What's Your #1 Frustration with Offline Marketing?

We are talking about harder in making money.

Everybody and their cousin has many ways to gve tthe message out. The problem is, just about all of them do not work (like, flyers), and or people working a 40-hour week at minimum wage makes more money and at less hours.

So on and so on.....

 

Learn it carefully, good post and good discussion! We have online and offline marketing, it is better to fix the two together!

 

i disagree on both counts, but i guess i am blinded by the success i have had, and the success I have shown/given others using those very methods.

 

DEFINITELY!!!

 

The biggest issue with offline marketing has got to be the cost. What costs $1 online would literally cost you $100 in relative advertising terms.

 

Not at all. There are no absolute truths in marketing.

Fair enough. Is the information in digital form, or can it be. For example, could I upload it to a database. Is there a means to automatically (as in no labourers required) match it to an existing client record to track activity over time?

And I think the reverse, which perhaps indicates the nature and quality of the source of this data in both cases

While adding to your cost, and making it a manual process.

Hmmmm...I'd be interested to know what those methods are. There are significant differences between what can be done by by one person (especially if it's me) on the web versus what can be done by one person in the physical world.

I don't think comparing one thing you chose with another thing you chose addresses the assertion I made that offline costs more. How about I pick two 'random' representives and compare the cost of posting tweets with the cost of a 1 minute commercial during the Superbowl? Boy, that offline advertising sure is expensive!

I wasn't clear, and was referring to immediacy of response. But I'd failed to take into account the immediacy of response offered by radio and TV.

Sure, but the point still stands. I can generate a response within minutes because I have everything in place. I need only copy and paste an existing message.

But even getting something up and running from scratch is faster online. Everything from experimenting with different copy, offers, clinchers, price and colours can be done instantly only - using the same web page to display completely different content.

Here's an example - let's say I can't decide between 3 different sales messages. I set up all 3 on a single web page, and have it automatically rotate between the 3. Once 1,500 people have been through that landing page, I have data for each variation with a sample size of 500 each. That's enough to tell me which of the 3 messages delivers the best response/most sales. If I wanted to, I could have my answer in a single day. Or I could simply continue running 3 variations, dropping the weakest every 1500 visitors and replace it with an alternative.

This simple can't be done offline with anything like the same degree of variation, pace and automation.

And of course, I don't have to worry about somebody in the delivery chain failing to understand what has to go where.

As you're allowed an automated call centre that is ready to split test at the drop of a hat, not to mention TV and radio stations ready to run past ads on the strength of a phone call, I'll reserve the right to use my regular AdWords account. I can log in and start up an ad running any time I like. No need to wait.

These TV and radio commercials clearly already exist. As you'd expect, it's the same online. We aren't required to recreate our entire infrastructure and marketing history with each new campaign.

But if we were, it would still be quicker than putting together a TVC from scratch. And a whole lot cheaper.

Sure, back in the 90s. I can't believe anybody is paying to insert an ad in someone else's email newsletter these days.

It's also a problem for anyone fallible, or who has to work with fallible people (e.g. printers, graphic designers, copy writers, proof readers).

It isn't, and I'm sure you know that. If not, then one day this will come back to haunt you. Errors happen, on and offline, and whether or not you check.

If it's online, and it's my content, it can be changed instantly should the need arise.

Agree 100%.

 

=yes



=let me clarify: in the case of americans this is an accurate statement


=humans don't mean a manual process...its completely automated with call centers, and can be reasonably outsourced (costs no more than it would for tracking softwares etc) ultimately...a HUMAN gets involved somewhere along the line...the closer to initial contact the higher sales, and thats proven.



=Not really, its about leverage. The web is a tool, its not always the most efficient tool. Remember guys like me still made money BEFORE there was an internet...how did we do it??? OFFLINE!

You can be a guest speaker at a chamber of commerce, church, school, neighborhood or association (for free and they may even pay you) and spend an hour educating and pitching several dozen people.

Tell me how you can speak to 50-150 people online, live, real time, simultaneously with little cost or even get paid for it? To become a guest speaker its just a phone call. 5-10 minutes....how long will it take you to FIND the SAME kind of people online? and at what cost?

I can go and make an arrangement with my movie theatre, and then print up 5000 color business cards for $99. On the front is a coupon for the theatre...on the back, is my business information. 100s of people each week will get my information.

