Smart marketers create their own social networks for customers, giving them the opportunity to self-identify and share information.
Introduction
The good news
Secret No. 1: Social Networking
Secret No. 2: Spheres of Influence
Secret No 3: Greed
Finding the easy way or the hard way
As an industry, we're slowly getting better at behavioral targeting. But before we pat ourselves on the back, take a step back and look at just how bad most of our behavioral targeting really is.
Despite advances in technology, segmentation strategies, predictive analysis software and much more, we still don't really know where people are, and what they really want online.
Sure, some customers have told us what we want to know. And there's decent technology that can predict future behavior and purchase decisions based on past activity. But in general, we still do an awful job of getting the right offer in front of the right person at the right time.
What's worse is that as consumers get more and more tech-savvy and wary, they're less and less likely to tell marketers anything about themselves.
As our technology gets better, our customers get more cynical. Five years ago they might have more readily told you what you want to know, but today they're a closed door.
Depressed yet?
Next: The good news