Conclusion
We are not alone. And the increasingly global, dynamically competitive world in which we work is only getting faster. But in these changes, as in every turning point, lie opportunities for major growth, differentiation, and business success to the agile marketeer who is able to combine tested traditional approaches with innovative marketing tools.
Marketing is about helping your company make better decisions. To make better decisions, you need to understand your market and where it is going. In addition, it means listening to your customers more intimately and leveraging new and traditional methods for analysis. Market research combined with evaluating what needs are and are not met in the market and with your product are critical elements in understanding your customer better. New areas for research, such as ethnography, require that the decision-making process is evaluated. Online communities, bloggers, and product review sites will continue to flourish and are important insight into what your customers want. The new informed and collaborative buyer provides a peek into what used to be “water cooler” conversation. In fact, with this new buyer, individual segmentation needs to be investigated.
Explore these avenues to assist you in market leading segmentations and go global sooner than later. Assess your company’s capability to be a player in the flat world!