The whole aspect of marketing has been around for a very long time, in one form or another. And while technology may have advanced over that time, the very core idea of marketing remains unchanged. A good marketing campaign can make all the difference when trying to secure new customers. Not only that, but it helps to instill confidence in those you have already.
There are various marketing techniques companies use today to promote their business and try and enhance sales, some of which are much better than others. Let’s take a look at some of the main marketing methods employed in the 21st century.
Online Marketing
Starting off with the newest kind of marketing to hit the scene, online marketing itself is an extremely effective way to get your message out there. There are various techniques employed by companies when it comes to marketing their products in this way, including:
- Social Media – this includes things like paid Facebook ads as well as simple organic online marketing – i.e. engaging others in conversation about your product in order to gain traction.
- Email – email marketing involves sending clients or potential clients a direct marketing message to try and entice them to buy or try their product or service.
- Search Engine Optimization – otherwise known as SEO, this form of online marketing involves optimizing digital contents and websites in order to improve search engine rankings.
- Affiliate Marketing – this is whether others promote your business for you. Any sales received that are because of the affiliate are compensated for by way of commission.
The reason online marketing is so effective is that you can reach such a wide audience with very little effort. It’s estimated that the average amount of time spent on the internet per day for those aged between 16-64 is around 3 hours. Much of this is down to the advancement of smartphones, and the ease of connectivity from pretty much anywhere you are. With so many people being constantly connected to the internet, manufacturers and service providers have a massive platform of potential customers at their feet. And with things like targeted campaigns to help, getting to the right people at the right time to show them all the business has to offer, has never been easier!
Roller Banners
While the development of the roller banner, isn’t exactly new to the 21st century, the use of these things is a hugely effective marketing method, hence why they’re still so widely used today. A roller banner is essentially a self-supporting advertising display that’s used to make a visual impact on those passing by. Quite often these are used at places such as exhibits where a large amount of traffic will be passing through.
Roller banners work well as they’re visual and immediately grab people’s attention. They can be designed to display whatever message or promotion you want and are ideal for creating awareness among a crowd of people. The other bonus is that they’re light and durable, making transporting them nice and easy.
In terms of cost, roller banners do vary depending on the actual materials, design, and of course, the company you choose to use. But, as a general rule of thumb, they are an extremely cost-effective form of marketing.
Brochures/catalogues
If you have a large customer base already or have a mailing list of potential clients to work with, then sending out a bulk mailshot can help draw in some extra revenue. The problem is if you’re new and just starting out, there isn’t a whole lot of target marketing you can do, unless you have a pre-populated mailing list. And while sending out a bulk mailshot can work very well, it may not be the most cost-effective for your business.
TV
TV is also another hugely effective area in which to market your products as the number of people you can reach is phenomenal. The major problem with TV, however, is that it is very, very expensive to advertise in this way. And unless you have a bank account with a very, very healthy balance, it’s unlikely you’ll be using this method any time soon.
Radio
It may be an age-old method of marketing, but it does still work (for the right client). The main problem with radio is the lack of visuals, so you need to be able to get your message across loud and clear, relying on audio only. For some, that’s a feat too difficult to tackle. Plus, because there’s only a limited amount of time for ads on the radio, competition tends to be high (and costly) if you want a good time slot.
