Over time, digital marketing has changed to reflect the growing influence of amateurs in the field.
Professionals must combat this flux of lower-quality content, but first it’s necessary to understand the appeal it can hold. Many people are in fact drawn to amateur content, seeing it as authentic. And they have a point: amateur bloggers, YouTube filmmakers, and other content creators are usually creating their work out of passion. They are often unpaid, and the works they create don’t have to please any boss or organization.
Amateur marketing includes the many small business owners treating professional social media the same way they might treat personal social media, posting a mix of things they find interesting for their fans without a larger strategy. In the short term, this may humanize the business and attract followers. But in the long term, the brand is not creating a consistent reputation, nor is it reaching out to a larger, targeted audience.
Professionals have the experience to view the digital marketplace holistically. A professional marketer will prepare an overall strategy for growing and retaining a targeted audience, and use data insights to refine the strategy over time.
All the same, professionals must respond to the growth of amateur content. Many strong digital marketing strategies now solicit user-generated content in order to meld amateur enthusiasm and authenticity with a larger plan.
To succeed, professionals must continue to prove the benefits of experience and training with creative, data-driven campaigns. This month, we’ll continue discussing how professionals can learn from amateurs while still maintaining top quality. Check back on Wednesday for more.
Photo Credit: Unsplash via Pixabay
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