At 12.31pm Eastern Standard Time on Friday 17th December 2004 traditional marketing died peacefully in its sleep. It breathed its last breath, it sighed, and it died. Sadly no one turned up to the funeral as they didn’t realise it was dead. Even today people still believe it’s alive – living on the moon with Elvis Presley and JFK.

What prompted the heart attack that killed traditional marketing?

The one millionth user signed up to Facebook on that day, and all of a sudden the rules changed overnight. Suddenly the power shifted towards the consumer and away from big brands.

Suddenly it was possible for consumers to control what they thought and said about products and services that had previously been controlled by  the companies. Gone was the mind-control previously exerted through advertising. Now armies of customers could chat to each other on social media about what they thought about these companies, their products services – their customer service. This was nothing short of a revolution. And in an instance all those old-fashioned marking books, all those old-fashioned principles about how to control people disappeared. In its place emerged a new reality. One that had the consumer in control and able to talk to other consumers to share her views. This was not good news for old-fashioned companies. It was the end of traditional marketing as we knew it.

 

So what is ‘New Marketing?’

it’s a conversation.

 

It’s about engaging with your audience – using language they can relate to. It’s about empathising with them – demonstrating that you understand what they are struggling with, and being authentic in the way you communicate with them – removing the jargon, and focusing on how you help them, rather than trying to wow them with how experienced, brilliant or amazing your company is.

In short, it’s about being real.

It’s also about:

  • Explaining why you do the work you do – so they can trust you to do the right thing by them.
  • Explaining how you will help them – so they know you’re here to help solve their problem and / or make a difference to their current situation.
  • Having fun with your brand – so the client feels at ease working with you

Ultimately ‘New Marketing’ is about putting yourself in your client’s shoes and sharing with them what’s important to you – so they can decide if you’re a good fit for them.

So it’s time to ditch those references to being ‘professional,’ ‘passionate,’ ‘the biggest…’ and ‘most experienced’ and instead to talk about what you believe in and how your company is going to make a difference to your client’s lives.

That’s New Marketing – and I’d recommend you apply these simple principles into all your marketing and communications – because it makes customers feel respected, heard and above all loved!

 

– Justin Cooper

Justin Cooper is a Marketing and Purpose Coach who worked in traditional marketing for 25 years before waking up to the fact that it had died, and it was time for a new approach – founded on Purpose.

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