The challenges facing today’s marketers were starkly laid out at yesterday’s Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) East Anglian Autumn Conference.

Whatever sector you operate in, how you reach and influence your audiences is changing. Much has been written about digital marketing, but essentially whichever marcom tactic you are using (advertising, direct marketing, PR, sales promotion or personal selling) there is a digital aspect to it.

However understanding and incorporating digital isn’t the only challenge. John Drummond outlined the opportunities that Social Marketing provide for companies – essentially working with stakeholders to achieve positive change. In a time of recession, growing legislation and global issues such as climate change, social marketing must move up the agenda for the private as well as the public sector.

Turning to technology Phil Eames of iome showed the power that location based services offer to marketers. With smartphones like the iPhone increasingly prevalent being able to deliver targeted information and offers, it truly offers a whole new channel, albeit one that needs to be handled with care.

So how can marketers survive in this brave new world? In my view it is time to go back to basics. Identify your audiences, what makes them tick and from that work out which tactics will best engage with them. Sounds simple but will require a lot of re-educating both internally and with your agencies. Marketing as usual is no longer a feasible option.