Why Traditional Marketing is Obsolete

What is wrong with the way it has always been done when it comes to marketing? Traditionally, in the past, it was thought that if you got your name out in front of the public, telling them of how great a person you are or how great your product is, people would begin to believe it. Today, that is just not the case. Tooting your own horn not only is not well received, but destroys credibility along with it. “How does this destroy credibility?” you may ask. We are constantly being bombarded by much of the same message by multiple competitors on a regular basis. How many products have you seen that all claim to be new and improved or superior to all other competitors? We have become jaded to that message and basically we have come to not believe it. In it’s day, advertising was much more effective, but has now become secondary to public relations much as a candle was once used primarily for it’s illumination purposes. Since the invention of the light bulb, candles still have a purpose, but more for aesthetics. So to with traditional advertising.

What has caused the tide to turn? In today’s world, with the wide spread use of the internet, information is much more accessible and people are able to become more informed and make decisions based on the facts that are gathered. If you are an online shopper, as many of us are, you are able to see feedback buy the general public that have used a product or vendor and get an unbiased opinion based on their experience. This kind of information is much more credible in our decision making process that what that person says about themself or their product. Give me that over the thousands of dollars used on advertising any day. I believe providing valuable information and testimonies from past clients about great consistent service goes a lot further than any ad I could write about myself.

Has advertising totally lost it’s value? The answer is no. The difference today is that it should re-enforce the value rather than proclaim it. So, when you want to hire someone to promote something for you, consider how they intend to do it and how effective would it be if you were the one being marketed to. In my business, many people are still using the older less effective methods of promoting a new listing, such as the open house or home magazines. These thing simply put, are not effective. but others do it because that is the way it has always been done. I have to ask myself the question “how effective are these methods?” Well, open houses generally produce a fine crop of casual lookers who are out looking for a way to kill a Sunday afternoon or neighbors who just want to have an opportunity to come into your home without you there. As for home magazines, have you looked at one lately? They are full of home after home. What will make yours noticed anymore than the other? I asked myself the question “If I were looking to purchase a home, where would I start?” The answer, on the internet. That is the area I believe it it much more effective to promote that listing. We must stay up with what is effective today and not what used to work yesterday.