There are two ways to get your advertising, sales and marketing message out. They are online and offline marketing. The difference between them is that online marketing is proactive and offline marketing is passive.
Internet marketing is the proactive method. You have a need and you take responsibility for finding a source to fulfill that need. An old technology example is the yellow pages. The newer technology is the internet and search engines.It may also be through articles and blogs. But these only work if the viewer can be directed to you.
Direct marketing is a passive method. You select a targeted audience and present your information to them. It takes no action on the receiver’s part to acquire the information other than to look or listen to it. If you can peak their interest, you can create a positive response. We are all very familiar with TV, radio and printed advertising.
Is one of these tools better than the other for creating new customers and sales? From my experience, the answer is they both have their place and work in different ways for most business. Both methods are necessary and valid in today’s very competitive market place. Both have their individual challenges and benefits.
It’s very hard to make cost comparisons because a highly developed ecommerce website is expensive and needs constant updating and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) in the fight for top position. There are huge hidden costs and lots of hard work to achieve a high page ranking. Good positions on search engines can be a difficult game with a slow response time and not a lot of control. If not played expertly, it can produce unsatisfactory results for a long time. Email campaigns are becoming less effective with all the spam and most people regard banners and pop-ups as a nuisance.
On the other hands carefully targeted printed advertising, sales and marketing materials are not cheap either but they can attain quicker measurable results if designed and targeted well. If your company exhibits at trade or consumer shows then printed matter is probably the best choice for quick results. Brochures, flyers and catalogs make very effective tools and can also be used in other ways such as a direct mail campaign.
Postcards are a very cost effective way of getting your message out. Postcards can drive local traffic to your business. They can be used to target notices, offer discounts, show a new product or service. The key is to make sure you do everything you can to get your message out and get noticed. Every thing your company prints should have great design and the Wow Factor to separate you from your competition.
For a more corporate look, a striking presentation folder with a sales letter printed full color on quality paper stock in one pocket and sales and/or spec sheets or maybe a catalog in the other is a great way to make an important lasting impression. This can certainly help with closing the sale and your branding.
Everybody loves a beautiful poster not only can it get your message across but it can become a collectable giving long terms results. Think about handing out your new poster at a show. Attendees love them and keep them. If it has the WOW FACTOR!!, it is likely to wind up on someone's wall.
A well design printed advertising, sales or marketing campaign with strategic placement of your URL can also increase your web traffic to reenforce your sales and marketing plan.
Running a successful business no matter how small requires spending money on advertising, sales and marketing. Whatever methods you choose, the secret is to stay with it and keep fine tuning it until it has time to produce the desired results.
For free samples and more information about the Wow Factor, go to: http://www.colorprintingpros.com.
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