Power Marketing Tip 47: Marketing Challenges and Opportunities

Marketing Challenges and Opportunities

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.


That opening line from Charles Dickens 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, might easily chart the year ahead.

I predict exciting times for marketers in 2012.

You will find opportunities to reach existing clients through new channels offered by the social media networks. The question isn't "Should you check out Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and others?" The question is, "What opportunities or threats might you miss by not participating?"

The challenge will be to leverage your time and resources to systematize the use of these tools.

Mobile devices are eclipsing the use of computers. QR codes and Apps are only two of the tools that business is developing to reach and accommodate the whims of mobile device users. I wonder, "How many of you are reading this on a mobile device?"

Online forums, blogs and surveys allow you to identify trends, segment niche markets and measure responses faster and more accurately.

The tools also enable clients to report product flaws and nasty customer service. Would you travel somewhere new without checking www.TripAdvisor.com ? And would you be more likely to report bad or good service? Looking for a good restaurant? Then you might look at www.RestaurantThing.com . Read my http://www.powermarketingblog.com/ for reports of disappointing customer service.

You will face the challenges of the increased competition, more informed customers and the economic drop.

Good news for small and micro business. Outsourcing is no longer a strategy for large corporations buying parts from low wage countries. http://www.guru.com/ and http://www.elance.com/ make it easy to anyone with a small budget to outsource a variety of small business services from marketing to administration assistance. Then www.Fiverr.com really lowers costs by offering an astounding (and sometimes silly) range of services for $5.

As a marketer you could be a hero this coming year if you are plugged in, exploring and learning. That means that you will make mistakes.

It will be an exciting year for marketers. I will continue to point out the threats and opportunities for you.

George Torok
Power Marketing

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