Can You Hear Me? Over...

Tuesday, October 26, 2010 Posted by John Tabita

Technology is wonderful… except, of course, when it’s not. Like when my parents have something “really important” to tell us... and they call our house phone, my cell phone and my wife’s cell phone… all in a matter of minutes. (We love you, Mom and Dad, really.)

Or like the time the scoutmaster needed a permission slip for my son’s upcoming campout. He sent me a private Facebook message. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been on Facebook for several days and showed up to the meeting without the slip.

New technologies often replace older technologies. (Do you remember floppy discs? No, neither do I.) But oftentimes, new technologies merely supplement an existing one. Friends and family now have several options to communicate with me: They can call my cell phone or my landline, email me, text me, send me a private Facebook message, or post something on my Facebook wall.

It’s no different in the business world. No one is disconnecting their fax or phone line because they now have corporate email. But many companies have decided to stop all their traditional advertising because of this thing called “The Internet.” But is that really the wisest thing to do?

Recently, I needed a new printer, so I began looking at the wireless all-in-one printer/scanner/copiers on the market. My hot button was the high ink cost and the fact that most printer manufacturers combine the cyan, magenta and yellow ink into a single cartridge, forcing me to throw it out when only one color runs out. So I wanted one with four separate ink cartridges and a low cost-per-page.

I decided to research the two brands I’m most familiar with – Epson and H.P. After doing several searches on both brands and discovering that there are far too many printer models (and even more consumer opinions on each of them), I needed a YouTube break. As I’m watching a favorite video, suddenly an inkjet printer ad pops up at the bottom. Coincidence? I think not.

Later that night, a television commercial for Lexmark inkjet printers interrupts my regularly-scheduled viewing. Lexmark, it seems, claims to be one of the most ink-efficient printers on the market. So off to my computer I go for more research.

What finally completed the buying cycle for me was CNET, where I read both professional and consumer reviews on the various printer models. Yes, I did all my research online (and even made my purchase online), but it was good ol’ fashioned television advertising that got me to buy a brand I wasn’t even considering.

Advertising channels are becoming more and more fragmented, so it’s no longer possible to reach a mass market. Smart marketers are taking advantage of every advertising channel that will generate a lead. And something it takes all of them working together to generate a single sale.

As I said before, your all of your marketing should work together as a team. Pick the best players (i.e., advertising mediums and marketing methods) for your type of business, then work them to generate that one sale. And then the next one. And so on...
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