In the past, the role of the marketer was one that made up the creative art. It wasn’t really an analytical position. Marketing made use of psychological tools and told a story, trying to capture the emotional attention of a customer. As technology has evolved the traditional IT techs were the ones to take over how the company handled the internet. After all, the internet involves computers doesn’t it?
In the early days of digital marketing, there wasn’t really a place for both the IT specialist and the marketing department at the same table but that has changed!
Predictions for the years ahead show a great investment by businesses in general in technology. The good thing about this, if you’re integrating a digital marketing solution into your budget, there’s very little cost to start up. Free social media and even free marketing tools make it incredibly easy to share your message with your customers.
The same basic principles of marketing have stayed the same, the only thing that has changed is the type of tools that you use to get the message across.
With technology in the mix, marketing is working in a world of instant gratification. It constantly changes and evolves, sometimes at the blink of an eye. To meet this need, the role of the marketing technologist has become more and more in demand but it is not without its own unique challenges.
Since technology is always evolving, the needs of both your business and your customer are evolving as well. Sure, you can manage a social media presence for next to nothing in terms of budget, but how to create an online presence that’s memorable? You want your online campaigns to be successful so how do you create a marketing campaign in today’s digital marketplace?
- Analyze – this is a detailed look at your company, the sum of the parts. What are you selling? Is it a service or a product? What or who is your target market? You must identify the pieces before you can pull together those who will create the sales message.
- Know your audience – you have to talk to the level of your audience, understand the language that appears to them, that speaks to them.
- Design – create the design, the method to accomplish your marketing campaign or message.
- Publish – choose the method of delivery, whether it is social media, YouTube or maybe traditional marketing methods.
- Improve – learn from the campaign and adapt if necessary, don’t be afraid to change tactics midstream.
This isn’t just a goal that can be accomplished by someone with an analytical or logical mind. A marketing technologist is truly one who straddles worlds. A technologist must bring together and collaborate with both creative elements and analytical ones. A technologist must then communicate their vision and method of distributing the message to the company and its employees. It requires a team to bring the vision to the customer. Being a market technologist is the ultimate in challenge and artistry, the people who can find their feet in the industry will be shaping marketing trends in the years ahead.
