Been reading way too much in blogs and real estate publications on how the medium is the problem in today’s marketing and not the message. I don’t agree with this at all. Both are changing and both need to be addressed.
The medium without a doubt is changing. With advertising for both newspapers and magazines dying out and social media building in popularity, the medium is definitely changing. People are moving away from print and moving toward their own website to communicate. They’re posting on YouTube, in blogs, on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and others. The medium is definitely changing and we need to change with it. This movement to more social media is significant, as it’s no longer about ads, it’s about community and getting people talking.
Now for the message. I believe the message needs to be changed as well. When we communicate, we need to be compelling, enticing and attention grabbing. Far too many people don’t understand that. A catchy or cute headline is not going to work any longer, not that we ever favored such an approach. From headlines in a blog entry, tweets, publicity and websites, how we communicate is critical. What we say or write needs to be compelling in nature and grab people by the throat if they are to pay attention to us and act. Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. Therefore, our content needs to get better and better by being more compelling, relevant and emotional.
In summary, the medium is changing. For the most part, we have followed a 50-year-old system. That 50-year-old system will get us results we are not pleased with.
I should be more precise. The medium isn’t changing. It has changed already! The message needs to change.
With so many different forms of content out there, how can we possibly compete? We need to be vivid with our communications. Vivid enough that we paint a picture in the target’s head, or even better, evoke some sort of emotional response. With emotional marketing, our chances of drawing attention and sticking in people’s minds will greatly increase.
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