Are you focusing on your customer conversation?

Over the past decade and more, the Internet has played an ever increasing part of everyone’s marketing. The recent rapid increase is due in large part due to the popularity of Social Media, even though the Internet has been around for close to three decades. With the advent of smaller devices, texting and twittering, bite size information is even becoming the norm versus the rarity. Just think, small bite size chunks of relevant information delivered to a massive but permission based audience is not only normal communication but the future of marketing.

There are generally two different types of marketing, inbound and outbound. The first is the traditional type, inbound. Traditional marketing for years has followed three principles, Advertising, Public Relation and Referrals. You juggle this trio trying to fill you funnel and then you follow-up, follow-up and follow-up. There is a lot of structure, planning, design and scheduling. Everything had to be delivered at the utmost quality, on budget and with deadlines. You plan what you expect to happen, and then regardless of the results, you forge ahead because you have invested so much time, effort and money that you have little choice.

I wonder if Marketing, Ad firms are trying to make this transition but are struggling with the results? For example, many resisted the entry into Social Media and now they are participating but are they trying to use their old principles in adapting to it? The managers may lack the experience of participation in the new media. As an example, many were trained and are very good at networking, developing PR relationships and creating ads. Though, still important they are just some of the many attributes needed.

How many of these managers could or would even recommend using the same content 30 different ways in 30 days? That may be a bit of exaggeration but the new marketer understands that he must reach his prospects and customers in many, many ways and cannot afford new content for all. In fact, in most cases the marketer has to be already participating in the community he is trying to reach.

The fundamental shift to understand is that budgets are no longer the driver. It is also important to note that because the web is predominately free from a budget perspective, it is not a free ride. Relevant Content determines your success and that is measured by how well you engage your prospects within your scope of influence. Relevant Content is not FREE.

Many companies feel they are participating in Social Media simply because they have a Face Book Fan Page or a few followers on LinkedIn or that they Tweet their specials. The traditional marketing messages seldom work in Social Media. It may actually become an impediment. Social Media is not a static venue. It is a place for conversation.

Value Stream Marketing also follows three principles; Agility, Speed and Relevance. In this process very similar to what has happened in agile software development, we are learning as we proceed. We embrace Change. We embrace Transparency. We embrace Communication.

Value Stream Marketing is a whole new way of thinking; a whole new philosophy. To become truly proficient, you must go through a paradigm shift. I mean really, are you developing strategies to focus on the right customer conversation? If you’re not, download my eBook and test the waters. Don’t keep looking at your marketing with an old set of Tools!