Are Your Marketing Strategies Outdated?
Marketing is constantly evolving. New technology is constantly paving the way for new marketing strategies. This often results in older strategies no longer being effective.
Some companies still adopt many of these older strategies, not realising that they could be wasting money. There are times when these strategies are still impactful – but for the most part it’s best to avoid them.
Similarly, there are marketing strategies that everyone should be taking advantage of right now.
Here’s a brief guide to which old strategies you should drop and which new ones you should pick up.
Forget phonebooks
There was a time when companies would pay big money to be featured on the first page of the phonebook. This is because phonebooks were the most convenient business directory of the time.
Nowadays, pretty much no-one uses phonebooks. Online search engines have become the primary place to look up businesses and people are now paying big money to be on the first page of Google.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) companies as found at https://www.seoexplode.com are where you should invest your money. The likes of Google AdWords can also be worth utilising as these tools can feature your site’s listing as an advert at the top of the rankings.
Phonebook advertising is only worth paying for if most of your customer base are of an older generation and therefore less likely to use the internet. This consumer market is shrinking, but there are still some people that haven’t embraced the internet.
Cut out cold calling
Another marketing strategy that has largely fallen out of favour is cold calling. People have always been irritated by sales calls, but nowadays it’s easier to ignore these calls – most phones can warn you of unknown numbers. The ability to opt out of mailing lists and sign up to TPS phone numbers has even made it illegal to cold call businesses in some cases.
Emailing is often viewed as a much less invasive approach. You can also message people directly via sites like LinkedIn. On top of this, there’s also PPC advertising. Such modern strategies tend to get a lot more leads and they’re generally less scary than having to cold call people!
Stop the spam mail
Another strategy that has become less effective is spam mail. This involves unsolicited bulk mailing – either in the form of flyers or emails – in order to try and generate leads.
Nowadays, most people throw physical junk mail straight in the trash. Email spamming is meanwhile often filtered out by modern spam filters (today’s email spam filters are much more rigorous too).
There are times when emailing and sending out physical mail in bulk can be effective – if people have opted in to your mailing list, they’ve chosen to receive that bulk mail and it’s, therefore, less invasive. Similarly directly mailing people with personalised sales emails and letters is also still effective.
Embrace video marketing
Video marketing was traditionally something only large companies could afford. This is because TV was the only real platform for video adverts. There were also a lot less video advertising companies and those that did exist charged a lot for their services.
However nowadays video sharing sites such as Youtube have made video advertising much more possible for smaller businesses. There are also video production companies such as https://www.lemonlight.com/ that provide more affordable services.
Videos have been shown to have a positive impact on leads. They’re particularly useful for putting complex processes into simple terms by using the help of audio narration and animations. They can be shared on Facebook and Twitter, as well as being embedded on your website for maximum exposure.
Social media is still a relatively new marketing medium. In fact, most companies have only adopted it this decade. Despite its newness, it’s now just as important to have as a website and there are already rules on how to use it.
The biggest rule is to keep it fun. When companies first started using social media, many posted heavily promotional content. However, such a strategy has already proven itself to be fairly ineffective. Whilst you should post some promotional content, it’s important to keep the majority of it fun – people use social media for their leisure after all.
Many companies are now using memes, posting polls and using humour. This can often make content much more engaging.
Think mobile friendly
When it comes to digital marketing, it’s also important to think mobile-friendly. The majority of internet users access the web on their phones and so having a mobile-friendly website is important. If you’ve got an older website that hasn’t been updated for a while, you may want to check if it’s mobile compatible and whether you need to hire a developer to build a mobile-friendly version.
It’s worth also embracing other mobile marketing strategies. Apps have become a big form of marketing – they allow you to create a constant reminder of your brand on consumers’ phone and can be used to inspire loyalty. SMS marketing – which involves messaging via text – has also been proven to be more effective than email marketing when used correctly.
Combine the digital and physical world
Digital marketing and physical marketing are no longer two separate spheres. Many modern companies are now bringing them together as internet access becomes more mobile.
Examples include using QR codes on physical marketing to allow easy access to your company website, as well as broadcasting marketing events live on Facebook and Twitter. It’s even possible to approach people on the street with a tablet and encourage competition sign-ups. Keeping the two connected is thought to be the future. If you still use them separately, it could be time to make the merge.
Image Source: Licensed under Creative Commons
How do you market your business? Have you moved with the times or are your marketing strategies outdated? Which of the digital marketing strategies above have you adopted?
