for whatever product or service we provide, the source of knowledge, the expert in the field not the best product. Our followers want an experience that they can talk about, that they can like, that gives them a sense of belonging.
This takes leadership. Leadership is Marketing, Marketing is Leadership. Its nolonger okay to just put together a list of products and services and tell the world loudly and proudly that we’re the best, nobody will listen and nobody will believe. Our followers want to connect and they want us to provide the reason and the space to connect in. This is Leadership and this is Marketing.
Philip
FINNA Project 