Mediaboss Marketing

More than 30 years after the invention of the World Wide Web, many marketers still describe marketing on digital platforms using the language of the mass media era. Hence, brands often continue to think about digital advertising in terms of purchasing 'inventory' or 'ad space' on platforms like Facebook and Google -space they will use to reach their target audience.

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So, if these platforms are not media companies, what are they? The hint is in the name, big tech. They provide brands with a sophisticated stack of technology and tools that can be used to target dynamic and highly personalised messages to consumers based on who they are and what they are doing. Just like the programmatic platforms or email marketing companies, they are not content companies but IT and data companies.

Thinking of Facebook or Google as technology platforms will lead marketers to use them differently to the ways in which many brands do today. Rather than purchasing an ad, they will understand that they are paying for an opportunity to engage with the right customer at the right moment. Think of it as direct marketing to qualified leads, but made even more targeted and efficient through the power of customer data.

When one starts to think of the social and search platforms as tech stacks, the importance of integrating digital advertising engagements with the companys customer relationship management (CRM) and analytics tools also becomes obvious. Together, these tools enable a brand to understand the customer journey from initial contact with a customer to conversion and the post-conversion relationship.

The four phases of digital maturity developed by Boston Consulting Group offer a useful model for understanding how marketing and advertising are evolving in the age of big tech:

For example, when someone searches for a hotel in Cape Town, a brand should not serve a generic ad, but one tailored to the areas and price range they are looking at, based on a complete view of the customer.

Another instance: if a prospect starts an online application for vehicle finance and then abandons it at the last step, the bank could target them with ads encouraging them to complete the process. While some CRM systems might send such reminders via email or SMS, this functionality can be powerful when integrated with the media buying strategy.

To wrap up, here are five steps to success as brands evolve into multi-moment marketing organisations:

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Think of social and programmatic platforms as big tech, not mass media - Bizcommunity.com