Something strange has happened.\u00a0 It\u2019s more than just\u00a0your marketing being dated, although that happened too.\u00a0 There is a deeper shift that has occurred and few have caught up with it.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s that marketing itself was disrupted.\u00a0 We need something else.\u00a0 And what\u2019s next is going to look more sociology-driven than something taken from a marketing best practices book.<\/p>\n
Traditional marketing tenants were designed for a society where communication from the few to the many was the norm.\u00a0 We were all taught them.\u00a0 But they\u2019re sort of useless.\u00a0 Hear me out:\u00a0 it\u2019s not that items such as broadcast media can\u2019t successfully reach the masses.\u00a0 They can.\u00a0 But reach can no longer be equated with influence, reach for the sake of reach is obsolete.\u00a0 People know better, and they no longer take messages at face value.\u00a0 I know what some of you are thinking \u2013 the masses don\u2019t.\u00a0 Except that they do.\u00a0 The next generation of \u201cthe masses\u201d grew up with the web, and the web connects all of us.\u00a0 The trend isn\u2019t to trust companies, in a connected society it is to trust each other.<\/p>\n
Understanding the connections between each other, between members of the same industries, between those with a common interest and not just how,\u00a0<\/em>but why information travels throughout social graphs is emerging as the valuable skill of tomorrow.<\/p>\n Many are embracing digital channels, sure, but it\u2019s disappointing how most try to pattern what was done on previous mediums.\u00a0 To date, ideas I\u2019ve executed by approaching from a sociological standpoint than a marketing standpoint were ultimately the most successful.<\/p>\n Social proofing\u00a0is the new black<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re involved in marketing\/PR and not leveraging social proofing, you\u2019re ignoring the ultimate persuasion tool.\u00a0 Social proofing is so powerful a force, it can even be used for\u00a0marketing yourself\u00a0in an authentic light.\u00a0 It\u2019s powerful because it\u2019s difficult or impossible to manufacture, however it\u2019s achieved only with a true comprehension of audience dynamics.\u00a0 You can\u2019t just pay for social proofing, or even pitch people to achieve it.\u00a0 Rather, you need an applied strategy to solicit organic responses from those with authority.\u00a0 You also need to warrant it.\u00a0 Additionally, once achieved, applying social proofing to achieve end objectives also requires an innate understanding of how it will resonate with target audiences.<\/p>\n Social sciences are advancing quickly<\/strong><\/p>\n There are so many fascinating studies being conducted using digital communications tools, many conducted by those fluent in social sciences.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been reading quite a few interesting studies in the past several months and much of the data and research has direct application to marketing.\u00a0 There are smart people putting data behind previously nebulous scenarios such as how ideas spread, how markets change and how we make decisions.\u00a0 I plan on incorporating many of the proven frameworks I\u2019ve been studying into my own marketing strategies.\u00a0 In fact, personally I would say overall studying of sociology has proven more valuable to me than studying marketing.<\/p>\n We draw upon our social networks in increasing complex and invisible ways<\/strong><\/p>\n Through a mix of technologies, our social networks have been switched to \u201calways-on.\u201d\u00a0 When we\u2019re all connected, all the time, the way we interact, how we get information, and who influences us changes.\u00a0 Traditional marketing wasn\u2019t designed with this in mind \u2013 however an understanding of sociology allows us to better predict outcomes and understand these situations better.<\/p>\n Not \u201cis this a good marketing idea,\u201d but how will this connect people<\/strong><\/p>\n There is power in being a connector.\u00a0 We\u2019re all looking for those to connect us with each other, with information, with companies, we crave it.\u00a0 But we\u2019re looking for it to happen organically in a fluid and unstructured setting.\u00a0 Unartfully forcing connections never fosters the same types of relationships as those which are organic, or even serendipitous.\u00a0 With comprehension of sociology, especially applying it to digital interactions, you may be able to consciously guide people down this path.<\/p>\n Sociology + marketing = a winning formula<\/strong><\/p>\n The web is in many ways just a big social science experiment.\u00a0 I noted in a previous post on\u00a0Twitter insights\u00a0that sociology and psychology students\/professors must be having a good time studying us.<\/p>\n As a marketer, I\u00a0know<\/em>\u00a0we\u2019re studying the web, but I question if marketers view the world through the proper lens to get a clear picture of digital culture.\u00a0 Sociologists have an advantage, they are primed for this.\u00a0 Or do they?\u00a0 Most of their case studies, theories and data are out there for you to learn from.\u00a0 And that\u2019s where your opportunity as someone looking to spread ideas comes in.\u00a0 Learn the intersection of sociology and marketing and you will uncover a potent formula for success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Something strange has happened.\u00a0 It\u2019s more than just\u00a0your marketing being dated, although that happened too.\u00a0 There is a deeper shift … <\/p>\n