Their target customer may be internet adverse. Marketing is not about where you want to be but where your customers are. If they're target customer is older, they are more likely to do better with a direct mail focus than an internet one. Direct sales companies do best with visible, local marketing than internet sometimes as well. It completely depends on the business model and the target customer.
It's all about HOW you utilize your platforms along with realistic expectations. I developed a method that utilizes my social media platforms to drive traffic to my website, which is EXACTLY where I want my clients to be! It's not terribly difficult nor expensive, but it does take a little bit of effort and time.
knowing who and where your customers are is certainly important. I find that some people don't use all the digital tools available to them because they don't understand digital marketing. It scares them a bit and they shy away from it. Gain a better understanding of something and you are more likely to use it.
Age is a definite factor. With home shows, most of our target audience is 40+. While many "older" people use Internet, there is still a large crowd that like to "touch and feel" a product before buying. Furthermore, people like to talk to someone and feel comfortable with them before inviting them into one's home.
What Brian said, and basically it's time, knowledge, lack of someone there to help out. Also when they do it they often don't see "results" so then they stop doing it and then they don't get results. Some have been swindled by companies that think they have some enormous benefit to yelp about. I serve a lot of these types of clients. Every one is unique and yet they share many common traits. I think I successfully helped many of them to understand the why and how and to get to doing it themselves. Makes my day every time.
I am the founder of digital marketing agency and one would think that someone in my position would obviously push for a modern responsive website, internet marketing services, social media, SEO, etc; but, being in the digital marketing space for over a decade now, I have personally experienced clients who are in various pockets of the city or outside city (in rural areas) where they are still behind compared to cosmopolitan cities like LA, San Diego, NY, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, etc; I have found that there are still areas in North America where people in a small town still listen to radio, read local newspaper, pay attention to local bench signs and billboards as well as read and take home neighborhood bulletins.
Mind you that only about 1% of my clients are in that situation, but one must still be open to learn and adapt as per their local market and what it dictates.
So, I agree with #SheffieRobinson from #ToucoDirect that marketing (modern or traditional) is about getting people wherever they are to come to you instead of your competition. For example, even if you find the nicest pond or lake in a city, but if there are no fish there then you would be wasting your time and money. You need to be where you find the most fish.
- 10,000 people out there who want to sell you their SEO services. Each has their own unique, secret "system" that they say will magically get you in the top tier of search engine results. It is 97% BS. Three percent may be worth paying. How do you separate the wheat from the chaff, though? Hint: don't even think of signing on with anyone named Apu Nahasapeemapetalon ("just call me Frank") from Mumbai.
- Getting your small business listed on Directory Listings such as Yahoo, Google, MapQuest, City Search, White Pages, Super Pages, and others was once a DIY project. Now, most of these entities have partnered up with Yext who will do that for you - for a fee that will take your breath away. They will also take control away from you. It is VERY difficult now for a DIYer to "claim your business" without paying a fee. Regardless, I am still trying to do it myself. (I worked on it today for a bit.) Not because I am a cheapskate, but because I want to maintain the control over my business information, when I need to make changes or updates.
- Getting a professional-looking website up and running is probably easier now than when I set mine up 14 years ago. Still, you have to be ever-mindful of web hosting and domain name fees. Shopping for those services will make your head spin.
I am my own webmaster, and, again, I really enjoy being able to control the content of my website. If you can exercise control over it, you will be happier than if you have to hire someone to do it for you. I am, of course, referring to a small business website here.
I do not use Twitter, and see no value in it for my particular business. Am I missing out on something here?
My clients find it hard to measure potential ROI when it comes to internet marketing. Worse, it is difficult to measure ROI on active campaigns. With Google Ad Words for example, unless they phone directly from an ad, there is little way to know how many people showed real interest vs how many are just kicking tires. How do you assign value you presence on Instagram, or Twitter?
Many business owners just do not have the time to manage content and don't trust others to be ambassadors on their behalf.
I would think it also would depend on whether a business has the budget for internet marketing. Our experience is that it requires a continuous investment because it constantly needs to be fine tuned with concern to Google analytics. It's also helpful if you have someone at your business who is familiar with the internet marketing lingo, social media, etc. and can dedicate some of their time to work with the internet marketing provider, as they may need your input and will probably have monthly statistical reports for management to review.
Should your target customer(s) be internet adverse, it would be foolish to restrict your marketing to internet-ONLY. But NOT all geriatrics are internet adverse. Take yours truly; I'm 71. Direct mailing is a good supplement, but not an exclusive remedy.
In my opinion, the ONLY reason not to market by internet is if the profession to which you belong prohibits it or advises against it (e.g., the caution posited by the ABA regarding attorney use of social media).
