Many businesses are trying to blend the new online marketing strategies in with their old marketing programs and aren’t able to figure out why sales aren’t increasing more. Today’s market requires replacing the old outdated methods and giving the new methods the priority focus because the older ways just aren’t effective anymore. Take for example, cold calling. No one likes cold calls, it interrupts their day and chances are, well trained “Gate Keepers” do not allow you to ever have contact with the decision maker anyway. When you replace cold calls with well thought out plans for contacting a specific company and letting them know how you can solve their problems according to their unique business model, then you are getting somewhere. That strategy is even more effective when you make sure that the business can instead find you because the first place people go to find solutions is their favorite search engine.
Along with the cold calling marketing model, sending uninvited email is also outdating and will give your company a bad reputation. People are barraged with emails and chances are if they don’t know who you are, if you do end up bypassing their “spam” filter, they will delete the email instead of reading it. Your time is better spent spending time on LinkedIn and looking for qualified introductions and creating a relationship. Then you can ask permission to send them more information.
Another outdated marketing method is to focus on sales numbers alone. Today’s market requires building relationships that will lead to loyal customers who continue purchasing from your business long after the first sale is complete. When you focus on retention and loyalty programs, your sales numbers will take care of themselves.
Mass mailings are another outdated form of marketing unless you are a big brand offering a discount on products all ready being purchased, or an extremely targeted mailing such as an industry specific promotion or event. For many businesses who are trying to cut down on paper use and become more environmentally friendly, sending big mailings looks irresponsible and wasteful. When at all possible, use electronic or face to face communications including sending attachments unless the particular business process calls for original copies of something. If those still sending mass mailings out put their budget into online marketing they would get a tremendous boost in business instead of getting quickly sent to the garbage.
