How Did Technology Impact Marketing?
Technology has always been a key part of marketing strategies. From the invention of the newspaper to the advent of the internet, marketers have sought out new technology to help bring consumers closer to their products and services. In the past couple of decades, technology has soared and brought us countless marketing tools with limitless potential. Here are some of the ways modern technology revolutionised marketing.
Direct marketing
One of the great benefits of modern marketing technology is the fact that it allows us to create more effective targeted advertisements. With the help of extensive databases and marketing algorithms, we can market to individuals instead of just targeting large groups of people with similar interests. While the latter method is also effective, getting to individuals can be an enormous boon to marketing efforts.
Permission marketing is one of the many tools we use to collect and utilise data for direct marketing. Tracking and targeting individual users isn’t something we can do manually, but with the tools at our disposal, ads can become incredibly personalised. The convenience is unparalleled for both marketers and customers. After all, it’s hard to beat ads that show you exactly what you need at any given moment.
Consumer research
The way that consumers purchase products has changed drastically in the last few years. They now have all the information in the world when it comes to products and the companies that produce them. Getting as much information as possible allows them to make better judgement calls when it comes to purchases. Whether or not they support a company and its manufacturing or environmental philosophies can have an impact on their purchase.
With this in mind, consumers will do a lot of research before they purchase a product or service. Not only does this allow them to choose the best possible product to suit their needs, but they can also make sure that they aren’t supporting a cause that goes against their beliefs. As a result, companies go out of their way to provide as much information as possible on their websites. This speeds up the process and allows consumers to get all of the relevant information they need in one place.
Ad blindness
It’s no secret that ads are everywhere. From the moment you open your eyes in the morning to the moment you close them in the evening, you’ll likely encounter thousands of ads in many different forms. After a while, consumers tend to go numb from all the marketing around them, and it stops being as effective.
Businesses need to adapt to create more eye-catching and impactful ads to offset this change. There are too many generic ads out there, and creating more of them won’t make your marketing strategy more effective. Getting creative and making more subtle ads could be just the thing companies need to combat ad blindness, but these aren’t easy goals to achieve. Being tasteful and eye-catching at the same time is a tough challenge, but marketers that can use technology to step up to the task can expect to see wonderful results.
Marketing channels
Marketing has evolved quite a bit in the information age. Instead of focusing on competitive advertising, it now places extra emphasis on the collection and processing of user data. With new tech, market research is easier than ever, and there are hundreds of different ways to understand consumers and industry trends.
It’s worth noting that we still use a wide variety of marketing channels to appeal to consumers. Instead of phasing everything out and making way for digital methods, we can use research to refine existing ones to get better results. Companies still use flyers and banners in their ad strategies—But they make them more effective. During a fair or exhibition, having a portable media wall or line of banners is still essential. While digital technology is progressing, basic marketing channels and methods remain key for ad strategies.
Social media
Social media has become one of the most impactful technological advances in recent history. Its unparalleled ability to connect people across the world has its benefits, but nowhere is this more apparent than in marketing. If you want to reach your target demographics and advertise to them effectively, social media is the way.
The potential for marketing in social media can’t be overstated. Even after years of progress in this field, there are still more ways to innovate and bring consumers closer to products in unique and interesting ways. Social media remains a goldmine for all kinds of advertising, especially if you know how to use it.
Conclusion
Ads are ubiquitous in the modern world, and they’re only getting better. With proper marketing techniques and strategies, it’s possible to reach bigger audiences than ever before. While technology has made an enormous impact on marketing, it’s good strategising that gets ad campaigns off the ground. Nonetheless, technological improvements will always bring marketers closer to their goals. As long as they know how to use them to their advantage.