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| Morris Levine, 212 Park Street. 11 years old and sells papers every day--been selling five years. Makes 50 cents Sundays and 30 cents other days. Location: Burlington, Vermont (LOC) (Photo credit: The Library of Congress) |
What used to work for promotion in the past is not necessarily going to work now. Only within the past decade or two has social media been available for promoting business and self. Now it is one of the foremost marketing channels to consider in any campaign. New social media opportunities are opening up on a continual basis. Today's marketer has to be savvy about new communication technology and stay on top of what the next big thing will be.
This is not to say that old ways should be discarded. They should not be depended upon in the same ways they were in the past. Newspaper doesn't have the same influence as it once did, but a significant number of readers are still out there and the publishing companies that want to survive are transitioning to having an online presence. Press releases are still important to get into the right hands. If you have the budget, newspaper ads can still have some effect.
Media is in a constant state of flux and nothing is as dependable as it used to be. The best marketing strategy is to distribute your presence over a wide range of resources. Keep track of which methods work the best and analyze how and why. If it worked this time for you, the marketing method might be worth staying with, but don't always count on it. Experiment and be inventive.
Marketing is not an exact science and the field is ever-changing. The primary thing to remember is that the point of marketing is to bring attention to something or somebody and educate your potential marketplace why they should believe in and want what you have to offer. When a marketing coup is scored, you have accomplished the ultimate goal of a promoter. If you manage this coup then remember the process, but don't necessarily expect for it to work every time. Yesterday is not today and today is not tomorrow.
What old advertising methods can you think of that don't work very well now? Have you ever revived an old-style method with success or seen a campaign that has done this? What advertising methods do you think will be used with success in the future?
I see some still use postcards advertisement. I've seen both in Philippines and Singapore and I believe a lot of other countries still have businesses and events marketed through postcards. It has the "old school" appeal which is enticing. The audience might be niche though as mostly everyone prefer digital marketing (online). Also the information that can be put on standard size postcard is very limited.
ReplyDeleteAdvertising in shop windows,
ReplyDeleteA great write Lee.Read it with interest.
Yvonne.
Great write up pamphlet distribution still works to reach immediate customer.
ReplyDeleteY for Yearning
I don't think free books work as well now, but discounted books do.
ReplyDeleteBuy 2 and get 1 free, or, Buy 2 meals with beverages and get 1 meal free. It is the "free" that will go away.
ReplyDeleteMaria -- I still receive many postcard type advertisements in the mail. They're often slick glossy affairs that are very attention getting. I think it might be effective to an extent since it is a hard copy items that you hold in your hands when you go through the mail. Since mail has a more personal touch I think it's more apt to be noticed than something like a newspaper ad.
ReplyDeleteYvonne -- Window ads might be effective for a very targeted audience. In some cases I think they are very good.
Cifar -- Pamphlets and flyers can be effective if they get into the right hands.
Alex-- Free books have to be targeted correctly. People love a sale.
Susan Kane -- I fall for that promotion often, especially at restaurants. If targeted correctly I think this type of offer can be very effective.
Lee
Facebook works, I often obtain books I have seen there. Don't know about tweeting, don't really go on there much. Blogging certainly helps, often see a book I want because someone blogs about it. That's how come I bought Alex's first book.
ReplyDeleteThe world is in a state of flux.
ReplyDeleteI just read that Ladies Home Journal is closing up shop. They have been around something like 130 years and they can't make it in today's marketplace. It makes me wonder about print media across the board. Will one day newspapers and magazines be Things Of The Past? Will only the old folks remember when they were around? Will books go that same route? I don't know the answers...
Change seems to come at warp speed in everything, and in marketing--as in publishing--those changes are worm holing their way though time. (I've been reading too much of Stephen Tremp!)
ReplyDeleteIt is so dependent on the audience you are targeting. If I was targeting YA readers then scholastic and school flyers, if I wanted 50 and over then in store promotions would work. You have to nail down your audience and then research what works best for them.
ReplyDeleteI know it is a smaller audience but any in person marketing I can do (book signings, fairs, school events) builds a more loyal fan base because now they know me and have a personal connection.
http://katloveswriting.blogspot.com
What worked hugely in favor of advertising in the 20th-century was novelty, which is darn-near impossible to achieve today!
ReplyDeleteHey Mr. Alphabet Dude!
ReplyDeleteAdvertising in the post office shop window doesn't work very well these days. Not one person responded to my trying to sell my Marcel Marceau CD.
I reckon a good way of advertising would be having blog hops and blog fests about advertising. I'll leave that one with you.
Kind regards,
Gary, the ever so friendly co-host of the Alphabark Challenge, 2014!
Jo-- So much social media and it all can play a role in promotion.
ReplyDeleteRobin -- I for one would hate to see everything go to online. I love magazines, newspapers, and books.
C.Lee -- Sometimes I don't know how I can keep up with it all. Actually I don't really keep up.
Kat -- You are so right. And I don't see how anything can quite replace the personal contact.
Suze -- Unless a smart promoter digs up an old idea to make it seem new again.
Karen -- Those ads take a bigger budget than most of us have and to make them effective there has to be a lot of coverage in order to create a blitz that sticks on people's minds. Even then the effect is questionable.
Gary -- I won't knock the blog events. It's exposure and that is part of the definition of advertising.
Lee
I wish I could predict what might work. I have no idea what works and wish I did.
ReplyDeleteSusan GK -- It would be nice to predict, but with enough experience we can often get a pretty good idea.
ReplyDeleteLee
Thanks Lee for this. I'm really not sure what would work these days. It seems that having a good online presence via one's own blog (blogging regularly) and using FB, twitter and other is the way to go... radio interviews maybe?
ReplyDeleteGarden of Eden Blog
I always say I am an advertiser's dream as I can be sold so quickly by a television commercial. Or if I like an ad, it will get me to try something often. Great post! If you have time, and want to, you can check out my Y post.
ReplyDeleteLoved the old picture, they always make me smile. Right you are, what worked then may not now. People need to adjust their way of thinking.
ReplyDeleteAnd with this visit and comment, I'm now officially caught up. Yeah...wanted to get the last few groups of 5 visits per letter done that I missed doing while out of town.
Next up...writing reflections for Monday, as I continuing to write in a-z style for the month of May
Sandy at Traveling Suitcase