We see it all of the time on social media: companies unequivocally promoting themselves and their products, trying to disguise a rather obvious agenda within a blog post, or slapping their logo on EVERY SINGLE tweet.
Unless you’re Coca-Cola, Apple or another mega brand with instant brand awareness and a multimillion dollar marketing budget, interruption marketing is, in fact, annoying and intrusive.
There are some companies willing to annoy and intrude upon the majority of people so long as a few of them will go after their bait. But what these companies don’t understand is that interruption marketing doesn’t just bother people; it also detracts them (and potentially their friends) from becoming a new or repeat customer.
Certainly, some marketers think their product or service is so special, so different, that with a heavy dose of marketing and advertising, they can’t possibly imagine how anyone could resist to buy it.
What most companies don’t realize is that today’s competition isn’t just product versus product or company versus company. Today’s competition is about getting and keeping people’s attention, which is being pulled in so many different directions by so many different forces.
Just on social media, companies aren’t only competing with their competitors; they’re competing with everyone’s friends, family members, colleagues, viral videos, memes, and the general phenomenon of content overload.
But don’t worry — not all is lost. There are plenty of opportunities to become or remain relevant in people’s lives, so long as you stopinterrupting and annoying them. The companies that thrive in today’s global, interconnected economy are the ones that ask not what their customers can do for them, but what they can do for their customers.
What added value can you provide to your customers? (Sure, your product or service may be of value, but what value can you add on top of it?)
How can you help your customers become more informed, more educated, more aware, more entertained, more successful, smarter, happier, more interesting, more productive, more of whatever it is they want?
Based in Tel Aviv, Josh is the Head of Marketing & Operations for BlockGroup.
