Mark Schaefer shares some insight about the future of marketing. He addresses how the future of branding is no longer an accumulation of advertising impressions – but may depend on an accumulation of human impressions. Being known is not the same as being famous. Being known is about approaching your web presence with an intent that creates the proper authority, reputation and audience to realize your potential and achieve your goals … whatever they might be.

Q. What has led people/businesses to become “less human”?

Technology. We’re obsessed with it.

Technology has become the bane of good marketing. Not because it’s bad, but because it’s so good, so cheap, so fun. It’s intoxicating to buy 100,000 email addresses for 10 bucks. But then you’re spamming and abusing people. Technology has made us lazy marketers and, often, we’re doing things that our customers hate. We have to stop that.

In many cases, technology has raised a barrier between us and our customers. The best use of technology is removing those barriers in a way that makes us more human.

Q. How can businesses make an immediate connection to their customers?

The title of my new book is “Marketing Rebellion: The Most Human Company Wins.” I fully believe that becoming the most human company in your niche will be the key to success.

Find every way you can to show your face, show your smile, your heart, your kindness, your passion. That’s what people will remember and talk about.

Q. What forms of media have most surprised you as successful ways to market and grow a business, and have you noticed a successful template among various types of businesses?

An interesting question! Perhaps I’m more surprised that there isn’t one.

I often joke with my students and clients that the answer to every marketing question is “it depends.” There really aren’t any cookie-cutter answers in the marketing world. Marketing is about serving a customer’s unmet and under-served needs, and there is a lot of variability in those needs.

On a very high level, it probably makes sense for every business to have some social media presence, some helpful content on their website, and some community outreach or engagement. But there really is no template. Standing out in the world today requires non-conformity, not conformity!

Q. What is the most common marketing mistake being made by businesses today?

Probably an over-reliance on social media. With the amount of content noise in the world, it’s getting harder and harder to stand out. Social media has become a hurricane of information. Success means doing something unexpected and meaningful.

I’ve been in marketing more than 30 years and breaking through on social media is among the hardest things to do in the years I’ve been in the business!

Q. What one change can a business make that will have the most impact on its future and its bottom line?

Today, two-thirds of our marketing occurs without us. The customers are the marketers. People don’t believe corporations and ads. They believe each other. They believe what they see posted on social media, what they hear in conversations, what they see in reviews.

So succeeding today requires a new mindset. If the customer is the marketer, how do we help them do their job? What story do we have that is authentic, interesting and relevant that will make them talk about us? What makes our business conversational? Where do we go to start those conversations?

Think about this. At many car washes, people get out of their cars either during the wash or after. This is the single best marketing opportunity for your business to connect with customers in a meaningful way. What are you doing about it?

Q. Where should a car wash business owner look first when trying to figure out if change is needed in order to grow or be more successful?

There has to be a realization that the old ways of marketing are probably not working like they used to. People don’t see ads any more and they certainly don’t believe them.

Advertising is easy because you give an agency money and wait for something to happen. Creating human connections takes more work but has a bigger impact. The days of the marketing ‘easy button’ are over. It’s time to roll up your sleeves and talk to people.

Q. What are the most important concepts car wash owners should explore as they strategize for the growth of their business?

I cover a lot of big ideas in my book, but if I had to pick one, it would be finding some way to turn a car wash into the peak moment of their day. People remember and talk about peak moments. They won’t discuss how much it costs to wash their car or how clean the car was today, but if you do something unexpected to delight them, they will tell their friends.

Q. What is one of your most memorable achievements that illustrations your marketing strategies?

It’s a simple thing, really. I have a place on my site where anybody can sign up for an hour of my time. This one-hour call is an opportunity for me to help people get clear about where the consumer world really is today, how they fit in, and what they can do to succeed as the most human company.

That’s not as glamourous as writing a book or standing on a stage in front of a thousand people, but I absolutely know that I am changing businesses and changing lives. Those little victories are the ones I’ll always remember!