4 ways marketing is entering the relationship era
- Thu, January 05 2012
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
My colleague, the avid reader Kate Olsen sent me a fascinating AdAge article by Doug Levy and Bob Garfield on the future of marketing, and I think it’s worth reflection.
Here is my take on the ideas that grabbed me in the article, “The Dawn of the Relationship Era,” along with what I think they mean to nonprofits:
1. Manipulation backfires. You shouldn’t be going for the quick sale (or donation) - you should be going for trusted, sustainable relationships. Don’t send an appeal and skip the stewardship. That will make you the Comcast of nonprofits.
2. The network effect is enormous. The old funnel has been flipped, and it’s not about what we say but what consumers say about us to each other. The people who love your cause are your greatest asset. Think of them not as fawning fans but as powerful champions.
3. Core values can’t be faked. You have to walk your talk. Companies with a true purpose trump companies who use cause affiliations as a cosmetic ploy to cover up their lack of caring. Keep that in mind when you choose your partners.
4. Everything you do is the new media department. Social media isn’t about your tweets—the masses play out who you are online. Remember that in all aspects of your operations. How you treat others is how you will be portrayed in social media!
To do this all well, look inside and be honest. As the article notes: “In the words of that Danish marketing guru, Polonius: ‘To thine own self be true.’ Counterintuitive as it may seem, a pillar of the Relationship Era is that it is better to look inward than define your business as the accumulation of your public’s often fickle, shortsighted tastes.” For nonprofits, this is even more important. Know why you matter, and make it matter to others. That is the great, messy, thoroughly human essence of marketing.
Comments
What is going on right now in marketing is fascinating. If you’re a small voice you have an advantage that you’ve never had before. As people become more and more immune to classical marketing techniques (although not as immune as you’d think by now) the ability to have a relationship with your client is something that is very hard for large organizations to mimic.
Large organizations still have many advantages, but if you wanted to start a very niche social good organization, there has probably never been a better time.