Living in 2013, your personal life must have been blessed by technology. I imagine that you’re very attached to your electricity, and thus your heating, cooling, television, radio, computer and mobile phone. I’m sure that you feel the internet has enriched your life, making it easier for you to manage your daily household actions.
Business people make too many excuses about why they’ve been slow to take up digital marketing and advertising.
Do you remember how unfair it seemed to have to spend your lunch break standing in line at the bank? Or how long it took a postcard or letter to arrive at its intended destination. Do you remember how much more effort it took to find out session times for movies at different cinemas or the bus timetable or price of entry to a music or theatre venue.
Non-digital folk playing dumb
All too often, I hear people (marketers and business people alike) say things to me like “I’m a digital numpty” or “I have no idea about this internet thing” or “I’m hopeless with technology”. These are the reasons that people give me for not having invested in digital marketing channels. I start by asking them a series of questions.
I ask them if they use internet banking. They say yes. I ask them if they make donations online. They say yes. I ask them if they use apps on their mobile smartphone. They usually say yes. I ask them if they use Google to find information. They always say yes. I ask them if they have an email address. They usually have several. I ask them if they think their customers use the internet in these same ways. They say yes.
There is no excuse to claim you don’t understand the digital space, because each and every one of us use it on a daily basis. Even the older generations (who may be the primary audience for some businesses and another excuse why they are late to digital marketing), who supposedly are not comfortable in this space, are using it daily.
There is no excuse for being slow to invest in digital marketing channels. I understand you don’t know how to execute your campaign online, that’s why people like me are here to help you. I know nothing about architecture, so if I want to build a new house, I hire an architect. If an organisation knows its time to get serious about digital marketing, they need to hire an expert to assist them with the process.
Sounds a little like a rant post 😉 – but you make a very good point, you do the things you are good at and hire people that are better than you.
I think people say they are numpty’s because they are embarrassed in a conversation when they seem like they don’t know, or are simply scared of the tech. Mobile has moved far faster than anything we have had before it, so I get that some are naturally wary and cautious, especially when they are really only getting to grips with social now.