Marketing is Bad

Great! Now I have your attention!!

Remember the old commercials with the cool sing-along jingles and the terrifyingly large cartoon characters that would tell you why that thing was sooooo GRRRRReat!!!?

Sadly, that type of marketing is gone. We’ve oversold ourselves and now no one wants to listen to anyone who asks us to buy this or buy that. Every second of every day is filled with sales pitches and marketing gimmicks. And we’re really good at scrolling past…

Recently I read on social media someone’s post talking about the new generations (30 and under) and how they buy everything from Amazon, and no one can compete. I feel that’s only partially true. While price and accessibility have always been important to consumers; more often, we are looking for products that are made local, are socially or environmentally responsible and provide the best quality product for a fair price. I’m a Gen X and these things are important to me too as a consumer. There will always be those who shop only based on price. And then there’s the rest of us.

The writer of the post went on to also express how they felt that relationship building is no longer a part of marketing.  I feel that relationship building is actually still very important when creating a marketing campaign for your clients. The thing that’s changed is how we do this. Again, in the old days relationship building meant face to face meetings, golf memberships and whatever else your clients were in to. Today we can reach these clients through the screens that everyone carries around with them day in and day out. Building relationships has moved to social media. The name itself “social media” indicates that there are interpersonal exchanges of information happening on these internet platforms. Sharing your companies or your own beliefs and interests with those who “follow” you on your social media channels has the potential to engage those who share your beliefs and interests. While real world meetings still have a place in our marketing plans, they are not be the only way we can reach our clients on a personal level.

One last thought: I know when I shop online one of the first things I do after searching for a product and opening up search results in various tabs; is to read the product/service/company reviews. Albeit some of these reviews are not legitimate (companies can pay for reviews/reviewers) its fairly easy to find reviews that are written by real people. I like to know what other people experienced with a product or service before I make a final buying decision. Again, in the old days we would simply chat with our friends at the bar to find out what they thought. Now the advantage is seeing opinions from a wider demographic than just our close friends’ group. These reviews can and do carry over into other social platforms as I often read post discussions of products and services both between “friends” and in public group discussions. Word of mouth as taken on a new meaning and now has a potentially wider reach.

If nothing else is learned; 2020 has taught small businesses that we need to diversify our reach and explore new channels. My own fine art business which is mainly dependent on events and social gatherings (art festivals, art markets, galleries etc.) basically shut down due to the covid 19 issue. While I had a website and social media channels, I was not promoting them as much as I should have been to help build interest in my work. Within a few months, I have diversified into several new platforms (and become more proactive in existing platforms) and created new projects of interest that have already begun to increase activity on my website. I already had Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Eventbrite, Blogspot, Google Business and LinkedIn; I added YouTube, Constant Contact and Patreon.   My next goal is to be more consistent with my online efforts and create a schedule and timeline for myself along with a few soft goals that will help direct my energies and efforts.

As an experienced (over 20yrs) and knowledgeable graphic designer, I have a small advantage when marketing my artwork, over others who rely on people like me to create their campaigns for them.  I’ve created an entry-level social media plan for small businesses, promotional products distributors and artists and artisans. I can adjust these recommendations to suit ANY budget. Want to learn more? Drop me a line.

Thanks for reading, Enjoy your day!!