“insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  -Albert Einstein

So why is this the first thing I write in what is supposed to be an inspiring marketing blog on the latest best practices out there?

Well – it’s a bit of tough love if you will.  As the building industry cautiously ramps up – things are tenuous at best.  We can’t change the economy and demand…but we can stop hanging on to old methodologies and throwing cash out the window – metaphorically speaking.

traditional marketing – used alone – doesn’t work any more.

Traditional Marketing practice “pushes” a message out to targeted consumers with the goal of catching their attention and inciting an action. (Examples: cold-calling, print & on-line advertising, TV & radio advertising, outdoor, direct mail /  e-blast to purchased lists and trade shows.) Here a company tells people why they should buy that product now, Now, NOW.

There was an intense shallowness in these customer relationships of the past and this seemed to work more-or-less for years. Until, of course it didn’t…and still doesn’t.  

[Interesting Note: the 2010 Edelman Trust Barometer found that over 70% of consumers in the United States feel advertising lies.] 

Used alone, traditional marketing’s results were on the decline years ago and it would be insane to again follow only traditional techniques. 

Interestingly, I’ve seen traditional “push” marketing [“buy my product”-“buy my product”]  used almost exclusively in Facebook posts, Twitter tweets and blogs. It not only doesn’t work there – it actually goes the extra mile and annoys people. 

Just because it’s a social media channel – doesn’t mean that’s how it’s being used by companies. Indeed, I’ve been watching a builder with a “social media staff” & a budget PUSH messaging  [“Grand opening at __” – “Get a home for only $___” -“Grand Opening Today…”] across social media without a break. It’s like watching a car accident in slow-motion. Painful.

Bottom-line –  Using only “push” marketing techniques in isolation should earn a ticket to the asylum.  However, integrating traditional techniques into a larger marketing strategy & mix… well that can be downright synergistic. 

there are other areas that make me wonder these days

• Still not having a defined brand experience strategy, when everything is more transparent and personal than ever before in history. Seriously…many companies just “wing it” .
• Still not using analytics and data regularly to improve marketing return and customer experience. Is it really “ok” today to not actively pursue improvement? Do equity partners feel this way?

last word..

Innovation. There are so many opportunities to be remarkably great. The developers and builders that pursue those opportunities will become the next market leaders.