Advertising in an Age of More and More Digital Media
Your product or service will need to be advertised through magic screens and megapixels in order to maintain market share as the world consumes iPhones, iPads, and iPods at an accelerating rate. However, there are a few reasons why you shouldn’t immediately allocate all of your marketing budget to online advertising:
Your audience should be reached through multiple channels in marketing. Since the industrial revolution, business cards have been in use, and the phone and fax have been essential tools for advertising and communication for the past sixty years. Websites, QR codes, and social media are enhancing the methods of transmitting information as we enter the digital age. These tools should complement your existing marketing efforts rather than replace them.
The majority of customers look for product information and pricing comparisons online, but they aren’t yet completely confident making every purchase from their home computer. Even though apps like Google Wallet make it easier and more accessible to pay for things with your smartphone, many customers still worry about security (or prefer instant gratification in stores!). preventing them from making online purchases. Your company has plenty of time to adapt because experts predict that it will be another ten to fifteen years before purchasing habits shift more toward the digital dollar than traditional paper or plastic.
Offline advertising is used by online businesses because it works. During the big game, you’ll see a Groupon ad because they know the new customers they’re trying to get are still using other technology to get information; Computers, phones, and televisions are only pieces of the whole. Promo materials and printed media are two of the most effective strategies for increasing website traffic.
Print media and ad specialties are tangible. Touch is one of the most effective senses for memory retention; Rather than sending an invitation via email, send a personalized invitation printed on high-quality textured paper. The traditional tri-fold brochure or business card to browse your products or keep in their Rolodex is still preferred by a significant number of customers, who have not yet entered the digital age. Before cell phones became the address book, people who are under the age of 30 who are reading this article used a Rolodex!
The best and most sensible strategy is to divide your advertising budget among multiple mediums. The only difference between faxing homeowners deals for dream vacations and targeting a younger audience with text message advertising is the technology used to communicate; The point is that these companies are attempting to connect with the most recent technology. In order for Bob, the home remodeler, to locate the grainy black-and-white image of some island, the fax would ring, buzz, and then “just a phone call away from sunny skies” without requiring him to leave the office.