Successful busines
s owners know that future growth depends on multi-channel marketing plans that cover both print media and Internet options. With the expansion of social networking and local search technology, creating an Internet presence is key, but print directories have a place in advertising, as well. Marrying different avenues together will drive the superior leads to your door.
Word-of-Mouth Goes High Tech
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It is hard to ignore the mass effect social networking has had on businesses. From Tweets to Facebook ‘likes,’ people are talking up their favorite companies on the Internet. Businesses of all sizes need to jump into the social media game and make it part of their marketing plan. This channel offers current and future customers a personal look at companies. The average Facebook user has over 100 friends and 100 possible recommendations.
Maintaining business pages on the mainstream social networking sites allows businesses to monitoring their traffic and interact. When a customer has a good experience, they talk about it on the Internet. Unfortunately, the opposite is true, as well. A bad experience is tweeted all over the virtual world. By monitoring activity, companies can immediately do damage control and diffuse problem situations.
Deal a Day
Daily deals sites are on the rise for a reason, they have potential. Sites like Groupon or LivingSocial create channels that allow businesses to market without an upfront cost. If your retail store sells jeans, a daily deals site will create a focused program that offers jeans at a discount to teenagers. You only pay for each sale.
On the outside, daily deals look like a no-brainer, but there is a significant investment for businesses. In most cases, you will split the sale with the site. For example, if you offer a burger platter that normally sells for 10.00 dollars at half off through Groupon, you will split that 5.00 sale with the site. Your revenue goes from 10.00 to just 2.50 per dish. Daily deals gets them to the door. It is your job to keep them coming back.
Send It in a Letter
Email campaigns are big news these days. A proper email marketing program integrates many things together. The payoff is in the click-through rate. An effective email offering starts with an eye-catching subject line. Once you get their attention, use of the space on the email to convince customers to learn more about your business or a specific promotion.
Studies show that adding a social media button to an email increase the clicks. Mainstream sites like Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook provide both the button graphic and code for emails.
Mobile Technology Works
One channel that is sprouting new marketing opportunities daily is mobile technology. Creating an application that is distinctive to your business can pay off. Think about airlines that provide flight information through an application on a smartphone or delivery services that provides tracking data for mobile devices. If you run a business that relies on repeat customers, keep them coming back with an application that relates to your service.
Don’t Forget Print
It is true, the world is becoming more computer dependent each year, but print media is far from dead. Local search organization Search Engine Land reports that up to 54 percent of people looking for a local business still pick up the Yellow Pages. Online services that offer geographically focused search programs work well, but if you fail to post an ad in the local print directory, that 54 percent goes to another company.
Print media doesn’t stop at directories. A certain percentage of the population still reads the newspaper each day. Cutting coupons has grown into an art form that draws savers to conventions each year. Vital promotions should include both online and offline advertising to ensure you hit the widest possible target.
Multi-channel marketing means businesses cover all the bases to bring in leads and sell their wares. The savvy entrepreneur knows the world is a diverse plate of opportunities. There are still people who never go on a computer, but get most of their recommendations from television. Another sect grabs for a newspaper to look at the classifieds when shopping for a deal. There are those that try every avenue to get the best offer, both print and online.
Smart business professionals throw a large net to bring in business. They also monitor the results per channel to determine what works for their particular niche. Mix up your marketing to get an impressive return on your investment.
About Brandon Leibowitz
Often related to a visit to Tikal, the limited city of Flores is found
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by bridge from its ‘sister metropolis’ of Santa Elena (itself as dirty and soiled as
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