Dan Nedelko : Internet Marketer

Updated: 1/9/2007 - this was initially a post however I've decided to convert this into a static page since it is generating continued interest among readers. I'll continue to expand this into a series of articles since everyday it seems to gain continued relevance. I'd love to get your comments and feedback!

I believe in many things. One of which is that internet marketing is in fact disruptive marketing. I'll jump in on the definition I'm using for disruption in a moment.

Technologies which change the way in which we interact, live our lives, communicate, purchase, consume and make decisions are disruptive technologies.

Currently search engines, blogs, social networks and similar technologies are disrupting traditional marketing plans and efforts:

• Tivo can delete all television commercials
• P2P file sharing does not *require* you to purchase music
• Blogs give customers a venue of communication which is simple, effective and powerful
• Search engines like Google allow users to find information in their own way
• Skype does not require one to purchase long distance service (this one is particularly interesting...)

Those are 4 simple examples. There are hundreds more. The venue of the internet is currently the vehicle which facilitates the disruptive force however there are many more disruptive vehicles.

Most recently with the execution of Saddam Hussein we are seeing cell phone cameras disrupting politics, journalism and in fact marketing - YouTube has become a force, cell phone manufacturers are causing massive ripples. It does beg the question: How do they now appeal and market their disruptive technology?

We as users hold the control, we decide what we want to see, how we want to see it, what we then want to do with it and how we want to comunicate it.

I am not an SEO (well er...yeah) , I understand the power of the disruptive force of search at the moment. This will not always be the case; the market, the tool and the user will mature and another disruptive technology will come into action.

Given that disruptive technologies are giving us as consumers the power to affect large organizations then disruptive marketing techniques are required in order to properly communicate to the audience. Disruptive marketing is not spam, spyware or anything so incredibly obtuse.

Disruptive marketing follows disruptive technologies. It's genuine, honest and effective. Search Engine Optimization is a form of disruptive marketing. We ensure the site has the ability to be indexed and ranked properly, in order to do that we need alot of things: content, design, links (in and out)...

I keep oversimplifying the examples, there is much more to an effective SEO and SEM strategy than what I've outlined above...back to it:

Users will be able to find targeted information for whatever it is they are looking for. These users will then find your business. You've built trust on that simple fact alone, if you have good content that relates to the user's search, give that person what they want and maybe make them an offer to participate in your business then you have a fairly solid chance of successful selling to them.

I've over simplified this, but I hope that fundamentally you see my point. One of the other things about disruptive marketing. It moves, it moves fast, it is ongoing, and extremely competitive.

Once you begin disruptive marketing practices, you can never stop which is distinctly different than traditional marketing in which the lines of campaigns have more definitive start and stop dates.

Disruptive marketing is the future, SEO is a form of this marketing and there are more coming. I would also like to make one thing very clear: traditional marketing is not going anywhere, I'm not a traditional marketer and I know many many individuals who are phenominal at these more familiar techniques. It has also been argued that the terms New Marketing and Marketing should be used to segment and define the practices we are discussing.

At the end of the day these are semantics and realisitically we are not only discussing the venues for marketing (ie cellphones, public internet, video games, etc) we are in fact talking about how we market to the consumer.

Through developing a strong strategic disruptive marketing program now, an extremely powerful new form of communication will open up for your business. You will be speaking with your consumer rather than at them. You will be creating the need and the desire for the consumer to in fact consume your product or service.

Funny thing is we are all consumers, in particular as a marketer and a consumer at the same time begs the question: Do you believe in the product you market?

If you don't then you need to at least understand why someone would believe in that product.