What are the advantages of real-time marketing?

Real-time marketing makes it easier for companies to interact on a personal level with their audience. While marketers still need a well thought out plan to guide their actions, they must be prepared to change course, or at least stray from their course, based on circumstances in their environment and information learned from real-time marketing. This reality presents many advantages for real-time marketers. 

One of the major advantages of real-time marketing is that it can break down existing or perceived barriers between the marketer and their target audience. It is now possible for companies to almost instantly connect directly to individual consumers. Importantly, companies are naturally able to target these interactions at those who are interested in participating, which makes real-time marketing cost effective. When employed successfully, real-time marketing builds lasting relationships between companies and their customers, making them more likely to be loyal and share the experience with a friend.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of real-time marketing is that it allows smart marketers to build a two-way dialogue with their audience. Beyond being present and available, companies can use the information gleaned from these real-time interactions to improve their products or services. Never before has such a wealth of customer data been so available and those who use this to their advantage are sure to prosper from it.