As I sat and watched the 4th of July fireworks this year, I thought about the technology that goes into creating that perfect burst in the sky—I even saw one this year that was a smiley face. Fireworks originated in the 10th century, and although they have clearly progressed over time, the basics of wowing the crowd with brightly lit colors in the sky remains unchanged.
Marketing is similar. Our vehicles have changed (expanding with the internet, social media, etc.), but the concept has not. The American Marketing Association defines marketing as “the activity, set of institutions and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners and society at large.”
With the introduction of AdWords, Facebook, Texting, QR codes, etc., it is easy to get caught up in the “shiny new toy” aspect of marketing. Each campaign vehicle may have value to your company, but with limited budgets, we need to constantly evaluate the effectiveness of each marketing effort and make sure we are doing what is best with our budget. Sometimes the biggest crowd reaction isn’t for the newest, most complex display, but the best executed one.
You may find that a traditional direct mail piece brings in far more leads then the online banner ad for a specific audience, campaign or product. Try out both and analyze the ROI so you know where to focus your budget and get the biggest bang (yes, bad pun with a fireworks analogy) for your buck.
– Chris Barrett