How The Internet Has Changed Marketing & Public Relations

Let’s face it the ‘day-to-day’ business processes and cycles that were so pronounced are now considered archaic. Here is food for thought: If you at one point thought that you needed a large marketing budget for your product and sales, then you should think again. In fact, if your advertising agency is telling you that you need to spend $100,000 for a single one-off commercial, then please tell them ‘no thanks.’

Today’s business platform revolves around creativity filled with ideas and concepts that provoke an emotional response from your audience. In fact, the 1990′s advertising was presented in a manner that did not resonate with any audience. However, due to the sheer volume of impressions, you came to learn about the brand and accepted it into your home. It was not because you were able to identify with the product at hand, it was merely because the particular product was seen everywhere. That was then, this is now. Today consumers have choices of which, types of advertising they prefer, as well as deciding on what he/she may ‘like’ or put aside all together.

Before We Go Any Further, A Bit of History

Prior to organizations jumping onto the World Wide Web, there were 3 definite possibilities to get your product or service noticed. Want to know what they are?

1. Buy expensive advertising through print, radio, billboard, and TV.
2. Knock on the doors of media and nag them until they agree to tell your story, for FREE.
3. Ramp up a large sales staff and have them call people who never really wanted to hear from them in the first place.

Those three possibilities worked. In fact, it worked so remarkably that it was a large component as to why big businesses became even bigger, in both size and profits.

The Transition

The Internet was born with a single methodology. It is the ability to share information from one computer to another, without the need to provide someone with a physical disk. Let’s translate that into the world as it currently exists.

For the first time in history, consumers have access to enormous amounts of content that may resolve a multitude of issues. We live in a content-rich Internet driven society, where the immediacy of information is fast, and its an advantage to any business, whether you are small or a Fortune 100 company.

The Internet has allowed business and marketers, specifically, to ‘break the rules.’ Here are a few questions to ask yourself: How will you position your content in a meaningful way, that will allow for your audience to connect with your brand as well as share it with their peers, family, and strangers? Answer this question relating to your product/service and you may come up with the next ‘big idea’ for your Internet marketing strategy.

Don’t get us wrong, there are several tools available on the market such as: Social Media, Search Marketing, Blogger Outreach Programs, Viral Marketing, etc. You get the idea. However, these are just a few of the avenues to your success. Strategy and creative concepts are the two main factors that will drive consumers to truly engage with your marketing messages. However, advertising is still a science. Take hold of your business – be creative, bold, and finally daring!