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The notion of marketing has undergone a tremendous change since its modest beginnings
as a discipline whose sole purpose is to generate and support sales. As companies grew to
realize that customers need to be interacted with not only in the run-up to a deal, but nearly
at all times so that they develop a deeper, lasting bond with them, marketing expanded well
beyond its initial bounds. Nowadays, the field encompasses much more than just bringing a
product or service to the market. It starts with detailed market research, proceeds to complex
branding initiatives and ends with customer relationship management, a territory far greater
than it used to be.
Marketing techniques are changing at a blistering pace as well. Most companies find it hard
to keep up with an evolving market without resorting to marketing consulting or investing
in professional development of their in-house teams. As technology offers new ways of
interaction between people, marketing experts need to take heed in order not to stay behind
as people's interests shift from one medium to another, from one trend to another, from one
fascination to another.
Recent years, for example, have witnessed an expansion of the Internet as a marketing tool,
a development which is transforming the way companies interact with existing and future
customers. Much more than a short-term fad, it is bound to shape marketing for years to
come.
According to marketing consulting experts, key trends to watch and join at the moment are
social media, mobile marketing, localized marketing, online reputation management, cross-
promotion and joining co-marketing initiatives.
Tapping the potential of the social media, like Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, is essential as
people have embraced these utilities with uncanny enthusiasm. They tend to spend increasing
amounts of leisure time interacting with each other over such networks, so having a strong
presence there can translate into more visibility and more business. As the web becomes
ubiquitous and hand-held devices come with Internet functionality, marketing needs to
penetrate this area for meaningful interactions. It might be integrated with such technologies
as geotargeting, localized promotions or branded apps for increased effectiveness. The variety
of channels makes it necessary to approach them with a strategic plan, launching cross-
promotional initiatives, involving blogs, social media, mobiles and the rest of the Internet.
Surely, possibilities for marketing are nearly boundless these days.
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marketing consulting that captures the essence of where the discipline is headed.
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