Unbecoming your parents…
Unbecoming your parents…
The Progressive commercial that has a fictional depiction, but a scary reality check for what’s coming with advertising and marketing standards…
Have you seen it?
It’s all about a fictional character, Dr. Rick, who is a self-help guru trying to stop adults from becoming like their parents.
The tagline is, “Just because you have to be home, doesn’t mean you have to become your parents.”
Click here to watch a video montage of the commercials.
You may be wondering why I’m bringing this up?
Well, the videos portray a fictional/not so fictional scenario and…it’s about to become more real than you think…
Why is that?
The death of 3rd party tracking, which uses personal information collection of web surfers to help advertisers target them more effectively, is about to change digital marketing and online advertising forever.
The death of 3rd party tracking is about to change digital marketing and online advertising forever.
I’ve been geeking out on this for a couple of months now, wondering what the next tracking method was going to end up being…and when anyone geeks out what do they do?
They tell their spouse/partner about it!
Funny enough, my husband laughed and said, “I just read about that. Someone was complaining about how they were at their parent’s house, and then they got bombarded with soap advertisements. Problem was, it was their mother’s favorite soap and not theirs.”
Funny, huh? Coincidence? Nope…that it is not…
There’s testing out there being done by Google called Federal Learning of Cohorts (FLoC), which is basically putting people into groups based on similar browsing behaviors, and ID’ing them that way…versus what cookies have been doing, ID’ing based on the individual user.
So, you are being targeted by advertisements that those you love, know and are around the most… are browsing and buying.
If you’re trying to not be like your parents…
…but you hang out at their house
Chances are you’re going to get advertisements like them 😛
And that may just cause, “Stains that won’t wash away…” no matter how many bars of your moms soap you end up buying…lol
Ok, in all seriousness, this is concerning for small business owners. Because there’s more playing behind the scenes then just this new testing being done by Google.
- You’ve got privacy laws everywhere.
- You’ve got Apple’s iOS privacy initiatives.
- And Facebook is even developing new ways to target people based on what ads they click on using their phones (be careful what you click on folks)…
While yes, people may start gaining more control on how their data is used (I’m all for that), the alternatives may be even more annoying and sink profits online for everyone.
But you know who will bounce back? The giants that are working on the privacy initiatives.
Which means…a massive increase in ad spend.
Your favorite products and services you buy…are about to increase in price.
Because the more a client costs to acquire, the more the items will cost to buy for the consumer.
So, business owners are going to have to…
– Keep up and increase ad spend
– Find alternative ways to market without advertising
– Or close up shop…
For the small business owner…the only answer to this dilemma is going to be alternative ways of marketing.
And there’s lots of ways to do that.
One of the big ones is becoming a creator and a creator of content.
LinkedIn is an amazing place to do that and with the changed they are making (and we’re talking a lot of changes; even last week a major change happened) they are set up to be a content creator’s dream going into 2022.
TikTok is another platform to investigate if you want to build out your creator’s platform. Doesn’t matter the size of your business, it’s great to build a following and a large platform in record time. Get good at what you’re good at and get it on camera in creative and new ways. We’ve started building on TikTok and have lots of great information to come on how to be successful with it.
What’s another way to market? If you haven’t yet, start building solid relationships with complimentary business owners. The best form of marketing still is and always will be referral marketing. With the pivot into digital and online, networking groups and events are a plenty. Find one with complimentary business owners and find ways to work with them and create the triple wins (win for them, win for you, and win for your audiences).
Start building solid relationships with complimentary business owners. The best form of marketing still is and always will be referral marketing.
Not that this wasn’t an essential before, now it’s imperative…Business owners will need to nail down who their ideal client is, and what solutions they have for them that are a ‘right now’ needs. This isn’t the time to be broad, and this isn’t the time to serve/sell to everyone. Niching down may be the go-to for many people who are teaching business, but there’s a reason why. It’s easier to sell and speak to the one than it is to the many, and you’ve got to get equally great at your messaging as you do your niching down.
Get creative with your messaging and start thinking outside the box. Content isn’t just meant to be words or photos or videos, it’s meant to inspire, activate, and educate too. For some, writing when you’re inspired is the way to go, and for others a plan and checklist is the way to go. The biggest thing with content is being consistent with it.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ways to market and shift your business plans in 2022. One thing is for sure…your marketing can not be stagnant.
If you’re looking for creative ways to market in 2022, we’ve got you covered. Simply DM me and ask about them or click here and grab a spot on my calendar to talk about our offerings.
Until next time…happy ‘unbecoming’ of your parents (and your old marketing),
Danielle
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Danielle Fitzpatrick Clark is lovingly referred to as America’s Favorite Digital Disruptor. She doesn’t just live, breath, and sleep digital marketing, she embodies the constant shifts and pivots needed to create long-lasting businesses in the online space.
Her company Influence Builder is all about bringing the human element to the online tech and digital space. Specifically focused on helping the lesser-known experts and thought leaders, Influence Builder shows them how to break out of the noise, create powerful platforms, and thriving businesses so they can spread their mission and message to the world. This is the bridge where disruptors disrupt and build with authentic influence.
