Good marketing can mean the world’s difference to the success of any business, and with Internet affecting all vertical markets today, companies are starting to look at changing their advertising and marketing campaigns to keep up with the times.
“Businesses must wake up and smell the coffee when it comes to online marketing or they will be left behind,” says Lingham.
“Companies must realise that their customers are online and that these customers are searching for them on the Internet right now, so if they don’t create an effective online presence, customers will find another company to deal with.”
Lingham also notes that organisations should start focusing on using a more user-centric approach to business if they want to be successful and sustainable in future. “Success and growth lies in taking a user-centric approach and moving away from a client- or company-centric business model. Today it is the users who define your business and brand, and you need to respond to the users if you want to effectively compete in today’s market place.”
This means you need a website and online presence to support users’ needs and creates increased two-way communications, by implementing more rich Internet applications to your business.
Companies will loose their competitive advantage, says Lingham, if they continue to use traditional marketing and advertising models. “Competitors will grow their business on the back of your complacencies,” he adds.
With 80 - 90% of the economic power on the Internet, companies must embrace the Web 2.0 phenomena and get themselves connected and part of the online world. “Costs of sales are so low on the Internet and most people are online, so it makes more sense than still focusing only on the traditional marketing and advertising methods.”
The problem in South Africa, however, is that there are not enough online marketing skills in-house to develop these strategies and put together a complete and working online marketing strategy that will see a business grow and be sustainable into the future.
Lingham will further explore these and other topics relating to Search Engines as speaker at the next First Tuesday event on Tuesday, 8 May 2007, at The Wanderers Club in Illovo, Johannesburg. For further information, go to www.firsttuesday.co.za.
