I have been doing a real deep dive into digital marketing.
Here‘s the deal: I live In Los Angeles, about 10 minutes from UCLA, and they offer some amazing digital marketing classes in the Extension program. These classes are awesome, since professionals in the industry teach them. We have heard lectures by employees of Google, YouTube, and Ad Agencies who boast Fortune 100 clients, as well as reps from media buying companies. I feel very lucky to be learning from these people.
The top takeaways from my “Advertising in the Digital Age” class this semester are:
- We are truly living in the Wild West days of the Internet
- It is estimated that 3 Billion (with a B) people will be joining the online community for the first time in the next 3 years.
- Personal digital media is the wave of the future, worldwide
- The only constant in this arena is rapid change, and it is happening on a global scale
- Those who are establishing themselves on the ground floor of this new technology will be positioned as the experts in their respective fields. As in Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell…you get the point.
Changes coming to digital marketing
As we usher out 2014, the year has brought about huge change: changes in the way the Internet is accessed (mobile devices), changes in the way the way Facebook works (no more free rides), the growing popularity of new social media outlets, most notably Snapchat, and Vine (think short attention span). Instagram is here to stay. Pinterest has gained more mainstream popularity; and podcasting looks to be a serious contender for our attention in 2015.
Several carmakers (Toyota, Mercedes and Volvo) have included Apple’s CarPlay in certain models for 2015 with many more committed to rolling out the option in 2016. You will have easy access to your favorite podcast with the push of your touchscreen on your way anywhere.
And then there is YouTube… my 15-year-old watches YouTube like I used to watch television; well not exactly…he can actually watch it 24/7 on his phone, anywhere, on demand. Wow.
All these mediums on which we can communicate, and how to pick the one right for your business objectives can be completely overwhelming, confusing, and can start your campaign off to a screeching halt…if you don’t know where to begin.
That’s why I have taken the past 6 months and done a deep dive into these changes and the trends across the mediums. I have been on a mission to uncover the best practices in social media advertising, copywriting and engagement strategies for enhanced SEO; launching products, building platforms, and finally creating websites that captivate and enroll your potential clients.
So I’m telling you all this to reiterate how important it is for you to start working on your online brand, or at the very least, your online presence… sooner rather than later. As they say, the early bird catches the worm!
You want to be established online before those 3 billion people get here looking for information on what you’re an expert at. So please forgive my lack of communication over the past couple of months, and know that I have not just been slacking off, ignoring you… I hope to make it up by sharing what I have learned right here in this newsletter…so stay tuned!
Where do your best new patients come from? Coming Up Next….
With so many options to choose from in determining where you should market yourself, how do you decide on your platform? And on a more personal level, with all these 24/7 options at our fingertips for social media, news, and entertainment, the question begs…how much is too much?