Where online can you guarantee 100s of TRULY TARGETED people will see your ad for $99, and that happen all month long?

I could go on and on and on...there are many ways to leverage your efforts OFFLINE and reach targeted ATTENTIVE people.



=I didnt pick two random things...i picked to very similar things.

and are you talking PRICE or COST?

using YOUR random example. the several million dollars spent on a superbowl ad (not a cute one, but a direct response) reaches MORE people and will get you MORE ORDERS.

Would you spend $5 million to make $30 million? (there is a reason superbowl ads cost so much and why companies spend on them EVERY YEAR!)

Does your tweet reach millions of football fans glued to one spot? NO!

Sounds like your tweet is a waste of time...and wasted time is VERY expensive...can't ever get that back.


=immediacy of response? what form of offline marketing does not give an opportunity for an immediate response from the viewer? even outside tv and radio...once its seen, the response can be IMMEDIATE (and so can your tracking) - it was called "mass media" before the internet (you might not be old enough to remember)



=If you have "everything in place" then it doesnt matter where you put it....if the point is you are prepared...then offline is just as cost effective, and immediate as online.




=Bullocks....split testing online is totally overrated. There are too many variables to quantify effeciently.

Here is a method you may not be aware of that has been happening for no less than 50 years.

run a commercial - Direct response - on TV or Radio - I can determine how many people I want to hit (because i have the demographics and reach of the station) and run X number of commercials. Because its direct response, people are calling at the moment they see the ad, I can count those immediately.

I then run another ad and see what the difference in response is. Over the course of an hour, 8 hours, a day, whatever, i can understand which is more effective.

You fail to realize - split testing, and EVERYTHING about internet advertising is BASED on an OFFLINE priciple in advertising.

At the same time, I know the RESPONDING AUDIENCE better than online.

How will your website know the difference in the 12 year old girl who is bored versus the the real Mother you are trying to target with your baby bottles?

I know that on the "birthing show" on the WOmens NEtwork TV...there are not a lot of people besides mothers watching that show at that given time. On the net you have what? an IP address, Browser, and geographic region and whatever they put in the form. They come from a variety of sources, and often are just lookly loos who could never qualify.

An Ad budget of $5000 spent offline, will in general yield more REAL results (orders) than $5000 online.


=are you joking?

ever hear of webpronews? sportsillustrated? HRDaily Advisor? Entrepreneur? The motley fool? Billboard? BNET? Direct Listline? WEbsite Magazine? Bottomline Secrets? or ANY major site with a newsletter

...not only do people pay, they pay TOP dollar and they wait!

The fact you just made such a statement lets me know you have little experience in the field of marketing and advertising...newletter revenue is one of the top revenue sources on the net.

and surely you know many websites still sell banner ads...with a WAITING LIST.




=mistakes are lessened when you work with competent and professional people.


=mistakes happen, but shouldnt happen often...again, in my world, where people are professionals...the old saying stands "why redo, what you can do right, the FIRST Time"

for instance, my responses here, I am sure, are full of typos. Spelling and grammatical errors. I don't care, because its just a forum, however, if it was for a client or for an ad, i would check it - re check it and have someone ELSE check also. when that happens. VERY RARELY do mistakes slip by.

It amazes me how many newspapers and magazines have so few errors, yet when amatuers try to rush to the punch, their work is full of them.

The smaller you are, the LESS errors you should have, especially on something as simple as an internet ad in google or wherver you "really" mean.



====================

People always hear about how cheap and easy online advertising is, on forums such as this, and its the exact same forums 90% of the people complain they havent figured out how to make money yet!

and with that, I am done...as it is evident as one person said....

THEN HOW COULD THEY POSSIBLY KNOW? THEY CAN'T!

I guess it is the nature of the internet, just laziness and ignorance makes everyone an expert because they have the ability to hit "reply"

I guess all the people who NEVER have done offline advertising know all about it, and we who have done it for decades are the silly ones.

So enough banter...

I am willing to put money where my mouth is.

Whoever thinks its quicker or cheaper...prove it.

I got cash and experience that says you cant....anyone brave enough to match?

or by all means, continue to give facts about things you have never tried.

 

lol What is your url that you are having this "success"?