As a small business owner, you’re more sensitive to emerging (and dying) marketing methods than Joe Consumer, or large corporate business is.
It’s because ‘Joe Consumer’ has products and services dealt right in front of them every day – and competition develops rather quickly in any market, so he doesn’t have to shop around much to find the best price. Nor would any emerging marketing trends strain the majority of corporations, since they have hordes of well-paid grunts to stay on top of what’s going on. Many “eyes in the sky”, if you will.
“What?” you say. I get why corporate business has an edge, but I (as a consumer and business owner) have to shop around all the time to find the right price,” – Please imagine you’re politely thinking this to yourself right now.
1. Online Marketing
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Let’s take a look at online marketing from a buyer POV: Type “best priced _____” into Google and you’re sure to find an online business (such as a reputable ecommerce site or blog) that offers the best, or slightly “above-your-budget” pricing on something you want.
Combine the “search-engine-advantage” with being able to order the product or service easily from your home PC or SmartPhone – AND having it delivered right away.
It just doesn’t get much easier for an online business owner to get their product in front of targeted buyers; if they’ve studied the space they’re working in and know the variables required to get the customer to hit the “BUY” button!
Online sources = Easy.
If you do business online already, you know there’s a smörgåsbord of potential web traffic sources to use. If, on the other hand, you’ve lived in the woods for the last decade, then it’s time to bone up on this whole “online thing”, and fast!
2. Offline/Digital Marketing
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It’s the same if a consumer is looking for brick-and-mortar service businesses who offer something of value. Such businesses place advertisements by also using online media, but also use radio and TV — place ads in the yellow pages, bulletin boards, and other print platforms.
Guess what? They also distribute a multitude of print with scannable QR Codes that have unlimited reach to generate prospective leads to the business (i.e., digital-based media.)
Think for a second how your business could expand by including a QR code on your business card.
In days gone by you give out one or several traditional business cards, and hope a few become a lead or a sale, right?
Flash-forward to now, and you decide to distribute business cards containing a QR code about your business and contact info – and that one recipient can share those details with an endless amount of potential consumers who may need the product/service you offer. This method would work just as well for an online-based business looking for more exposure.
Conclusion: The Point
The point I’m trying to share is that nothing really changes. New advertising avenues (i.e., ‘media’) open up constantly, and old methods dry up and fizzle out just as quickly (consider the quickly fading television advertising market and how it’s currently being ravaged by free torrents.) The FUNDAMENTALS such as offline media – and online media, will be around as long as a capitalist driven system exists.
It’s important to frequently split your marketing education between both online and offline marketing. Make it a goal to study at least 5 or 10 of each per month, and regularly try to implement what you’ve learned. The more well-rounded you are, the more potential there is to maximize your growth, or to increase your options when times are tough.
Cover photo credit: Pressmaster / Pexels
