How The Internet Of Things Has Changed Online Marketing For Business Owners

The phrase “the internet of things” is one of those buzz phrases that’s often repeated and yet many people don’t have a clear idea of what it means. It doesn’t just refer to the rising popularity of the internet. Instead, it refers to the idea of internet technology becoming more and more entrenched in everyday life.

For example, let’s say that you wanted to tell your sibling something quickly right now. The odds are narrow that you’d call them on the phone. The odds of you shooting them a text are becoming ever narrower. Most likely, if you wanted to send a quick message to a loved one, you’d send it to them via one of their social media pages.

From shopping to communication to just about every facet of our lives, the internet is deeply entrenched in who we are as people and as consumers. Here’s how the internet of things has changed online marketing for business owners and how you can keep up with this ever-changing marketing landscape.

The Saturation Of The Real World With Tech

These days, it seems like just about every device that’s powered by electricity is a smart device that’s somehow connected to a larger network. There are refrigerators that are WiFi capable and can send photos of your fridge’s interior to your phone when you’re at the grocery story. There are vending machines that require you to log in through Facebook or Twitter to make a purchase.

To those of us who grew up in previous generations, this might seem scary. We might not be too far off from just about every device in our homes and offices being connected to the internet. Because of this, it’s more important than ever that brands stay connected. A few years ago, having a social media presence was optional. Today, it’s essentially a requirement if you want to attract customers and stay competitive. When it comes to the digital media era, participation is no longer optional, but rather mandatory.

The Importance Of Knowing Your Demographic

Try to think of the last time you went on a website and didn’t see an advertisement. If you said Netflix, think again – Netflix shows are notorious for product placement, a soft form of advertising.

The truth is that today more than ever, consumers are bombarded with advertising. Because of this, consumers are ad savvier than they’ve ever been in history. In the early days of the internet, plenty of sleazy marketers made a fast buck capitalizing on the fact that most consumers weren’t savvy enough to know what was an ad and what wasn’t. Today, however, trying to get a customer’s attention in an advertising-saturated internet landscape is nearly impossible.

For this reason, it’s extremely important to know your brand’s demographic and target them appropriately. Companies can’t cast a wide net and expect to see any meaningful results. Instead, targeted social media and online marketing campaigns are essential if you want to drive new business to your brand. You need to not only know what type of content your demographic is interested in, but know how they like to be communicated to by advertisers. For example, some demographics respond well to photo- and video-heavy marketing content, while others prefer good old fashioned text. Whatever the case may be, it’s important that you do everything in your power to hit your intended target.

Social Media Is No Longer Optional

When we talk about businesses and social media, we usually think about them in terms of marketing. Business owners associate social media with how they appeal to potential customers and try to draw attention to their brand.

However, it’s important that we realize that social media is no longer just a business tool in terms of marketing. Rather, it’s changing how businesses interact with their consumers. Ten years ago, the average customer would call a company if they had a problem. However, today’s customer is wary of customer service numbers, as many companies have given this form of communication a bad reputation.

For this reason, more and more customers use social media to connect directly with companies when they have a question or concern. It’s essential that business owners don’t view their social media pages the way they view their blogs; as in, an afterthought that you update a certain amount of times a week and then leave alone. Instead, social media pages need to be treated like a phone line, with someone ready to interact with consumers during all business hours. The more connected a business is with their customers on social media, the more likely they are to have a higher customer retention rate.

The Old Ways Are Being Phased Out

Think about what you might have done twenty years ago, if a pipe burst in your home. You probably would have grabbed a phone book and called the plumber who had the flashiest ad and the most compelling guarantees of low prices and prompt service. However, aside from a handful of the very old, there’s virtually no one these days who uses this method to find a new business. Instead, anyone in this scenario would do a search online.

Even though so many of the old ways are being phased out, companies still see these real-world advertising measures as a necessary part of their overall marketing efforts. While a bus or newspaper ad might have some luck, remember what we said about the world being overly ad-saturated. The truth of the matter is that a well-orchestrated online marketing campaign is worth more than a hundred billboards.

Don’t be surprised if things like phonebooks soon become relics of the past. However, this isn’t an entirely new business principle. Since the dawn of industry, old methods of doing business have fallen by the wayside in favor of newer technologies. Indeed, any company that wants to succeed would be wise to put the bulk of their advertising and marketing into online media.