Developing Your Marketing Strategy: Why an ‘All-of-the-above’ Approach is More Important Than Ever

Remember when traditional marketing was dead?

It was only a couple of years ago that everyone from the Harvard Business Review to Forbes magazine was trumpeting the demise of traditional marketing and public relations strategies. In a world of social media and online marketing, they contended, old-school tactics for connecting with customers just wouldn’t cut it.

So it must have come as some surprise to media analysts when a recent survey by marketing firm Valassis found that when 18-to-24-year-olds want to go shopping, their # 1 source for coupons was (drum roll)…the newspaper! Yep, that’s right: The highly hyped Millennial generation, often portrayed as permanently attached to some form of digital media, turn more often to the ink-stained pages of an old-fashioned newspaper to score shopping savings than to websites, internet searches or other online sources.

“The (survey results) are somewhat counterintuitive from what you might expect based on what we know about Millennials,” Valassis VP Lisa Reynolds said in announcing the results. “While they are heavy digital users, this group also embraces tried and true methods for savings, as much as any other age group. Promotion sensitive, they are a true testament to the use of savings from both print and digital sources.”

When it came to sharing sales info, Millennials also opted for old-school methods over digital options, with 71 percent favoring good old “word of mouth” over social media (43 percent) or texting (30 percent). Given that Millennials are often considered to be the generation that is most comfortable with online media, it would seem as though the reports of the death of traditional marketing were decidedly premature.

All of the above

What does this mean for companies looking to up their marketing game? Simple: Develop an “all-of-the-above” marketing plan that incorporates both traditional tactics – such as public relations, paid advertising, face-to-face networking and direct mail – as well as the latest digital and social media strategies, including:

• Content marketing

• Social media

• Search engine optimization

• Branding

• Native advertising

Critics of traditional marketing rightly note that the marketing environment has changed significantly in the past 15 years. The Internet, social media and platforms such as tablets and smartphones have created a more fragmented audience while placing consumers firmly in the marketing driver’s seat. No longer are customers held hostage by TV commercials and paid advertisements that interrupt the content they wish to see. With time-shifting devices such as DVRs and iPods that allow users to create custom playlists, consumers can tune out annoying marketing messages more easily than ever before.

And that’s exactly why companies should adopt an integrated, “all-of-the-above” marketing strategy. By fully utilizing the many new and traditional marketing and public relations channels, businesses can create effective campaigns that are more:

• Targeted:  Mobile devices and other platforms enable companies to reach niche audiences wherever they’re at

• Substantive: From blogs to ebooks, businesses must produce high-quality content in order to attract and retain customers

• Consistent: Presenting a uniform message across all marketing channels creates an even stronger overall impact

• Measurable: Web metrics and marketing data allow businesses to test, measure and adjust their marketing campaigns for maximum results.

To learn more about developing an integrated marketing plan for your business, contact Reputation Ink at (904) 374-5733 or visit www.rep-ink.com.