Deep down most people, even professional marketers, will tell you that they are tired of the constant stream of marketing that clutters nearly every corner of our lives. And we don't really like being sold to either. Ever told a retail worker you're "just looking" as a response to an offer of assistance? Recorded a television show so you can skip the commercials? Changed the radio station during the commercial break?

More than ever before technology lets us select the kinds of experiences we have throughout our day. We can see, hear, and do what we want, when we want, and how we want it. Best of all we can do all of those things without the pesky interruption of advertising. This is great for us as consumers, but what is a marketer to do?

Stop bothering people already

If people don't like being bothered then why do marketers do it? For starters, we always have. In fact we used to call it advertising because it was largely about the advertisement, and less about the market. Another reason--until recently it worked quite well.

Now though, because we don't like to be bothered to the tune of somewhere between 2000-5000 ads per day, we've developed sophisticated ways to tune out advertising. The market is dictating that we change our tactics. People don't want to be pestered, and they don't care about your ads.

Instead, try being helpful

If people ignore ads, don't watch commercials, and no longer subscribe to the local paper, how can we market to them? We have to change the way we think about marketing.

People still spend money and they still give to charities, but how do they decide how they'll do that without the help of advertising? I know I turn to Google, and I'm not alone. The overwhelming majority of people research products, services, and charities online before making decisions. Ultimately they trust themselves more than advertising.

What good marketers do today is provide useful tools to their customers to help them to make their own decisions. This can come in the form of content like blogs, podcasts, and YouTube channels. It also can involve easier access to service and support, possibly through online chat or forums.

We call it Inbound Marketing

Instead of interrupting, pestering and otherwise inserting ourselves into the lives of countless unwilling people, we can be helpful to just the right people and they'll come to us.

People want to make their own choices, so help them to choose you.

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