(Newswire.net — September 10, 2017) — Traditional marketing is often assumed to be a declining industry. However, the Outside Advertising Corporation of America recently reported that out-of-home advertising, such as billboards and posters, grew 4.6% to $7.3 billion in 2016.
That’s not to say that digital marketing is irrelevant, far from it! However, an effective strategy in the 21st century can (and should) involve both mediums, tapping into social media as well as those who don’t regularly use the internet.
Here are 4 ideas that will help you get started.
Email Marketing
With email marketing, you should always tailor emails to the customer. With a tailored approach, you can build a rapport with potential clients, improving your brand image and helping to build trust.
It also has application in B2B marketing. Business pages often contain a lot of useful information, such as which employees are responsible for marketing. This means you can target individuals that are more likely to respond – assuming you put in the time to conduct a little research.
Emails are also easy to track, which allows you to test a campaign and see exactly how effective it is. Basic email analytics software can show you who has responded, and to what, allowing you to refine your strategy on the fly.
Print Media
Many magazines and newspapers are still widely circulated; however, they often have a limited amount of ad space. Even if you do manage to grab some prime space, your advert will likely be in competition with other businesses selling similar products. You could even end up losing interest.
Printed brochures alleviate this problem. If taking this approach make the content short, snappy and informative, supporting it with images where appropriate. This helps to spread a positive image of your brand and makes people more likely to pass on the information. It is often said that word-of-mouth is the most powerful marketing strategy of them all.
Cold Calling
Cold calling has got a lot of bad press, but it can be highly effective. Like email marketing, businesses can tailor their approach to a specific audience. Looking up customers in the telephone directory or on LinkedIn can yield great results. Fundamentally, calling a customer with some basic information about them and giving them a human voice to talk to allows you to create a connection, building trust and loyalty.
In fact, cold calling can be used in conjunction with email marketing. “Warm calling” involves informing the potential client through social media or email that you are going to call. This gives them a chance to look up your business and decide whether of not they want to speak to you. Not only does this save you time, but it shows that your business is both responsible and considerate.
Newsletters
Newsletters are unique in that they are specifically requested by the customer. When your business signs someone up to a service or sells a product, you can give them the option of receiving a newsletter. If they don’t want it, they simply don’t have to sign up; therefore, anybody that does is more likely to read the contents.
Like printed brochures, newsletters need to be engaging and provide a lot of information within a small amount of space. Including relevant images and informative content ensures that the customer will do further research.