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Four New Rules of Marketing

The essential aspects of drawing people to your company are outlined with these four new rules of marketing. They represent the foundation of what marketing itself has become in the modern age. Many in marketing tend to instinctually believe that if you want to market effectively, you have to interrupt people’s lives with “pay attention to me” tactics. This is not the case, as so called “attention-grabbing” ads are rarely effective in practice any more. There are new rules of marketing. With the changes brought about by technology and the internet, these rules will only become more important as time goes on.

Get Found In People’s Research

Because of the internet and it’s power, people want to research and find out information about companies on their own. They make determinations based on this research, and reach out to companies when they are ready. In this research, people want to see how well your company matches their personal values, and they want to see how your company can benefit their lives. They are looking for a connection to your company through their research, and if that connection is to be effective, it should happen naturally.

A natural connection is the opposite of what marketing has been for so many years. The idea of “let’s just have a great marketing message and people will buy from us because we’re fantastic” does not carry the weight that it used to in the 20th century.  Each year, more and more people are doing research in order to find products that will meet their personal inclinations.  People want to do business because it is a decision they made, not a decision you made.

People Want to be Loyal to a Brand

There are countless brands and products in the world of commerce, and choosing amongst all these options can be overwhelming. Because of this, people want to be loyal to a brand more than ever. In the last 20 to 30 years, options for products have intensified so much that even the simplest products have dozens and dozens of variations. Even one product line will have dozens of variations. Users tend to decide that they like your product through research, and then they stick with it.  Once this happens, as they expand through products and services, they will tend to pick your line first, whatever it might be.

Keep it Simple

After finding your products or services amongst an ocean of options in their research, people want their relationship with your business to be simple. If your business is too complex for your market to understand, or if you make things complex once people decide to engage with you, your relationships with clients and consumers will deteriorate quickly.  So make things simple or lose prospects. Understanding the key needs of your online target market is an essential part of keeping your business simple. Once you have identified these needs, they need to be on your website – not all at once however, and not all on the same page. If you try to work with more than three consumer needs on one page, people will get overwhelmed. The most successful websites are able to disperse the needs of their clientele throughout the website.  Take Google, for example.  Google might be the simplest website on the planet, yet it is the most popular website on the planet. That’s not by accident. Straightforward and simple websites get excellent results.

Go Mobile With Screen Size

People want to be able to access your information on screens that range in size from the devices that fit in palm of the hand to 100-ft projector screens.  All of these sizes need to be compatible with a mobile environment.  People are often using the internet while on the go; right now the search traffic trends and the website trends are exceeding 50% of use on mobile devices. Yet most websites are not really ready for mobile use.  The small size of mobile devices discourages businesses from practical mobile site design. Converting to mobile is not the easiest business decision.  However, the benefits are always worth it because the mobile internet is becoming more and more important each year.

Your New Marketing Action Plan

These rules are turning marketing on it’s head.  Opposite of each of these rules is what used to apply, and now, thanks to the internet, we have to focus on these four rules.  Given that, here are some action items for you:

  1. Develop a list of the problems that you solve and the benefits that you give to your target market. Use that list to make a content schedule that answers and address each of the items. Start publishing this content on your website. This is the best way to get found in research.
  2. Make sure that you stay in touch with anyone who connects with you online through any kind of mobile conversion point (such as social media, email newsletter signups, direct purchase or inquiries). Stay in touch with these people because they are going to be loyal to you over time.
  3. Focus on three things at a time. On the homepage of your website, focus on three key areas. In your email marketing, focus on three key areas. Never do more than three major topics at a time. This will help keep things simple in your messaging.
  4. Be a mobile conversion leader. Find ways to simplify the mobile experience for your users, and keep it simple for people to contact you from a mobile device.

Follow these rules and you are well on your way to being in charge of your marketing success in the digital age!

Thomas Young

Thomas Young is the CEO and Founder of Intuitive Websites. He is a consultant, award winning Vistage speaker and author of “Winning the Website War” and “Sales and Marketing Alignment.” Tom has helped thousands of companies succeed online and has over 25 years digital marketing experience.