Long ago, when the earth was new, sentient beings climbed down from the trees and began their quest to be more mobile. Mobility meant greater access to more diverse resources such as an increased variety and abundance of food and mates. Progress continued towards mobility as these beings eventually raised up on two legs, elevating their heads above the grass lands. This gave them a tactical advantage over other predators, as well as freeing up their hands for other tasks such as making tools and building dwellings.
As this evolution was occurring, there were of course those members of the prehistoric community who refused to accept that times were changing. They were comforted by the familiarity of their setting and stayed in the trees even as their resource were dwindling. Instead of standing up and taking in the view, their vision was obscured and they missed out on opportunities that meant longevity and prosperity.
200,000 years later and society is still striving every day for greater mobility. Though we do not have to guard against being eaten by a saber tooth tiger or trampled by a mammoth, there is still an inherent desire for control over our time and resources and a simple willingness to give something new a try still provides prime opportunity for longevity and prosperity.
This analogy could not be truer for today’s small business owner. Even if you do not make changes that compliment societal development, society will continue to adopt new habits, new tools and progress – without you. If you are seeing a downward trend in your business but you are still focused on traditional media as your means of reaching consumers, it is probably time to consider evolving.
According to Statista, media consumption in the U.S. is shifting away from traditional media while growth of digital technology, especially mobile media continues to climb. This should come as no surprise. All one has to do is look around and see that very few people are without a sentient device in their hand – a smart phone.
Evolution today does not take millennia, instead it happens in megabytes. Marketing gurus, Smart Insights provide their vision on how media usage will continue to morph, by adding Smart televisions and watches into the data mix and with future technology like beacon communication, retailers will not only deliver digital display advertisements to websites consumers visit on desktop, laptop and mobile devices but will communicate directly with individual phones. According to Sabrina Korber of CNBC Retail, beacon technology will allow retailers to enable an app that isn’t even open on a mobile device and alert the owner, announcing a sale, coupon or just welcoming them into their store. Soon our smart phones may be even more evolved than we are.
Mobility today still means greater access to more diverse resources and keeping up with societies ongoing evolution may be the key to preventing the extinction of the small business species. Manning Media Inc. can help keep your business alive by creating a plan that will reach people where they are now and where they are migrating to in the future. Call us in Frederick, 301-620-7700 or in Hagerstown, 301-733-4500 or fill out our online request form by clicking HERE!
The Ever Changing Marketplace: An Advertising Evolution
