Studies by marketing consultancy firms and a global study by researchers at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) measured that in most developed countries, more than 90% of millennials (people born after 1980) are digital natives, with South Korea leading the way at 99.6%.
The term ‘digital native’ was coined by Marc Prensky, an education consultant, in 2001. A digital native is someone raised in a digital, media-saturated world as opposed to a digital immigrant who was introduced to digital technology as an adult.
By the year 2025, millennials will come to fuel approximately 75% of the U.S. workforce, and worldwide this generation will account for 50% of those employed. That means almost half of the global workforce will be digital natives in less than five years.
As we move forward, the proportion of digital natives to digital immigrants will be even higher. And, more digital immigrants will assimilate seamlessly into the digital world and be just as comfortable as a native.
Economic and technological shifts in the digitally evolving world have essentially changed how digitally savvy customers buy. As the number of digital natives and digitally assimilated customers increase, there is a need for businesses to evolve and adapt to these changes to survive.
As the world continues to move online, businesses cannot reply on traditional marketing efforts to engage consumers.
Traditional marketing such as direct mailing, events, tradeshows & conferences, offline advertising and media public relations are not enough to connect with today’s customers since many them are online and not even paying attention to offline media.
Having said that, a strictly digital marketing approach is not all-encompassing as well. Ideally, digital marketing, which includes, website design and development, paid advertising, search engine optimization, social media marketing and content marketing should be paired up with traditional marketing.
This is known as hybrid marketing, a combination of traditional and digital marketing.
As the lines between marketing, customer experience and sales channels are increasingly blurred, customers expect a consistent and seamless experience interacting with brands from all channels, platforms and devices.
A hybrid marketing strategy uses technology and digital transformation to engage, connect and create customer experiences across marketing, sales, customer service, product, operations and throughout the entire company.
There are ways offline media and methods can reach and engage with customers that digital marketing cannot. And, vice versa. Hybrid marketing means utilizing the best resources that will prove to be the most effective and generate the highest ROI.
From a strategic perspective, a business’ overall marketing strategy must be a hybrid one. This simply means thinking both traditionally and digitally as you develop your strategy.
If you are creating a digital product, think how offline channels and media can improve the customer experience. Likewise, if you are developing a traditional physical product or offer an offline service, utilize digital platforms to enhance the customer’s experience transacting with your brand.
Here are some simple examples of hybrid marketing tactics used in communication and building brand equity:
- Sending a direct marketing letter or flyer to prospects and following up with an email that directs them to a website.
- Paid ads on Facebook or Instagram that lead to a booking page to make an appointment for a free session for a service.
- Organizing a road show in a mall and encouraging people to sign up by scanning a QR code with their mobile phones.
Engaging in hybrid marketing means you need hybrid marketers on your team. You could also engage a hybrid marketing consultant
If you are looking to hire a hybrid marketer for your team or engage a hybrid marketing consultant, like Evolve & Adapt, a hybrid marketing consultancy firm in Singapore. Regardless, be sure to look beyond the traditional resume checklist items and dive deeper into their experience and background.
Finding hybrid marketers may not be as straight forward as looking through CVs or LinkedIn profiles. Most hybrid marketers are hybrid professionals because they have a variety of experiences and skills, in both formal education and professional experience.
