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Business in the ’80s

Oh, the 80’s. Those glorious days of Saturday morning cartoons, big hair, and VCRs. Luckily, things in the marketing world have gotten easier and the hair has gotten smaller.

I’m still not over losing Saturday morning cartoons though…
Here’s a look at some ways that, if you had a business in the 1980’s you may have marketed it and their 2017 counterparts.

Then – Yellow Pages

Now – Local SEO

Does your business still advertise in the Yellow Pages? (seriously if you do, give us a call, like right now.)

The Yellow Pages used to be the go-to book/ doorstopper when you were looking for a local business like The Call Center Group A-Z: call center recruiter, or the quick phone number for pizza delivery. Now, people turn to search engines. The Yellow Pages has been replaced by online directories, websites, and yes, even the online Yellow Pages, which is now only one of the thousands of online directories where business can list their information.

People can’t just turn to a category and find all businesses neatly listed in alphabetical order. Now you search for the service you are looking for and the results that are shown are ordered by relevance and the search engines best guess at delivering exactly the results you want.
As a business, you want to show up as the most relevant result – or on the infamous Page One.  Local SEO is a long journey of content creation, website optimization, citation and backlink building, and patience.  Check out our SEO Services to see what we offer here at Odd Dog!

Then – Networking groups

Now – LinkedIn – Facebook Groups

In-person, networking will always be more powerful than online, but having virtual groups like LinkedIn Groups and Facebook Groups allows you to not only connect with your business peers but also your customers. You now have more ways to be seen as an authority in your space. Contributing to the right groups can help build trust and make you the go-to person for your niche.  Try it out! Find a group that you think that not only you could benefit from but where you could also add value.

Then – TV commercials

Now – YouTube & Facebook ads

Yes, TV commercials are still around, but the playing field has gotten so much more accessible for local businesses with smaller budgets. Local businesses can advertise with a video on channels like Facebook and YouTube to a highly targeted audience. The video doesn’t even have to be high-budget. Many successful campaigns can be run with a video taken from a phone. Of course, we do recommend talking to the pros when you can afford it (like RB Content Lab), it makes a big difference, but don’t let budget stop you from putting a video out there! Business owners can now be very specific with their messaging and reduce ad spend by targeting the right audiences at the right time on platforms like Facebook and YouTube.

    Questions about video advertising? Contact us! 

Then – Direct Mail

Now – Email Marketing

Do you even look at “junk mail” anymore? Maybe if it’s eye-catching or miraculously a postcard about a sale for something you are already in the market for. Direct mail can still work, but it’s costly. Not only do you need to procure a targeted list (which is expensive!) you also need to expertly craft the right message and media to mail out. Oh, and there’s printing,  postage, and the mailing house price unless you want to do this all by hand.
Today, you can email. Email marketing can be incredibly successful and cost-effective if used correctly. You can still purchase targeted email lists or you can grow your email list by offering something of value in return. Email marketing can be powerful, not only to gain new sales, but also to nurture old leads, and maintain a relationship with your past customers.

Then – Cold calling

Now – TARGETING!

Thank goodness businesses have more options than this now! Cold calling is still a going on, but it’s much fewer and far between now. With the “no-call” list in existence and more caller ID phone screening, cold-calling is becoming a thing of the past. People are getting better at avoiding unwanted calls.
Plus, we can now really finely tune our target audience. By using Google AdWords, (via a PPC Agency hopefully!) Facebook Ads, or even finding the right email list, you can make sure your message is seen by your perfect customer at the right time and right place. As opposed to a phone call right in the middle of dinner. You know what I’m talking about…
With better advertising channels and targeting, businesses can decrease ad spend and increase ROI. Need help? We’re an award-winning Digital Marketing Agency that can help you get your business on the map!

How has marketing your business changed since you opened your doors? 

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