Written By: Alysha McLean, MNLP, MTLT, MCHT
Marketing has changed significantly over the last decade.
While your business may have once gotten sales through brochures, newspaper ads or TV commercials, these are now obsolete in a digital world of video advertising, the internet, and social media.
Just three years ago, people spent on average three and a half hours on their mobile phones each day.
In 2021, people were spending close to five and a half hours in front of a screen daily!
So why should you waste your marketing resources on billboards when you can expose your business to a large audience on social media?
As people continue to spend even more time online, businesses will need to adapt to remain relevant and competitive.
Here are some outdated marketing practices that you should drop… if you haven’t already.
The Yellow Pages
Can you remember the last time you searched for a business on the yellow pages of a phone book?
If you have as recently as within 5 years then you probably missed the digital train.
Nowadays, people use Google to find what they are searching for, whether it’s a business, a product, or a service.
This is exactly why you should be investing in Google ads. The great thing is it allows you to send the ads to a target audience.
By utilizing keywords in your Google ads, you know that people who view the ads are already searching for your type of products and are, therefore even more likely to buy.
Billboards
Okay, so billboards are still commonplace. However, when was the last time that you took a business contact or website from a billboard?
If you say never, you are among the countless others who also did not.
This simply means that even if you created an attractive billboard, it would not attract the best leads.
However, the chances are that not just you but your parents and perhaps your grandparents are on social media.
Social media marketing allows for targeting, which ultimately translates to getting quality leads.
And unlike billboards, you can gather data that you can then use to improve your marketing campaigns and product delivery.
Use a billboard for brand awareness only, not for the intension of lead generation from it.
Moving From TV Commercials
TV commercials have lost their spark in the last 20 years. In 2022 they are pretty much not worth your time. You have better options available.
There is a high chance that you do not use cable TV anymore and have switched over to streaming services like Netflix, Prime and Disney +
What’s more, many people are also spending a considerable amount of their time each day watching short clips on various social media platforms.
With large amounts of information that people are exposed to online, their attention span has dropped.
It only takes a few seconds for someone to change to different content online.
Video, however, is a great way to grab people’s attention and relay marketing information within a short time.
Printing
Like seriously, who uses brochures, flyers, or booklets anymore? That time is long gone, friend!
Why not play your part in saving the environment by not encouraging the cutting down of trees and instead switch over to digital marketing?
If your love for print marketing is still alive and well, consider adding a custom QR to drive the print traffic back to your website so you can track the clicks to determine if you’re getting the ROI you were anticipating. If not – perhaps it’s time to allocate those marketing dollars elsewhere.
Contrary to popular belief, email marketing is not dead and, if used correctly, can be a great way to source quality leads.
What’s more, you can evaluate the performance of your email marketing campaigns using tools like A/B testing.
Final Word
You may argue that some of the old marketing tactics we’ve mentioned above are still relevant in some industries.
All we are saying is that in the digital era, there are plenty more effective marketing strategies that you can utilize and have a greater ROI.
So, look beyond old, dysfunctional beliefs and adopt the new way of marketing - Digital marketing!
Alysha McLean, Elite Coach, Kathleen Black Coaching & Consulting
Alysha McLean is a high-energy Realtor and Business Coach in the Greater Toronto Area, who specializes in Mindset, Marketing and Relationship building. She has experience as an individual Real Estate agent, team member and team leader. Having leveraged Kathleen Black’s training, coaching, and systems in her own business, Alysha is passionate about helping others experience these results for themselves.