Fish or Cut Bait!

According to the Winterbury Group, almost half ($27.3 billion) of the $59.5 billion spent in digital advertising in 2015 was dedicated to search engine marketing. Another $24.9 billion was spent on display advertising, which means that over $52 billion of the total spend was used on vehicles that don’t necessarily conjure up images of high quality.

The idea that digital advertising is the path to the consumer these days is odd.  Consider the number of marketers that toss out an endless amount of content just so their search results escalate.  While many of them may believe in the constancy of the social post and the perceived low cost of social marketing, these strategies may be cheapening their brands as a result.

Permission-based marketing respects the fact that we, as consumers, don’t want brands invading our lives and making unnecessary noise.  There are numerous brands that have made their name on mass appeal, but the organizations that endeavor for a more sophisticated persona demand a deeper connection and a more intimate way to engage.

Every channel is critical these days, but being a true right-brained marketer affords you the ability to rethink all of them.  Print, for example, still is the only vehicle that can literally touch us.  It lets your clients know that you put a little extra time into your message, and it shows that you are investing in the relationship and not merely trolling for bites.

In our next issue of Connect Magazine our cover story, “Stoking Creativity,” is focused on the kind of thinking needed to make hard decisions and elevate your brand.  Our second feature, “The Fall of the Story,” delves into the unwanted content that is clogging up our lives and lowering the value of your brand.  Both stories remind us that utilizing vehicles and people that want to inflate your brand is critical in these noisy times.

If you don’t receive Connect Magazine you can subscribe on our website.  It’s free and we’d love to share it with you.  Visit bennettgraphics.com and tell us you want to be included.  It’s on press now!