You will have heard the recent news about the closure of big names on the UK High Street, including HMV, Blockbusters and Jessops.

Shops are dying. Advertising is dying. Newspapers are dying. Email is dying. Landlines are dying. Cinema is dying. Greeting cards are dying.

Technology is taking over and businesses are beginning to realise that they need to embrace it or get left behind.

Most people who attend our social media course have a business that is trying to sell a product or a service.

Until the beginning of 2009, social media wasn’t really on the radar for businesses. Now, it’s a mainstream channel of communication for all of us who want to market something. It’s essential to keep up-to-date with the trends, opportunities and risks.

Even the internet as a whole has only been used (well) as a marketing and selling platform for the last 15 years or so. You can learn how to use it to your advantage with our Internet Marketing Training Courses.

Together, the internet and social media will continue to shape the world around us, so let’s take a look at what changes they’re bringing about.

RIP Shops

These days, people go to a store to view the goods they might want to buy, then use their smartphone to shop around for the best price and buy online.

Customers are not stupid. Rather than mourn the demise of the High Street store, remember, there was a time not so long ago when there were no shops – people used to wheel their wheelbarrow through streets broad and narrow shouting ‘cockles and mussels’ etc. In some parts of the world, that’s still the case!

If they want to survive, today’s shops need to be more creative with the experience they offer the customer. And they certainly need to get on board with ecommerce. Amazon and eBay are taking over the retail world!

RIP Advertising

Traditional advertising has changed from shouting ‘Buy me!’ at people, to a softer sell approach.

How many times have you clicked ‘skip ad’ in front of a YouTube video? Have you ever clicked an ad on Facebook?

Do you prefer to use the organic search engine listings like most people do, rather than the pay-per-click ads in the margin?

Rather than pay for advertising, it’s better to build relationships via social media. And it’s (mostly) free. Read our post on Social Business for more information on the topic.

RIP Newspapers

There’s a trend called ‘citizen journalism’ where ordinary people are making the news.

For example, when the Haiti earthquake occurred in 2010, people on the spot could tweet photos that were quickly passed around the world.

Obviously this started happening way before any BBC professional could fly there and do an ‘official’ report.

An instant medium such as Twitter is a great way to keep your finger on the pulse.

RIP Email

One of the attendees on our social media course had recently recruited a 22-year-old who’d never used email. He only used Facebook messaging and text messaging (SMS) on his mobile phone. How he will get on in the world of work where we are still emailing like mad is anybody’s guess!

For some of us, email is a relatively new innovation, but this youngster saw it as ‘old-fashioned technology’. It’s true that the majority of people now check email on a mobile device rather than a desktop or laptop.

Instead of email or phone, Twitter is fast becoming the number route for consumer complaints and customer service for brands.

RIP Landlines

On the subject of mobile devices, hardly anyone uses a landline any more.

I get so many free minutes on my smartphone that I’d be a fool to pay to make landline calls. My landline provider has cottoned on to this, and now charges me a top-up fee if I don’t spend enough on calls each month. Bah.

Does your website work properly on a mobile device? If not, half your potential viewers won’t be able to see it. Some even argue a mobile-first approach is necessary when designing a site.

RIP Cinema

The experience of going to the cinema, with the rustling of crisp packets and stench of popcorn, may soon be a thing of the past.

My local cinema runs adverts in an attempt to boost attendance and is applying for a bar licence to extend use of the building. I hope it survives, but I doubt it.

With the advent of LoveFilm and similar, most people download what they want to watch, when they want to watch it. It seems your DVDs can soon be packed away along with your old video tapes, as people begin to pay for access instead of ownership.

RIP Greeting Cards

As you probably know, Clinton’s is another High Street name that’s gone into administration. You do have to wonder how sustainable their business can be when the unit price is low and you can get an alternative service online at the likes of Moonpig that includes individual personalisation.

An ordinary greeting card now costs two or three pounds, while a second-class stamp is 50p. The cost of posting cards can certainly add up.

In 2012, I sent half the number of Christmas cards I used to. I sent a number of e-cards instead, but noted that more than half of those weren’t opened (probably because people worry about spam).

I also sent a special Christmas issue of my monthly tipsheet to my business contacts. Tipsheets (otherwise known as newsletters) can be a great way to keep in touch with your network, remind them you exist and are thinking of them, and ensure you’re at the front of their mind when they want to buy what you offer (or know someone who does).

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internet marketing, marketing, smartphones, social media, technology

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