Get Ready for the Brave New Advertising World

According to a study from IBM, major shifts are expected in the advertising landscape over the next five years. In Entrepreneur.com’s “The End of Advertising: What Will It Mean for You,” Carol Tice shares some of the study’s key findings and provides ideas on how small business can manage -- and succeed -- in this changing landscape.

Read on to discover the seismic advertising shifts and how you can capitalize on them:

Selective Focus: Consumers are gaining control of how they interact with advertising. They can filter out ads from websites or television that they don’t want and have greater access to advertisements through many different channels.

• Tip: Follow Your Consumer. If most of your customers communicate through email, you should be reaching out to them in that manner.

The Democratization of Creativity: User-generated content, social networking and peer-sharing sites, such as Facebook and Youtube, allow consumers to share information and even create their own ads (both positive and negative) about products. While this can make it more difficult for brands to control their image, Tice says it stimulates audience creativity and can build increased brand loyalty.

• Tip: Help Consumers Get Creative. Encourage customers interact with your brand in innovative ways. Jewelry Information Center’s “Jewelry Stories” is a great example of how jewelers can encourage creativity and remind people why they love jewelry.

Results Pressure: With the growth of pay-per-click, advertising is becoming highly measurable and results-oriented.

• Tip: Measure to Success. Take advantage of this approach by measuring results of an ad campaign, and then adjust your approach accordingly.