Effective Marketing in a New Day
Updated: Feb 11, 2021
Marketing has changed exponentially over the past decade due to social media. A business owner no longer has to cast a wide, expensive net in the hopes of catching a few customers who need their products and services. Now, hooking your perfect customer requires less, yet more precise, efforts.
Newspaper advertising. Best for companies selling products and services to the 65+ sector. This customer still enjoys reading the paper in the morning with a cup of coffee. The best ad placements are the front page, sports, political, or obituary sections. It is imperative to speak directly to the customer in your ad. For example, if I were advertising a new workout class my gym was offering to Senior Citizens, I might showcase low impact, display the mid-morning time this group prefers, have a picture of someone in their age range working out, and throw in something fun like “show the young ones working out is more than taking a selfie in the gym mirror.”
Billboard advertising. Best for national brands or municipalities. Some businesses in larger cities will also benefit from advertising on billboards. This advertisement should be time sensitive and specific. For instance, if you own a theater, you might benefit from taking out a billboard ad to showcase an upcoming feature. On the billboard, you would display a picture of the feature along with the name and a quick, easy to remember website to send the traveler to. Remember, billboards must be quick reads!
TV and Radio ads. Best for national brands. I get push-back from new clients on this, but I stand by my concrete belief television ads are a waste of time and money for small business owners. There are too many stations and times to narrow down to your customer base. In today’s age, there are much more efficient and cost-effective mediums to use.
Social media. Best place for small business owners to spend their marketing dollars. With so many options, which are the best?
Facebook is best for customers 35 years and older. As of now, there is no medium
better for target marketing than Facebook. You need to run ads on specific services
and/or products you are wanting to move.
Instagram is best for 18 to 35 years old. Create a business page with Instagram then link your account to your Facebook business page. This feature allows you to make your daily posts on Instagram, then it automatically updates to your Facebook page. Facebook and Instagram pages will need to be more laid back and fun. However, m
LinkedIn is best for professionals. As a business consultant, I would spend most of my time and money on LinkedIn. The platform is expanding their services to offer much of what Facebook does. LinkedIn is quickly replacing cold calling and email communication in the business world as well.
Twitter, Tic Toc, etc. are a waste of time as far as advertising dollars and building a customer base. However, you can still use these mediums to connect with your customers and have fun; especially if those customers are 25 and under.
On all your social medium platforms, keep posts specific and as few words as possible. Make sure your videos are less than 3 minutes. Share relevant information from other sources and make sure your ads, posts, and videos look professional, yet still connect with the audience in an authentic manner. Always include a way to contact you as well as your website address. If customers must dig for information, it will come across as too salesy.
Create opportunities for dialog with your customers. Make posts that asks questions. Do live videos and interact with those watching; acknowledge their presence. You want your customers to have easy access to you. Do not get aggravated when they reach out to you through Messenger. There is no difference between it and email today.
Approach every service/product your company offers as a distinct sales campaign.
What product/service will you highlight?
Who is your perfect customer for this product?
What platform will you use to market to that perfect customer?
What does your ad need to say to speak directly to that customer?
Who will be assigned which tasks to ensure a successful sales campaign?
I know this may seem foreign to you at this moment, but remember, shifting with business culture is a must to remain relevant and successful. Your company’s success depends on you getting the product/service in front of customers who need them most. Learning new things is fun. Helping people solve their problems is life-changing… for them and for you!
