The UK postal strike is a concern for businesses. Not just because of the inconvenience but because many still rely on using traditional methods of trying to communicate with their customers – current and prospective. This concern came up during a chat I had today. I was asked if I thought ‘traditional’ marketing was dead?
My answer was a resounding no! Traditional marketing isn’t dead, it’s more vibrant and important than ever. What’s changed (changing) is the way we implement our strategy, through new tactical and operational techniques
These ‘new’ tools and techniques are being developed all the time to help us communicate more effectively with our audiences and build awareness with the very people that we want to reach. This is purely a result of technological advances, nothing more than new twists on old concepts; isn’t Social Media purely an evolution of word of mouth (WOM)?
Therefore, the real challenge is not to throw away all the previous tools and switch to the new ones. (this is where the “traditional marketing is dead” argument comes from), the challenge is to identify the tools that are available to us now and:
- Define the suitable ones for your customers
- Determine which of those tools your customers prefer
- and then integrate those tools into a comprehensive marketing plan
So why are so many marketers struggling to understand this concept? Other disciplines like builders, doctors, architects etc all have to learn new skills, tools and tactics and they embrace change. But it appears that many marketers would rather say that marketing is dead rather than adapt, change, and learn something new.
Do you think then that perhaps it is the traditional marketer who refuses to learn new ways that will be put on the endangered species list…? Let me know your thoughts…
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Funnily enough I come across this mind set over and over again in property circles too. Though on our side of the coin it's people bemoaning the fact that financing is so tight, blah blah. Well, go and look elsewhere then! Look for other solutions outside of the mainstream tools-like we did. The unfortunate truth is that the majority dont like change in whatever form and will always have to be dragged kicking and screaming to the new world where as others will go off and discover the wonders for themselves.
I think Rosanne Cash sums it up nicely, “The key to change… is to let go of fear.” And I know many people, yourself included, are fearless when it comes to looking for 'new' ways of doing things.
My Dad once told me that there are three types of people in this world, those that watch things happen, those that make things happen and those that wonder what the f**k happened!
Wise man my Dad! Ultimately, it's up to us to decide which type we are…