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Let’s face it. It is 2021. We have advanced technology at our disposal. There are TONS of marketing strategies and methods floating around, with even newer, bolder strategies being formulated every day.
In honesty, for a new business owner, it can come across as quite daunting and overwhelming. How do you know which marketing strategy will be effective for your business? Do you have to follow a specific strategy? Can you mix it up? Do you need a professional to assist? How big does your budget need to be? The list of questions goes on.
A lot of people are under the impression that digital transformation means that more modern methods are the best choices, however, sometimes effective marketing means going back to the basics and making use of ALL your options, even ones considered as “outdated”. Luckily, there are plenty of inexpensive traditional methods to choose from in order to start building your customer base.
Below we explore some marketing channels and methods that would work for any business situation.
Phone Calls and/or Cold Calls
Having a one-on-one conversation with an existing customer not only strengthens their trust and loyalty, but also makes them feel valued. Taking the time to connect with your customers is important, even just to follow up, ask them how it’s going and if they are satisfied with your products/services. More often than not, it’ll end up in an unexpected sale – bonus!
When it comes to new customers, studies show that consumers still prefer phone calls over emails and websites when discovering businesses. Yes, it might be an unpleasant experience sometimes, as not everyone has the time or patience for sales calls. However, this method of marketing grants you the opportunity to charm the socks off possible clients, adding extra charisma to sell your product/service – you might just be surprised how fruitful this method can be! Alternatively, it sharpens your creativity and adaptability when facing potential customers.
Flyers
The popular belief is that “print is dead”, however, this is literally the epitome of traditional advertising. Studies have found that physical ads are better for brand recall and ad recognition. Luckily, if you ensure that your design is captivating enough, the majority of people will be drawn to it and see what the flyer is about before simply discarding it. The usual trend is to print a bunch of flyers, and:
- find a busy area with lots of traffic to distribute them
- hand them out to display at various businesses
- pop them into as many mailboxes as you can find
- pin them on public advertising boards
Face to face meetings
For sales, lead generation and customer retention, face-to-face communication is highly effective. Virtual meetings (Zoom, Skype, Google Teams) have become more popular due to the Covid-19 pandemic and serve as great alternatives to in-person meetings. They offer several of the same benefits and can help build trust with leads and customers. Not only does this method foster a better relationship and a feeling of genuineness, it allows you to read body language and facial expressions, allowing you to act or counter-act appropriately.
Email Marketing/Newsletters
Email marketing remains one of the easiest most popular digital marketing tactics available. Marketing your products or services by email can be a fast, flexible and cost-effective way of reaching new customers and retaining existing customers.
- Newsletters,
- Promotional emails
- Retention emails
- Lead Nurturing emails
- Dedicated/Targeted emails
- Welcome letters… and more!
Email marketing can allow you to create targeted and personalised messages, helping you build meaningful relationships with your customers. It can also improve response rates to your direct marketing campaigns. Other advantages include: time saving, cost-effectiveness, flexibility, scalability and much more.
