This morning, as I reviewed the various opt-in marketing pubs I get daily, I realized that a good 85% of the topics relate to social and mobile media. Cell PhoneThese are today’s hot topics, but it remains to be seen how those media will ultimately fall into the overall market mix.
It started with instant messaging (IM) and has evolved into text messages, RSS feeds, Tweets, and so much more. As a marketing professional it’s important that I understand and learn how, when and why to use social and mobile media. But I can’t.
That’s because I personally HATE having information forced on me. I don’t want to be interrupted when I’m focused on a project or other task needing my concentration. When I’m out of the office, and not on business, I don’t want to be bothered with anything work related.
I’m not the only marketer out there with this problem. I often hear Twitter Poststatements such as, “I don’t read direct mail, so I don’t want to use direct mail in my marketing.”
There are two ways we narrow-minded marketers can get over the “I don’t like it so how could anyone else” syndrome:
Interview people who use the various media.
Talk to colleagues and peers who use the media in their marketing.
Look at published facts and figures on how the channel has been used and how it has worked.
Be careful when looking at reports, however. If the research driving the report was done by providers in the industry, you may get biased information. So make sure you look for user case studies, analyst reports, and independent voices to understand how the channel can bring value to your marketing.
Looking at things from our own point of view is a common marketing bias. Good marketers find ways to get over it.