Word of mouth is widely lauded as the best form of marketing, because people will always trust people more than they’ll trust a faceless company dictating what they should buy and why, but that’s not always the case. Apple didn’t make it to where it is today on word of mouth alone, they did so with creative advertising, advanced technology, and an unwavering dedication to quality.
In the same way, web scraping tools have helped many companies get off the ground, and many more reach new heights. To explore this idea of other ways to widen your audience, read on through this article which is completely free of word-of-mouth.
Digital Marketing
First up is digital marketing. This is everywhere these days, and the reason it has become such a staple of advertising for big businesses and small businesses alike is that it targets people where they spend most of their time – on the internet.
Google, YouTube, and websites like The New York Times make up some of the most expensive advertising spaces online today, and this is because a company that makes waffles can pay to have their name pop up first when someone searches for “best breakfast food in the world”.
Social Media
Social media is a kingpin of advertising in the modern age, and while people don’t use it as an omnipotent god of technology like they use Google, they can spend hours at a time browsing between one of four or five sites or apps.
Everyone is scrambling to advertise on Facebook instead of buses now because fifteen years ago a bus ride home was a ten to twenty minute journey in which a company could heavily advertise to a small group of people. Now, those people spend that time on their phones, on Facebook, not looking around the bus at the advertisements.
Advertising
Advertising in the right place can be more powerful than social media or digital marketing. A well placed sign for a company that sells cars right next to a destination for a breakdown tow-truck can lead to more sales, as people are given the idea to upgrade when they’re waiting to pick up their broken down old car.
Finding the right place can be tricky, but thinking about where your customers will be when they need your product or service is the key to finding the right place to advertise.
Deals with Local Businesses
Local businesses hold much more sway than many big businesses know, and a friendly cafe owner might do more to influence the purchase of your next push bike than the twenty foot billboard across from your work. Making a deal with a local business and offering their customers discounts on your products or services stimulates growth in the economy and helps both businesses grow, so it’s not just a good plan for one or the other, but both.
Flyers
Flyers are old-fashioned, but when used in the right way they work. Most people stuff flyers into mailboxes and under windshield wipers in as many places as possible, forgetting that for the most part, the people who read through “junk mail” aren’t people who will be buying or selling a house anytime soon.
Most younger people tend to grab a handful of junk mail and put it straight into the bin from the mailbox, making the money you spent on that glossy, full-coloured flyer wasted. Putting them up in places people go for cheap deals is more economical, as a uni student’s notice board will more likely draw people who want to take advantage of student deals at a local restaurant or cinema.
Partnerships
Making a partnership with a similar company, or one with a complementary product or service is a great idea for businesses, as it creates a bond between like-minded individuals and the customer that will likely need both of their products or services soon. Examples of this are real estate agencies and businesses that do exit cleans, or gyms and local health food stores.
With these tips you’re beginning to think a little differently, and you’re ready to get out there and severely boost your audience.
Founder Dinis Guarda
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