Was Don right?
And yes, I realize he is a fictional TV character. In the 50s he was right. Advertising (they didn’t make the distinction between marketing and advertising way back then) was a mass medium designed around consumer packaged goods. Advertising’s, or marketing’s, job was to have you remember and feel good about a particular brand when you went grocery shopping. That’s it: think happy thoughts around a cake mix or detergent, and marketing’s job is done!
Marketing, along with just about everything, has changed since then:
- Since nine out of ten doctors prefer Lucky Strike when they smoke.
- Since soda pop was just fine.
- And since rivers were excellent places to dump your manufacturing waste.
And marketing’s changed too. Away from the simple goal of having you feel good about a brand (brand marketing) and toward asking you to take action (direct marketing).
If your website or email or whatever you’re doing isn’t generating enough prospects it may be because it’s more brand marketing than direct marketing.
Marketing Today:
Marketing’s job today is to connect directly and authentically with your core customer. It lets you connect with people in a demographic and, more importantly, with people looking for what you sell when they’re looking. This makes it more important than ever to focus on that core customer; not trying to appeal to a broader range of people.
Yes, the big, established companies still do brand marketing (McDonalds, Coke). But the internet is replacing the grocery store, distributor, sales rep – all the ways we used to sell – it’s simply jumping over all those things that separate you and your customer and directly connecting you to those people looking for what you sell. The irony, especially if your marketing isn’t keeping up, is there’s never been a more powerful way to connect with your customers than the internet. Via direct marketing.
How to Tell the Difference:
Let’s take your website. What are you asking people to do; what actions are you asking them to take? Are you asking them often or just on your Contact Us page? Are you measuring these actions, and optimizing around them? And how often are you optimizing, or testing? Weekly? Never? If these questions sound a bit odd, you may still have one foot in the 50s.
If your website isn’t generating enough prospects it may be because it’s more brand marketing than direct marketing. I’m happy to take a look and give you my opinion, free. Ping me: [email protected]
