Grass Roots: its where the campaign begins

The digital revolution has paved the way for anyone to communicate and create a running dialogue with anyone worldwide. Actually the word ‘anyone’ is misplaced, in fact ‘anyone’ in this context should be followed by – with a computer or internet platform device.

A massive divide still remains between the primary markets and secondary/tertiary markets. The Digital Britain report published last month (June 2009) identified the need for the UK to invest heavily in telecom infrastructure to improve the availability of the internet as well as digital services to throughout the UK. The report argues that individuals and businesses will be helped to join, grow and thrive as part of the global economy online.

Unfortunately the web is no place for this discussion – why?? Because the people concerned are not IT literate, do not have a stable internet connection and do not live and breathe the world wide web.

When you see all these stats about the number of people using social networking, writing blogs, having Twitter accounts, have a look next time where there source come from. Is it an online marketer? Is it a digital company? Do the words ‘XX% of users online have a ‘Facebook’ account? The answer – most probably!

* More than 250 million active users
* More than 120 million users log on to Facebook at least once each day
* More than two-thirds of Facebook users are outside of college
* The fastest growing demographic is those 35 years old and older

Therefore all this data is unrepresentative. Until you truly know how your buyers and customers feel how can you build a campaign around them to get more people following you. Online analysts can lay claim that behavioural marketing is about understanding what people browse across the internet, their age and how you can target them. But unfortunately, this data and analysis rarely incorporates users interactions beyond the web. You will be presented with user paths showing what websites they went to and from and the type of products they bought.

Analysing user behaviour should also understand the reasons why they are there Are they buying a present for a loved one? Themselves? Is this research for work, a hobby or in utter boredom?

For example, my grandma is now using a laptop, and has been for just over a year. The initial prospect of using the internet three years ago was met by one of uncertainty and fear. As a family, with our grandparents heading to Spain to live for a year – the internet offered us a way to keep in contact. Today, after spending time sitting with her – she can search and book her own flight tickets, use email and research properties to purchase. In little over a year, my grandma is now using the internet – but after several years of persuasion.

Our persuasion was communicated through traditional communication methods;
1. Sitting with her and talking about the internet and computers
2. Telling her what we had done online
3. Showing her how to use it
4. Reshowing her how to use it
5. Showing her again and helping her every time we visit
Now my grandma is a proficient internet user and starting to discover new things herself with my grandfather sat beside her looking at her confused as she strokes her fingers across a board of buttons with loads of randomly presented letters!

Getting back to grass roots is a necessity for all businesses during the digital ‘evolution’. You need to understand how the digital world fits into their private life. Asking why they go online, will help understand how they will access you. As part of our process to encourage people online, we need to ask how do we remove their fears?

Furthermore, digital lifestyles change culture – people’s values and priorities change, so how do they fit in with your service or product. Are you making a sale because it’s a great product, is it making the buyer feel good, or is it a necessity?

Understanding where your customers come from is essential if you are to make any impact and grow. Maintaining those customers is also very important. How are you going to create customer loyalty from these newfound customers?

And finally – just because you found this service, customer, product, business or whatever online – does it mean that your relationship is purely electronic?

Take a step away from the PC and find out how people still live without it – find out what their values are and how they can achieve what they want without web-land!

Understanding your publics is public relations.