Time for a change: the advantages of real-time marketing

For decades marketing was about sending a message to customers who were only expected to buy in return. Relationship between the brand and the consumer was most of the time a monologue.  Campaigns were the cornerstones and relied on Tv, radio, billboards and newspapers to reach potential customers in a one-way discussion.

The internet has been the catalyst for shifting power in brand-consumer relationships. Internet empowered the consumer who went fom passive to active and wants to speaks with the brand and not be spoken to.  According to hubspot  44% of direct mail is never opened, 86% of people skip through television commercials  and 84% of 25 to 34 year olds have clicked out of a website because of an "irrelevant or intrusive ad. Customers want to be listed to and receive information in a appropriate way, time and context. Marketers have to move from outbound to inbound marketind if they want their brand to make it in the new landscape.

That is why marketers need to focuse on earning and not buying customer’s attention.This can be done through social media and engaging content, such as vivid websites, blogs, inviting Facebook pages, use of infography and pictures, to develop a personnality and tell stories.  Consumers ask for interesting and informative content that adds value. The goal is to create a long-term relationship with loyal costumers who are going to be the best brand’s advocates by speading the word about their satisfaction with the brand. To take the best of what real-time marketing as to offer, data control and CRM is the key. If companies want to talk to customers in a relavant way they have to make the effort to know each customer in a personal way. 

The good news is that inbound marketing cost 62% less per lead than traditional outbound marketing and has a better ROI. That makes room for other investments.