B2B AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT - MESSAGING

TMI!

We all acknowledge how astonishing our lives have become with today’s awe-inspiring developments in technology - especially the ‘graceful’ convergence of two major industries: Internet and mobile. Nonetheless, some think that this evolution in how we consume information and interact with the world around us is draining our souls and altering forever how we see things.

Well, the pace at which life is evolving is amazing, but does it actually consume us (dehumanise how we interact) or does it empower us as key players in a customer-led revolution?

The incredible growth and impact of the internet on individuals’ personal and professional lives - with most assuming a greater ‘dependency’ on internet – is creating a new generation of digital ‘multi-screen’, ‘multi-tasking’ consumers and changing dramatically how media is consumed.

Herbert Simon (winner of Nobel Prize in economics 1978) once said that “What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention” – With today’s media proliferation that can only mean one thing: attention is scarce.

And, if we are all becoming a new breed of digital consumers – ‘multi-screen’ maniacs, living with information overload – then how challenging must it be for businesses to engage with their target audience? How can they define how, where and how deep to engage them?

In a TMI era (Too Much Information) the way businesses’ relationships/interactions are conducted and how opportunities are created is forcing marketers to adapt their marketing strategies. Both business-to-consumer and business-to-business (B2C and B2B) environments are changing as the world becomes simultaneously physical and online. The developments in internet and mobile technologies are assuming a vital role, creating a new ecosystem of interactions. This is certainly increasing the opportunities for marketers to explore and empower a more personal relationship but many are failing to understand the balance between communicating their solutions/products and the delicate art of building long-term relationships, or more importantly, failing to grasp the true value of opted-in connections. Brands need to build on their connections with consumers. A brand is any business’s most valuable asset, but the brand’s relationship with its audience is changing and so should the businesses approach to branding.