Marketers: It’s So Important To Learn About Tech

My last business venture had given me exposure in various offline  advertising components – print, guerrilla, brochures etc. But online? A website and a Facebook fan page were the only things I got. It was tough back then without understanding how these online media work; let alone use them as a communication outlet.

Consequently, my website and Facebook page were neglected and slowly turned into ghost towns. It was last summer that I decided to face the problem and really learn more about online marketing.

What I did.

Back then, the digital company I interned at didn’t offer social media solutions and I was tasked (alone!) to research and come up with a set of possible “products” to offer to clients. The learning curve was obviously steep and sleepless nights became routine. It wasn’t the normal “HAHA” Facebook status update we’re talking about here. It was about using these tools for corporate communications, customer relations, branding and ROI.

…Long story short, within the span of 3 months, we had a couple of deals from renowned brands. Thankfully, it wasn’t just social media I was dealing with. I had hands-on experience with Google Adwords and Yahoo advertising, web design and search engine optimization (SEO). It all made formulating an integrated digital marketing campaign so much easier. I don’t claim to be the expert in digital marketing but at the very least, I know how the tools work and how they can fit into a marketing plan.

Tech is important for marketers

We’re witnessing more people going online and mobile. These are trends that will continue to grow exponentially. As marketers, it is inadequate to just know about traditional media. They are certainly still relevant but to make ourselves even more in tune with today’s trend, tech is crucial. What’s happening on the social media and Pay Per Click advertising horizon have to be within our fingertips to offer the best to clients.

For example: do you know that Facebook has imposed restrictions on how businesses can use it to run contests?

I urge all marketing students or current marketing professionals to start preparing for the future. Check out this video by @Equalman, depicting the social media trend.

Note: I understand this post might not be relevant to Penn Olson’s tech savvy readers. Please forward this to friends in the marketing or communication professional who need some convincing.

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