At Setup, we regularly interview marketing leaders from different industries ranging from Healthcare to Entertainment. Having periodic conversations with marketing leaders not only helps us keep a pulse on every industry, but reveals common trends and challenges that all marketers are facing. 

In our latest feature exploring the Technology industry, Co-Founder and CEO of ReaLift LLC, Ronald Dod, shares his observations and insights. 

1. What innovative changes are happening in the Technology space? What changes made are going to remain permanent moving forward? 

Although AI is a hot topic, Dod comments about how the accessibility of technology makes everyone a potential competitor. 

“Everyone wants to talk about AI, but I see more commoditization and competition in the technology space. It's never been easier to build technology, and we'll see many new players enter the market and try to gain market share from larger technology organizations. We'll see more innovation in niche categories (we work solely with online d2c footwear merchants), which will be a big win for brands.”

2. Are there other industries or companies outside of this industry that you have looked to for inspiration + why? 

“We've looked at many offline organizations and companies that, in turn, helped us build an online technology. For instance, we looked at processes on how in-store fitting worked for footwear to make our online virtual footwear sizing platform!”

Dod is able to inform his online efforts by observing customer behavior and utilizing data from the offline efforts. Using brick and mortar examples as a tool to elevate ecommerce efforts is a useful strategy for all marketers. There are other versions of this methodology. For example, some marketers use different social platforms to test the success of their email campaigns or subject lines. It’s most important to observe what resonates with the customer, and act from there. 

3. How have the last few years + virtual methods impacted the Technology industry? 

“I see the technology industry moving towards digital. I've seen companies raising money to build VR floor plans for home builders for instance. Technology will create more streamline processes and ultimately benefit all companies and workers alike.” 

Dod’s view of the tech industry is that it is growing and will only continue to do so to benefit all parties involved. In a recent Setup Women’s Event, we touched on the advancement of technology like AI, AR, data, and more trends. You can read about it here. 

4. What marketing lessons can other industries learn from the Technology space? 

“There are so many, but one I can point to is being deliberate with your target audience and targeting them specifically. If you are outreaching to the wrong people, not only does it waste your time, but it wastes theirs as well.” 

Outreach for the sake of outreach helps no one. Anyone in the marketing business should have a sense of their audience preferences and behaviors. 

Turns out the Technology industry is extremely human-centric because marketers need to know what their audience wants in order to invest the right resources to meet demand. We interview marketing professionals regularly to get their thoughts on their industry, as well as what they’re keeping an eye on. Subscribe to the newsletter below to never miss an update, and check out other industry blogs below.