Many people believe marketing is used as a form of trickery. They believe the goal of marketing is to persuade. Now, this has been true for many business' but there have always been business' that have adopted different theories. But, for this article, let's assume the goal at the end of the day was for your customer to make a purchase.
Prior to this new wave of social media and the hot idea of "forging meaningful connections," the topic of creating a connection, as I know it, was not a priority. I say, as I know it, because I am still a student, but bare with me. Let's say that it WAS a priority, then how come companies haven't done what they are doing now? I do believe that creating a connection between brand and consumer has been important but it wasn't at the forefront of decision making.
Introducing Social Media. Social Media has finally made marketing a two-way communication. It has paved the way to allow consumers to finally tell marketers what they want instead of marketers trying to tell us what we want. You know, I know, it shouldn't work like that. This two-way communication, whether it be in the form of a forum, e-mail, vBlog, mash-ups, Social Networking sites, Twitter, websites, and plenty others, has made it possible for companies to receive instant feedback on products, campaigns and has also allowed a community to form.
Allowing a community to form around your product/business/service didn't seem like a good idea before. For one, people will talk to each other. This could be a good thing or could be a bad thing, depends on how you see and use this information that people are talking about. We need to think of this two-way communication as a positive. Let's allow our consumers to tell us how they feel, through a medium which is relatively free and within a matter of seconds. Or, let's allow our consumers to tell us, through market research, which is relatively expensive, in a matter of months. I hope you can guess which one you should prefer.
Let's now talk about the main point, "Marketing is going where it always should have." It is finally coming to the forefront of decision making, "let's form a unique, comfortable, confident relationship with the people who sign our paychecks." If you think about it, wouldn't you rather buy a product from a friend? Wouldn't you be more satisfied if you had input on how this product or service should be used? Wouldn't you have more to say about a company who respected your opinion? Because, at the end of the day, money is what makes the world go round. We buy products and use services because that is just what we do. If now, by doing what we always do, buy products, spend money, make money, have leisure time, if now we are more satisfied, doesn't everyone win?
