When we implement marketing strategies today, there are still some techniques from traditional media that some may call “old school” being used. Some of these practices and techniques are decades old, but still used on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis today.

 

Learning from Columbia House

The first one is direct marketing. For those who remember Columbia House, it was a subscription service that after you purchased the initial 12 cassettes for however much the deal price was, you would receive another tape in the mail a month later. If it wasn’t one that you chose, you would have to open up the package and then put it in an envelope that they provide and send it back in order to avoid being charged for that tape. They would constantly be in your face. That’s something that we are still exercising today, getting our message or product out and in front of faces.

Another thing that Columbia House did that we still do today is offer a great deal to begin your subscription. Back then, their big deal was 12 cassettes for 99 cents. A deal that would save you $100 as cassettes were roughly $9.99 at that time.

Columbia House was also great at building a list for who to send promotions out to. Now, we would use our lists for newsletters. They really opened the doors for the marketing we practice today.

 

Other Common Techniques

Another way for marketing that has been used for years was putting lettering or decals on your vehicle. Whether it be on the side or the back window. It’s another way to get in front of people. There are pros and cons for this method. One pro being of someone is stuck driving behind you, they have to constantly look at your advertising. A con is that you’re only limited to that space of where your vehicle is. If you’re working in a certain area or parked in your business parking lot all day, the same people will see your advertising on your vehicle. After the third day of seeing it, it’s not really new and exciting to the people who have seen it already.

 

Most prominent today in the real estate field, firms will still use the newspaper advertisement to grab the attention of those looking to buy a new home. The Thursday paper would have a booklet listing all of the open houses in the area. It is still used to this day, and is a great way of getting in front of people on a weekly basis.

The more people see your advertising, the more trust will build from them. Trust can also be transferred if someone trustworthy is seen marketing your business.

 

Another way to market your business that’s been around for quite some time is to join your local chamber of commerce or networking groups. Networking events are also still a great way to market yourself and your business.

Networking at events is a great way to continually get your face out there, but it can be a slug fest. You may go through a period of time where nothing happens, but there will be a tipping point where things do start to happen and you will gain some traction from these events.

 

Moving from Traditional to Digital

All of these marketing techniques and strategies are still used to this day, just in a different light. With the rise of the internet and social media, we can input most of our marketing from our computers. Posting weekly on our website and sharing that link to our Facebook and LinkedIn accounts. Sharing to LinkedIn is perfect for B2B businesses. 

 

Using Google MyBusiness to ensure that people who search for us online get all of the correct address, phone number and website. You can also add snippets of each post from your website to give those who search for you a sense of what you’re posting.

 

 

Taking a snippet of each post, word it in a way where it seems like it answers a question that commonly comes from clients, is perfect for a newsletter that can lead people to the post, which is on your website, which in turn, could lead to a new client or business relationship. 

 

It’s all generally the same now as it was back then, with just the opportunity to reach more people now through the internet as opposed to mailing newsletters. However, the marketing techniques and practices we use today all generally stem from those that were done back in the day. Why fix something that’s not entirely broken? The internet has only enhanced the way we market ourselves and our companies. 

 

Click here to go back to the Blog page.