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Answers (1-10)
Their target customer may be internet adverse. Marketing is not about where you want to be but where your customers are. If they're target customer is older, they are more likely to do better with a direct mail focus than an internet one. Direct sales companies do best with visible, local marketing than internet sometimes as well. It completely depends on the business model and the target customer.
It's all about HOW you utilize your platforms along with realistic expectations. I developed a method that utilizes my social media platforms to drive traffic to my website, which is EXACTLY where I want my clients to be! It's not terribly difficult nor expensive, but it does take a little bit of effort and time.
knowing who and where your customers are is certainly important. I find that some people don't use all the digital tools available to them because they don't understand digital marketing. It scares them a bit and they shy away from it. Gain a better understanding of something and you are more likely to use it.
Age is a definite factor. With home shows, most of our target audience is 40+. While many "older" people use Internet, there is still a large crowd that like to "touch and feel" a product before buying. Furthermore, people like to talk to someone and feel comfortable with them before inviting them into one's home.
What Brian said, and basically it's time, knowledge, lack of someone there to help out. Also when they do it they often don't see "results" so then they stop doing it and then they don't get results. Some have been swindled by companies that think they have some enormous benefit to yelp about. I serve a lot of these types of clients. Every one is unique and yet they share many common traits. I think I successfully helped many of them to understand the why and how and to get to doing it themselves. Makes my day every time.
I am the founder of digital marketing agency and one would think that someone in my position would obviously push for a modern responsive website, internet marketing services, social media, SEO, etc; but, being in the digital marketing space for over a decade now, I have personally experienced clients who are in various pockets of the city or outside city (in rural areas) where they are still behind compared to cosmopolitan cities like LA, San Diego, NY, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, etc; I have found that there are still areas in North America where people in a small town still listen to radio, read local newspaper, pay attention to local bench signs and billboards as well as read and take home neighborhood bulletins.
Mind you that only about 1% of my clients are in that situation, but one must still be open to learn and adapt as per their local market and what it dictates.
So, I agree with #SheffieRobinson from #ToucoDirect that marketing (modern or traditional) is about getting people wherever they are to come to you instead of your competition. For example, even if you find the nicest pond or lake in a city, but if there are no fish there then you would be wasting your time and money. You need to be where you find the most fish.
I hope this helps answer the question.
What I find daunting is:
- 10,000 people out there who want to sell you their SEO services. Each has their own unique, secret "system" that they say will magically get you in the top tier of search engine results. It is 97% BS. Three percent may be worth paying. How do you separate the wheat from the chaff, though? Hint: don't even think of signing on with anyone named Apu Nahasapeemapetalon ("just call me Frank") from Mumbai.
- Getting your small business listed on Directory Listings such as Yahoo, Google, MapQuest, City Search, White Pages, Super Pages, and others was once a DIY project. Now, most of these entities have partnered up with Yext who will do that for you - for a fee that will take your breath away. They will also take control away from you. It is VERY difficult now for a DIYer to "claim your business" without paying a fee. Regardless, I am still trying to do it myself. (I worked on it today for a bit.) Not because I am a cheapskate, but because I want to maintain the control over my business information, when I need to make changes or updates.
- Getting a professional-looking website up and running is probably easier now than when I set mine up 14 years ago. Still, you have to be ever-mindful of web hosting and domain name fees. Shopping for those services will make your head spin.
I am my own webmaster, and, again, I really enjoy being able to control the content of my website. If you can exercise control over it, you will be happier than if you have to hire someone to do it for you. I am, of course, referring to a small business website here.
I do not use Twitter, and see no value in it for my particular business. Am I missing out on something here?
My clients find it hard to measure potential ROI when it comes to internet marketing. Worse, it is difficult to measure ROI on active campaigns. With Google Ad Words for example, unless they phone directly from an ad, there is little way to know how many people showed real interest vs how many are just kicking tires. How do you assign value you presence on Instagram, or Twitter?
Many business owners just do not have the time to manage content and don't trust others to be ambassadors on their behalf.
I would think it also would depend on whether a business has the budget for internet marketing. Our experience is that it requires a continuous investment because it constantly needs to be fine tuned with concern to Google analytics. It's also helpful if you have someone at your business who is familiar with the internet marketing lingo, social media, etc. and can dedicate some of their time to work with the internet marketing provider, as they may need your input and will probably have monthly statistical reports for management to review.
Should your target customer(s) be internet adverse, it would be foolish to restrict your marketing to internet-ONLY. But NOT all geriatrics are internet adverse. Take yours truly; I'm 71. Direct mailing is a good supplement, but not an exclusive remedy.
In my opinion, the ONLY reason not to market by internet is if the profession to which you belong prohibits it or advises against it (e.g., the caution posited by the ABA regarding attorney use of social media).