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The primal nature of connectedness ensures it crosses all boundaries |
Digital Capitalizes on Connectedness
When you are running your own small business, understanding demographics, mindsets, finances, and culture all affect how you can reach people. Digital marketing budgets are continually increasing, but in terms of reaching specific sectors digital won't be pinned down. Digital marketing embodies the whole shift from outbound interruptive marketing (TV, print ads, radio spots, billboards etc.) to inbound, customer-focused marketing (online ads, blogs, wikis, social media, websites, e-marketing, video etc.). Knowing how your customer views connectedness can make or break your ability to draw people in to find out more about your offering. If people engage, they will probably buy later - and it's all coming from the fact that connectedness is natural, it's primal. Marketers can use it, but connectedness came before marketing.
Embracing the Coolness of a Millennial Mindset Has a Lot of Appeal
In my view there is no real digital divide when trying to promote your products and services, just infinite new ways of understanding and reaching your customer. Millennials invented and own digital, but boomers may remain a large target market that they'll continue to mine data on. A 2013 report recently released by Pew Internet and American Life Project,
Demographics of Internet Users, wrote that internet use among boomers has increased, and 77% of 50-65 year olds are online. For baby boomers who spent their teen years in the early 70s dancing en masse in public parks with bongo drums in the background, embracing the coolness of the millennial mindset has a lot of appeal. The inherent connectivity within the digital world feels familiar, like a lingering unconventionality.
Getting Up to Speed by Learning Digital
Since I run my own part-time business and came to marketing at a late age, I decided to get up to speed on the field "for real" by upgrading my education. This
Digital Marketing Management program is one of the best resources available, and these instructors are fantastic, to say the least:
Michelle Pellettier,
Tyler Calder,
Jean George and
Dan Mariani.