October 2013
It seems that almost every generation has talked about the old-school against new-school mentality. We have all heard our grandparents and even our parents talk about what it was like when they were kids and how easy the generation before them had it. Come on, we all know the famous saying, “When I was a kid I had to walk five miles uphill through five feet of snow to school.” I’m sure this next generation will say, “When I was a kid I had to wait for AOL to connect through dial up.”
What does this story tell you? It says a lot. It points out the differences in the current generations and the old-school vs. new-school marketing mentality. For the first time in our nation’s history, we are proactively advertising to five unique generations. All of these generations shop and communicate differently.
We all understand how old-school marketing works and what it entails, however, we need to understand what new-school marketing is. It can be defined as “any vehicle where the consumer controls the end message to the marketer and where the feedback can mean money and interaction.”
What media does this entail?
- Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google Plus)
- Review Websites (Yelp, Google Places, InsiderPages)
- Consumer comments and reviews on websites
Start out today with your new-school marketing with the following helpful new media best practices:
Attract social leads with offers
- A like, tweet or pin is not free—talking to them after is free
Use social media to engage with your email subscribers
- The single greatest way you can get fan/follower growth: Your email signature. Add your website and social media links to the end of every email.
Ask your audience anything
- Asking taps into the human nature of people who are online and participating in social media—the urge to be heard.
Like your customers on Facebook
- Facebook and brands are less about advertising and much more about creating, nurturing and developing a more direct relationship between individuals and the brands that serve them.
Listen 100 percent of the time
- Talk about yourself 10 percent of the time, engage with others about what matters to them 90 percent of the time and listen 100 percent of the time.
Share content that resonates with your audience
- Everything should resonate and strike a chord, in one way or another (usually in a positive way), with your audience.
Remember, it is not just about driving your customers to your social media it is about establishing the interaction once you get them there.
Quick-Fire Marketing is brought to you by R&A Marketing. Armed with more than 25 years of furniture retail marketing experience as a full-service traditional and digital marketing company, R&A is the industry’s premier agency for retailers in the home furnishings and appliances/electronics industries. Visit us on the web at www.ramarketing.com or email us at info@ramarketing.com.