In the 'Brief History of Marketing' post, I wrote about how Modern Marketing is changing, constantly evolving, how this is all happening so fast. There is too much technology to help wade through oceans of data coming from thousands of touch points that all the different people you work with/for leave – both physically and digitally – on a day-to-day basis.

 

A moment of reflection (over the sentence above) and I could have highlighted it then deleted it, knowing some would consider it pretty awful English. However I've left it as it is bar adding in one word. It does tell 'the story' in a reasonable fashion, the story behind the need for conversion. It serves a purpose.

 

I should though add in two more words (before revealing the addition to the second sentence). Those two words go with 'Modern Marketing'. They are 'Modern Management'. As our sector comes to terms with the need to be more efficient than is practically possible, it is marketing that can now help us do this. What marketing can show us integrates with and then supports the modelling then implementation we need to actually do. That marketing is about when people call you, when you meet people in person – and when they use your web site or social media. It is lots of different people.

 

If you haven't Googled Scott Stratten (mentioned at the end of the 'Brief History' post) then this is a link to one of his presentations. It is four years old so you might say and think that it is out of date. I'd though ask you to spend 30 or so minutes (I know you don't have that time – I can only 'ask') watching a presentation by a guru, a bearded Canadian gentleman who always seems to wear a tee shirt, someone whose delivery is direct, sometimes what some would say is rude (but only in an objective way), and whose observational insights uncover (nay expose) some very poor management techniques and decisions.

 

Not to cause any offence (in terms of 'correctness') but there are some of you reading this who simply would not seek or take advice from someone who looks/dresses/presents as Mr Stratten does. If I gave you all a link to a presentation by Joe Pulizzi (considered by many to be the guru of Content Marketing), the sight of a someone dressed in an orange suit would again produce the same instant internal reaction – that for some people that instant impression of his or her dress sense would significantly reduce the likelihood of your seeking their advice. That is if you could afford the services of either gentlemen.

 

Those who are internally put off by Mr Stratten's initial appearance and delivery may well be very different to those who subconsciously reject Mr Pulizzi. For those reading this post in the UK, there will be some whose internalised processes would make a decision based on the fact that Mr Pulizzi is American (and therefore working in a different environment/country), that his work is publicised mainly via the web (ie you've say never seen him at an event or on TV), and that in your locality there is a person you do know who is a social media expert, someone that everyone locally based goes to.

 

Then there is the fact that Mr Pulizzi is 'branded' by his commercial sector work. Our sector has little relationship to this other world so has nothing to learn … or does it?