Marketing SOS

Out with the Old, In with the New… Is it just that Easy?

The old way of doing things no longer works. Not if you want to grow your business. Success is going to be found in adopting “new ways” of marketing and selling.

New opportunities for effective marketing, advertising, selling and reach are becoming more attractive as consumer use and time spent on social media sites increases.

Many companies are making the age old mistake of using social media sites as platforms to sell rather than to make connections. Well here’s a little secret… “One of the great marketing truths is people buy when they’re ready to buy, not when you tell them to” – and new media is no different.

The ‘old’ method of advertising still needs consideration. Don’t get me wrong. For many larger organisations it’s a must offline. The ‘new’ presents a different way of connecting with customers and visibly measures that connection through advertising tools made available by these social platforms.

Finding the balance between old & new can be tricky.

More recently one of the companies who got this balance spot on was Old Spice. They were able to build both a strong offline advertising campaign with various social media platforms that increased the visibility of the brand and became a sensational hit online with Old Spice Greats. It was the hot topic of discussion on blogs, face book and twitter which as a result engaged with consumers and created a positive connection with the brand.

In the 1970s, the old spice adverts were viewed as both “iconic” and “cheesy” and the brand itself suffered because of them. However, after a carefully planned re-launch offline and strategic use of the social media platforms available online, the brand became an instant hit on the web. The first new advert clocked up 13 million hits on You Tube after it’s launch earlier this year and has now just surpassed 25 million.

This emphasises that the social media platform is NOT only for selling. The platform instead provides a new and exciting research tool. Businesses of any size can now collate a vast amount of demographic information quickly and effectively at low cost, which can deliver new revenue streams immediately.

If you are thinking about taking your business to the next level with social media marketing then please do check out our sister company 123ranking who do a fantastic free introductory social media marketing service for SMEs.

So… social this, social that… it’s a hot topic at the minute and we want to hear your thoughts… let us know!

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