Where do you place your buys, how much do spend, and at what frequency? The answers used to by very different. You had a dozen different options, years of experience and an instinct of what would work for your brand. Now the game has evolved. It's like comparing the Atari to the Xbox 360. You use to have one button and a joystick. These days you’re presented with a whole new way of gaming. You have multiple buttons, two different joysticks on one controller, and let’s not even go there with the Wii.

In the book Good to Great, by Jim Collins, he writes about a master’s forum for executives that he attended where the themes always seemed to focus on technology and change. He pondered as to why this was a reoccurring theme, and came to conclusion that people are afraid of change. They fear that some new technology will appear without their knowledge, leaving them behind. Everything has become extremely complex. You can advertise in countless magazines, websites, communities, locations, etc. The bright side is that you are not the only one experiencing this. Everyone is in the same situation…even your competition. The key to all of this is what you make of it. Those who saw the trends and got a head start may have a leg up, but things are changing every day. Therefore, it’s not too late to get up-to-speed.

Getting up-to-speed is easy. You have to start by realizing that you will never know everything. Then hire a smart agency. I don’t just mean go out and find an agency that’s current with technology, but go out and find a smart one. A smart agency understands the technology trends, but also more importantly understands your business and all aspects of marketing. If you hire a firm to keep you informed of change, then that’s all they will do. They will look for every opportunity that exists and make recommendations that may not coincide with your brand or business. You need a firm that can lead you through the tangled web of the internet without getting you caught up in it. You also need one that has the right approach.

The right approach simply comes down to tracking and measuring. This has been another overstated comment in recent years, but it’s the only future for marketers unless you have an infinite budget. By tracking each marketing channel, publication, size, etc. you are able to test the waters. The keyword here is test. You will have to test in a lot of places before you even get a clue as to what is working for you. [shameless plug alert] Luckily for you, we are launching a self-serve lead tracking system called Annotrak™ that can track the effectiveness of all marketing channels both online and offline.

As a fully integrated marketing agency that modernizes brands, we have become this new breed of agency that is piecing the fragments back together. The key to our success has been tracking, but more importantly, our knowledge of traditional and online marketing. By comprehending the brand strategy, we fully align brand goals with new technologies and media. We are on top of technology trends, like social and mobile marketing. We can find the right fit for your brand, but only after testing it of course.
So, it’s time to wake up to the New Marketing Econonmy, take a doctor-prescribed valium, and let a wise agency take your troubles away.