Old Marketing Tricks That Still Work

Social media may be popular, but sometimes the best way to increase sales is a tried and true offline marketing strategy.

Author:: Seth Fiegerman
Publish date:: Nov 4, 2010 7:00 AM EDT

Social media may not be all it’s cracked up to be. In recent years, small businesses and corporations around the country have begun to invest time and money into social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to connect with customers and market their products. But according to marketing experts, it’s essential for these companies not to lose their focus on offline marketing strategies as well. “Social media is not a panacea,” said Al Lautenslager, a marketing consultant and co-author of Guerilla Marketing in Thirty Days. “Social media is one more marketing tool in the arsenal … but at the end of the day, people do business with people, not with websites.” So while new media may expand the options available for companies looking to build buzz, it’s equally important to find ways to connect with your customer base in person. “If you are doing something online it is really important to try it and get feedback face to face, whether a product, or service or even an online offering,” said Beth Schoenfeldt, a small-business expert who has helped launch thousands of companies. The best way to make this kind of in-person connection may be to resurrect some of the tried and true marketing tricks businesses relied on long before people had ever heard the phrase “social media.” Photo Credit: SYA Extreme

Lautenslager emphasizes the importance of adding a personal touch when reaching out to potential customers. As an example, he suggests that small businesses mail hand-written thank you notes to customers whenever possible. “People like personal attention, not mass marketing,” he said, which is why he believes sending personalized notes can be more effective than “blasting out tweets online” to thousands of customers at once. Along the same lines, Lautenslager recommends holding a customer appreciation event. At one event Lautenslager helped organize recently, the company announced beforehand that they would give out customer of the year awards, and ultimately gave an award to every person who attended. “Needless to say, all the customers loved it,” he said. Photo Credit: ralphandjenny

Once you have a customer base, the trick is to figure out how to expand it. Schoenfeldt argues that one of the best ways is to provide an incentive to customers who refer friends and family members to your store. No, you probably shouldn’t hand them a $100 bill for telling a friend to stop by, but why not offer them 20% off their next purchase? Photo Credit: ko.wikipedia.org

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Offline Marketing Tips

Social media may not be all it’s cracked up to be. In recent years, small businesses and corporations around the country have begun to invest time and money into social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to connect with customers and market their products. But according to marketing experts, it’s essential for these companies not to lose their focus on offline marketing strategies as well. “Social media is not a panacea,” said Al Lautenslager, a marketing consultant and co-author of Guerilla Marketing in Thirty Days. “Social media is one more marketing tool in the arsenal … but at the end of the day, people do business with people, not with websites.” So while new media may expand the options available for companies looking to build buzz, it’s equally important to find ways to connect with your customer base in person. “If you are doing something online it is really important to try it and get feedback face to face, whether a product, or service or even an online offering,” said Beth Schoenfeldt, a small-business expert who has helped launch thousands of companies. The best way to make this kind of in-person connection may be to resurrect some of the tried and true marketing tricks businesses relied on long before people had ever heard the phrase “social media.” Photo Credit: SYA Extreme