I Hate To Say It But Digital Marketing Is Vastly Over-Rated

As an entrepreneur, salesperson or marketer, you’ve likely embraced digital marketing.
You’re making videos. You’re on social media. You’re creating content: blog posts, white papers, and infographics because digital marketing is the way to reach a global audience.
Digital marketing is effective, inexpensive, and very efficient.
But maybe digital marketing is overblown. Maybe too many brands and marketers are hiding behind their computers, hoping a strong digital presence will translate into leads and sales.

In talking to a growing number of entrepreneurs, I believe digital marketing is part of the corporate mix but it needs to be balanced by real marketing. By that, I mean real-world marketing, which happens when you’re out there creating relationships and making connections.
Earlier this week, I was at a conference that brought together investors and entrepreneurs. I spent five hours in the basement of a major hotel. And what struck me is the power of personal connections. In five hours, I had 10 to 15 conversation, many of them with people I already knew. It generated five coffee meetings and a bunch of ideas about how I could do marketing better or differently and how I can relate to brands in different ways.
In other words, the ROI from five hours of personal networking was tremendous.
It reminded me that you have to network. Whether you’re a marketer, salesperson or entrepreneur, you have to be out there: coffee meetings, events, conferences, whatever it takes to establish your brand and message.
In a world in which it is so easy to create digital content, there’s a tsunami of information. It is hard to capture the spotlight.
You’re producing content but so is everybody else. So how do you how do you make a difference? How do you make an impact? How do you stand out from the crowd?
The answer is straightforward: you make personal connections. I believe the marketing pendulum is swinging back to personal marketing. It’s about establishing relationships you can nurture, deals you can close, and making business happen.
If you are an entrepreneur, marketer, or a salesperson, here’s some advice: get out of the office, stop typing and start talking.
You need to meet with people and make sure your story is shared in the real world. It will deliver a healthy balance of digital and analog and make your marketing, sales, and branding much more effective.

Does your B2B technology company need to attract more high-quality leads? I can jump-start your marketing powered by storytelling. My services include the development of marketing plans, strategic messaging, brand storytelling,  and content marketing. Let’s have a conversation!