The online advertising world seems to evolve more and more with every passing day. Those business owners that are sitting on the sidelines waiting for history to repeat itself have a long wait ahead of them. New social media sites are springing up every day and the old standbys, such as Facebook and Twitter, continue to increase membership. If joining and marketing on these sites is a bit out of your comfort zone, it may be time to consider bringing in an online marketing consultant to help with your skin care marketing campaign.
Current “marketing” is much different than it was in years past. Today, many of our consumers play a significant role in how well the product is perceived. Social media has played a significant role in this as it allows businesses to get immediate feedback about the product. In addition, since these are all public forums, the rest of the public is able to see this feedback as well and make their decision based on information available on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Unlike years past, when advertising saturation and brand recognition steered the average consumer towards a product, consumer opinion now factors in just as much in regard to what people are buying. In essence, the roles of the marketer and consumer have shifted and because it is so easy for a single voice to not only be heard, but also to have a large impact on the public perception of a business or product, marketers now focus much of their time to monitoring and responding to active social media consumers.
This has also created a rather unique opportunity for companies to make their customers feel as though they actually have a role in what the company is doing or putting out on the market. Even a bad experience or bad review can be turned into a positive experience. Imagine a consumer placing a complaint or negative review on Facebook. The company can directly address the issue and start a real time discussion on not only what this consumer would like to see improved, but also anyone else that is reading the post and decides to be active on the page. This type of feedback is unprecedented and immediately lets the customer know the business is truly interested in what they have to say.
The reality of the situation is that marketing will never be the same. If you want your business to be successful in today’s “online” market, you either need to become a social media whiz or have an online marketing company that can digest the information, process the analytics, and interact with your customers in a way that promotes a positive image. If not, the business risks being swept out in the current and losing its place within its niche.
