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I find it interesting when I talk to business owners these days. It seems that most of them have very strong views about what they are willing to do to market for business success. Some like outbound marketing techniques (ads, mass mailings, television and radio, trade shows, etc.) while others have abandoned almost, if not all outbound marketing in favor of inbound marketing techniques (blogs, content marketing, social media platforms, whitepapers, etc.)
But, those businesses who are building the strongest and most successful marketing strategies understand the benefits of a “blended” program that allows them to network on and off line. Let me explain with an example:
John Doe visits your companies website and enjoys an article you wrote about some aspect of your business. In that article you provide access to a free cd giving John more information about the theme of the article. The requirement for the free cd is, of course, his name and address. Once you receive the request, you send the cd out and have created a new lead for your products and services. Included in the thank you letter you send with the cd, you introduce John to your Facebook and Twitter accounts along with your YouTube channel. You also remind John of your blog/website url and invite him to subscribe via your RSS feed. Then on a regular basis you put more information in the hands of John via regular mail when they are ready email, always offering your products/services as a benefit to meet your clients needs.
By blending on and off line networking techniques, your marketing strategy will be seen as unique and will bring your business a more loyal and referring client base. This of course leads to more inquiries, more information requests, more customers/clients, and more business success. SWEET!
This blog post really hits home! Too many people think of tactics first instead of identifying their overall marketing strategy. Two very important questions every marketer must ask are 1) Who is my ideal customer? and 2) What is the best way to reach that customer? I’m as guilty as anyone of thinking of the specific tactics first instead of thinking about my end results first. This post is another example of how form (the tactics) must follow function (why are you marketing in the first place?).
Dallon – You are right! It is really hard to design a plan of attack before you know what it is you are up against. Thanks for the great thought!