Each new trend, digital discovery, and software update brings new challenges, especially to niche and small business struggling to maintain a marketing budget and wondering where they should truly be spending their pennies. Forbes recently identified ways that businesses can draw from years past, utilizing strategies that have withstood the test of time…after all, the old adage says ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. Here are a few ways you can bring some of the past right into the present:

-Email Marketing: You may think that email marketing belongs in the past, but 82% of B2B and B2C companies still use this tried-and-true method. In fact, research shows that you’re six times more likely to get a click-through from an email versus a tweeted message (source). Forbes notes that your email list is something that will never go out of style because it’s a platform you have “total control” over. We remind our Christian market clients of this all the time.  It pays to build your email list.  Facebook advertising can be a wonderful tool, but whereas you pay Facebook to help build your following and then pay them again to make sure your followers see your messages, with email, you pay once to add someone to the list, then your future sends to that person are almost free as the only cost is your list provider’s cost.  Also Dedicated Email ads (also called Direct Email ads) are very affordable these days.  Email newsletter advertising provides you the opportunity to build recognition of your message by building daily or weekly frequency, and at even more affordable rates than Dedicated Emails.  Email provides a direct connection to your target audience, putting your brand directly in their inboxes on their smartphone, tablet, and computer.

-Slogans and Jingles: Chances are, you can remember a jingle or two from your childhood: the Coca-Cola jingle, childhood cereal commercials, the DoubleMint Gum jingle, double A (beep beep) MCO… these all catch in our memories from time to time. A catchy slogan or a memorable song can imprint your brand on the listener and your audience. Of course, ‘cheesy’ mottos sometimes work for your local mattress company but finding a slogan, sound, or jingle that is authentic and suits your brand can be very powerful, like Apple’s “Think Different” for example. Apple has since retired their slogan, but it garnered them tripled stock rates in the year after its release (source). Millennial clients and customers will see straight through any facade, and deeply desire honesty to establish brand loyalty.

-Coupons, samples, and promotional products: Wholesale retailer Costco employs this tactic to this day, giving their customers in-store samples and they’ve become known for their tasty in-store demos. We eat our way through Costco at least once a month.  Samples have been shown to increase sales by up to a whopping 2000 percent (source). Samples, coupons, and online promotional codes give your clients and audience a tangible “thank you” for using your services or purchasing your product. For films and book promotion, items like a sample chapter or a sneak peek of an exclusive trailer also have shown positive results. Everyone likes to get something for free or ‘on sale’…that will probably never change!

Find the whole Forbes article HERE. 
Contact a FrontGate Engagement Specialist HERE.