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I know, I’m young. To make matters worse, I even look younger than I really am. Why is that a bad thing? Well, in the business world, in fact, in the entire grown- up domain, age tends to lend to a person’s credibility, especially when dealing with decision makers. It’s not a gripe. Honest, I can live with the realities; I don’t have to like them, but I can live with them. I choose to see it as a challenge. How can I be more valuable despite my baby fat?

I have never been responsible for anyone else’s livelihood but my own. It’s a good reason to imagine I have very little to say that might help your business, right? Very possible. But I think I may be able to add value.

Because of my age it goes without saying that I am likely to be less experienced than you, but what I am, and have been for the majority of my life, is an avid consumer. Ever since seeing my first ‘Cabbage Patch Dolls’ TV ad, I knew there were things I wanted, things I needed and that you ‘the general business community’ were the people to get them from.

How does that help you? I have been fine-tuning my consumer choice from a very early age. I know what I like, what I want and I know the difference between real value and cheap imitation (I’ve thrown away my fair share of iPod wanna-be’s). I’ve grown up in the age of instant gratification; I want it, I want it now, I’m going have it now and tomorrow I will want something else). You have more chances than ever to prove to me that you have something I want and to give it to me.

So here’s the kicker… I also know that in today’s world not only do I have an enormity of choice options, but I don’t even have to leave my chair to find, inform and make my buying decision. How does this impact on you? If I’m not already your customer (says the young buck to the mortgage broker), tomorrow I might be.

I am your future customer and I do 90% of my decision-making online, and if you’re not there then your competitors are getting my dollars. You might hate the social media revolution or you might simply not understand it. You might think it’s evolving too quickly and that you should wait until it peaks and slows down. I hate to tell you this, but it’s not showing any signs of slowing down.

I know how to make my decisions. I’ve been making them for over 20 years now. The thing that matters, and has always been the case, is who’s right in front of me when I make it? Is it going to be you? Social media counts because that’s where I am and millions of others like me. Search marketing counts because that’s what I’m using along with millions of others like me. Digital mobile marketing counts because that’s what I’m using for quick impulse decisions just like millions of others like me.

Of course, traditional push media matters but just make sure you don’t push me into the arms of your competitors.

So with all of this in mind, what can I tell you to help you sell your business, your service or your product to me?

Get online – Be everywhere you can so that when I come looking for you, you’re there. Social media, online directories, search results – SEO instead of Google AdWords – why? Because we know what a Google ad looks like and we don’t like them – organic search results are preferred (85% more preferred, in fact) and general consensus is that they are more believable than AdWords. That being said Google AdWords are better than nothing.

Connect and engage – Simon Sinek, founder of Sinek Partners and a Ted Talks Speaker, will tell you that “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it”. This is your chance to get people to believe in you and your product, and gives you a chance to add an honest human level to your business. The more engaged your customers the more likely they are to come back when they need what you offer.

Embrace the unknown – We live in an increasingly ‘risk adverse’ world which is teaching employees to be ‘risk adverse’. The ‘Careful you might fail’ school of thought. But as we know, failure can lead to better successes because we learn and adapt. The digital marketing world is largely unchartered territory but it’s instantly measurable territory which allows for ‘calculable risk’. Yes, it’s a risk, but it’s a highly measurable risk. If you’re worried about a lack of knowledge, coupled with the level of risk, speak to COO’EE. It’s our responsibility to understand the space and provide support by helping you manage and maximise this risk (real or perceived).

Don’t let a lack of knowledge or experience be the reason you say you can’t find a way to say you can.

If this hasn’t helped you take a bolder step into the digital market place, that’s sad, because you are about to lose the race for me and my peers’ disposable income. It’s not just us either, today’s children are entirely ‘Digitally Native’ and won’t have the patience to wait for you to come to the party.

Good luck, get excited and get passionate because wanting something goes a long way into helping you make it happen.

Check out our other blog postings for more on this and other topics here.

COO’EE Crew

Digital natives won’t know this but somewhere in the recesses of my new digital nature mind, I remember a Dr Dolittle toy. It was called a Push-Me/Pull-Me. It came in a variety of forms but the defining element was that the toy had two heads.

A beast with two heads is an analogy for many businesses that COO’EE comes in contact with. One head is typically a non-digital native i.e. comfortable with their past experience, uncomfortable with the new digital language, and frightened by the concept of open communication. The other head represents the digital native who has been born into the future on communication. Communications that are designed to be two-way and measurable, the holy-grail of advertising.

Push-Me/ Pull- Me - The Two Headed Beast

The natural tension between these two views of marketing and communication are both valid and healthy.

The ‘non-digital native’ – let’s call him ‘Experience’ – has a tool kit of customer engagement strategies that have worked well at times in the past. ‘Experience’ has learnt to cope with the vagaries of seasonality, response rates and brand values that have been used to explain traditional advertising campaign performance. All of this experience has made him risk adverse.

The ‘digital native’ head – let’s call her ‘Immediacy’ – intrinsically knows that every well executed digital strategy will typically deliver better results, more quickly on a totally measurable basis. ‘Immediacy’ is wanting everyone to get on the same digital page – now. She is aiming to succeed by innovative thinking and, where necessary, failing quickly. She therefore embraces risk. Because by failing quickly and relatively inexpensively, ‘Immediacy’ knows that she will win the real prize sooner.

At this stage we are reminded of saying ‘two heads are better than one’. Without ‘Experience’ knowledge of push marketing – via integrated marketing campaigns that point to a website and a range of digital assets – digital engagement is limited. Without ‘Immediacy’ of the answer to the ‘right here, right now’ problem, consumers who are already in the majority, will leave you and your brand behind to bond with companies and brands who want to connect with them, rather than make excuses as to why they don’t want to build a relationship.

For companies that have embraced or are about to embrace the marriage of ‘Experience’ and ‘Immediacy,’ increased market share and level of customers’ loyalty awaits.

For those that have still not accepted the ‘two heads are better than one’ approach, all that will remain is a visit from the SPCA quickly followed by the liquidator.

COO’EE Crew

Tag Archives: digital media

Push-Me/Pull-Me!