Effective Marketing Tactics for SMBs by George Bounacos
Those businesses are generating additive leads—their old traffic plus new mobile traffic. As devices converge and people consume content in different ways, those numbers will eventually reach a peak, but we're still several years from accurately forecasting that peak.
We tend to think marketing is a creative discipline but, from your perspective, what is the scientific side of marketing?
Great marketing has always been a blend of art and science. When direct mail was used twenty years ago, the science had to wait a week or even ten days before results would trickle back. We can now see results in real time and adapt messaging, targets and any other variables on the fly.
One thing computers and other devices do well is create data. That means online marketers can understand the type of visitors that look at specific messages, how they interact with the messages and the best way to generate the highest possible profit.
That is 100% science—the science of analytics. We're now seeing more predictive analytics. Even small companies generate so much data that good marketing scientists can develop an algorithm that suggests buyer types, sites they visit, messaging, offers and even potential products that haven't yet been created.
The work is very similar to the way Amazon or Netflix suggests a product you might like. With so many data points involved, a business can market to one type of customer in multiple zip codes instead of marketing to multiple zip codes. This concept of micro-targeting is being used everywhere today from banks and credit card companies to political campaigns.
Lastly, since you are an SMB yourself (as a principle of Silver Beacon Marketing), what insight do you have for others looking to differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace using internet advertising, SEO, creativity and other tactics?
