subject: The "Birth" of Customer 2.0 and the "Death" of Marketing [print this page] The "Birth" of Customer 2.0 and the "Death" of Marketing
The proliferation of information sources on the web has created a new breed of buyer: Customer 2.0. Customer 2.0 doesn't want to be sold to through traditional outbound sales and marketing channels, but rather expects to find the relevant information about the companies, products and people they are considering doing business with, through web-based research, as well as participation in customer-to-customer conversations. They want to be educated about their choices before making the decision to engage with any business.
"The elements of the marketing mix are not to be analyzed as a sequence of disparate efforts, instead they are highly interdependent campaigns that have to be monitored and optimized in relationship with each other."
The Plight of the Needle In An Ever-Larger Haystack
The same explosion in web-based information sources and conversations that have powered Customer 2.0 are unfortunately hampering many businesses' ability to cut through the clutter and rise above the noise. Given an ever more social and connected web, "being found" by the right buyers is getting trickier by the day, and requiring a much more scientific approach to marketing.
The Nirvana of Inbound Marketing
Enter Inbound Marketing. The objective of inbound marketing is creating buyers. Whether through Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, or relevant cross-linking, inbound marketing helps businesses by improving their website "findability" for qualified buyers. Inbound marketing also benefits the visitor with improved content relevancy and and links to other useful content.
Logic Path to Marketing Enlightenment
Logical approach brings clarity to businesses around how their websites are performing today and simplifies marketing efforts to help them reach their potential by attracting and engaging the highest possible volume of qualified visitors. Following eight essential steps to marketing optimization through Inbound Marketing efforts:
Identify and prioritize your most valuable search engine optimization and search engine marketing opportunities
Identify new keywords that are likely to drive additional qualified traffic
Optimize social marketing opportunities by determining social media sources that drive qualified website traffic
Improve qualified website traffic from referring URLs
Drive additional qualified traffic by identifying and recommending cross-link opportunities
Forecast traffic and conversions increases, based on optimization of inbound marketing channels
Optimize website findability through relevant content and linked resources
Leverage inbound marketing analytics to optimize outbound marketing efforts
