By Dan Klein, CEO

A lot of our clients have been planning their sales and marketing strategies for 2019 it seems like a different world when it comes to getting people’s attention these days. The answer to what not to do is located in the second bullet point below (not that anyone would skip ahead of course).

One important factor to recognize is that consumer communication patterns have changed dramatically. It’s no longer a question of if you should place a call, send an email or use social media. The world has become so interconnected in what seems like overnight that consumers are taking in information so much differently than they did compared to just a few years ago. Here’s a little background to help put this into perspective – the iPhone came out in 2007 and the iPad hasn’t even celebrated its 10-year anniversary yet. Have you ordered from Uber eats or a similar service? They’ve only been around since 2014…scary I know.

There has never been a time in offering your product or service when you could communicate so easily with anyone who you wanted. The downside to this is that the general public has become numb to the “old” ways of advertising. Thinking of trying social media? Well it’s too late for that. The question now is how social media fits into your overall strategy, not if it should be a part of it.

It has also never been easier to connect with well…whoever you want. When I started in sales in the early 90s the biggest challenge was reaching people. That’s not an issue anymore. Today it’s critical to shape your messages in a way that differentiates you because when that person sees your message (which they will) you need to make an impression that lasts.

Here are some things to consider for your marketing and sales efforts in 2019:

• How will your targeted audience know that you can help them? If your website and materials are targeted to a general audience or dated your clients or prospects will know immediately, and that’s probably not a good thing.
• No one thing works! If you depend on one medium to communicate with clients and prospects it will not be successful. Even in this environment it’s not about having the best digital ad, campaign or landing pages. You need a complete strategy that broadcasts and then reinforces your message over and over again. Even back in the day I never met anyone who’s career was made by using just a billboard or direct mail campaign, yet some business owners think that social media (or something else) is the magic bullet. It’s just not the case.
• Surprise people with personal contact. One differentiator today is providing a genuine connection with people. I’m all about using automation in sales and marketing but one thing that’s becoming a lost art is for people to have conversations. Crazy, I know. The more expensive or complicated your product is, the more you will need to meet and speak with people directly as a differentiator for your business.
• Embrace Virtual Reality and AI. This is the next phase of marketing. It’s what’s coming next, and to a large extent it’s here already. 85% of people who see your messages on VR will watch them. This technology is moving fast and if you can incorporate this into your business now it will be a differentiator for you.

I hope this article was helpful, we are here to answer any question you have – with a conversation, over video or in Virtual Reality. Good luck!