Henning: Marketing must embrace digital, social media aspects

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Find more essays from each of the panelists at this year's Economic Forecast Breakfast at http://www.columbian.com/economicforecast

Every business, small or large, must attract new customers and deepen loyalty among current ones if they are going to grow. But today's communications landscape is undergoing seismic shifts, and savvy business owners are changing their marketing strategies to reach the people they depend on for business success.

Migration of marketing efforts from traditional to digital and social is expected to accelerate dramatically, according to nearly every expert. Gone are the days when a big advertising campaign or piles of expensive brochures were commonplace.

Few companies have the budget for a Super Bowl ad, but anyone might post that rare YouTube video that goes viral. It's this level playing field that gives small and midsize businesses opportunities to compete effectively for customers' share of mind and wallet like never before.

Here are five trends and transformations that all businesses, but especially smaller ones, can benefit from in the new marketing paradigm.

Keep your website tuned up. Don't think of that recent website redo as a "one and done" effort. Continue to build out features that keep your content fresh and your technology up to date. As with all things, technological advances make systems and platforms obsolete faster than most businesses can keep up with. A plan that offers ongoing improvements will extend the life of your initial investment.

Everyone's telling your story now, thanks to social media. Surveys say people trust recommendations from friends and colleagues upward of 10 times more than advertisers' claims. What are people saying about your brand on Facebook or on sites like Amazon or Angie's List? And social is not just for consumers anymore; even B2B companies must look to social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter to check the buzz about their company. People tune out traditional advertising and tune in to referrals and recommendations from friends and colleagues. Savvy marketers track feedback and engage in social media to help influence the influencers.

If you aren't doing video yet, you're already late to the party. Video is skyrocketing as the most preferred, most effective way to connect with your customers. Whether you're using 6-second Vine videos, uploading to a YouTube channel, or embedding videos on your website and in your presentations, making video a core part of your marketing plan is a must in 2015.

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Henning: Marketing must embrace digital, social media aspects