Recently I had the pleasure of attending a business breakfast jointly sponsored by a local neighborhood organization, a bank and a popular restaurant. The first is known as St. Marks Area Main Street association (SMAMS), the second is Eastern Bank and the third is the Ashmont Grill. (See more on on SMAMS at smams.org.
It was very encouraging to see the many small business owners in attendance. There was a vibrancy, an air of commitment in the face of all obstacles, and spirit. More on this in a future post.
There’s been a number of rebounding industries reported in the news lately, several of them that benefitted from the 2008 economic stimulus/government bailouts. Those who have been able to persevere by other means are unquestionably true miracles. Stories of businesses who have seen dramatic increase in their volume of clients through the use of social media for example, coupled with blogs and websites designed to foster a relationship, are a big part of those miracles and a testament to what is possible today.
To be sure it is not a simple formula. A Marketing Profs article of Jan 24. 2012 by Ted Mininni (marketingprofs.com) cites research by Catapult Action-Biased Marketing, a Westport Connecticut-based researcher, that QR codes and social media [i.e. author qualifies meaning companies’ use of platforms such as Facebook and Twitter ] have very little impact on shoppers decisions. In the case of QR codes there is a “fatigue” setting in due to the vast number of them in use, some smartphone users can’t read them, and they don’t address chief concerns of saving time/money often enough.
“[…]If marketers use [social media] intelligently to share tips, ideas, engaging videos, and worthwhile content, it does help build brand awareness.”
According to the research, what actually drives purchasing decisions are “company websites, Internet ratings, and review sites. Especially for big ticket purchases.”
Undoubtedly there’s much more to peruse on these topics.
The Diverse Elements philosophy is to utilize what has the best chance of producing results of “delivering the right message about an excellent product to the right people at the right time” [to quote Frank Kern]. This is a combination of basic practices and experimentation. Yes, being concise and informative while (hopefully) being entertaining is a cornerstone; it might also be necessary, for example,
to “split test” a campaign to see which is more effective.
And while the modes of communication have grown, we must remain sensitive to the ways they are used. In fact every mode may not suit every business. But they all need to supplement (not replace) offline strategies.
There’s nothing static about marketing, online or offline, and I am excited to be a part of this creative and dynamic industry.
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