The old and the new in marketing techniques

Old and new marketing techniques are being used in unique combinations by virtually all businesses hoping to attract customers. There are few methods of marketing that have never been tried before and many old techniques are either still in use or have been altered to match the needs of changing times and changing consumer preferences. Below you will read brief summaries about just a few of the old and new marketing techniques.Reading about these techniques may help you in developing your own marketing strategies today.

The old marketing techniques

Marketing has come a long way in the last 20 and even 10 years.The technological age is upon us and we are seeing a new wave in innovations that open up the possibilities for new types of marketing.This is not to say that the old marketing techniques are no longer used.For a good marketer knows that some marketing methods are tried and true and are inexpensive enough to continue even if the returns are not astronomical.A diver method of marketing is sometimes the best approach, especially if your target market does not fall into a neat category of people who do and say the same things and go to the same places.Some of the more old school marketing techniques include such methods as word of mouth advertising and written distribution.Word of mouth used to be an incredibly effective way of getting the word out about your product because years and years ago people actually took the time to sit down and talk to each other.The social scene now is very different and although people still do talk, it is much more rare that the conversations will be as non-committal as they once were.Now to take you back to a time that seems even more far distant in the world of marketing is the distribution of written materials.Before everything became electronic, the only way to get the message out was to physically distribute it.Printing in newspapers, fliers, ads in the mail or found on the windshield of your car, etc. were all considered very effective ways of reaching the public.Today these written marketing techniques can be seen in places such as bus kiosks and bill boards.Not necessarily where a wide range of people will see them frequently.

The new marketing techniques

"Electronic", "digital" and "online" are all terms that are hard to miss when talking about the newest marketing techniques.The electronic age that we are in the thick of is presenting unique opportunities for marketers to reach a wider range of potential customers without having to spend as much money (in most cases).One electronic ad can be sent to countless customers via their cell phones, laptops, email devices, etc.There are few people that the internet and modern gadgets have left untouched.Search engine optimization is a tool that internet marketers use to make sure that their websites, or at least websites with their advertisements on them, come up towards the top of the list in an internet search.New studies are using images to trigger consumer buying and product placement (although not a new marketing technique) is being used with a volume that was never before imagined.The advent of reality TV, and consequent availability of most forms of entertainment online, has made such product placement marketing strategies not only more convenient but also more effective as the reality TV craze is hardly loosing steam.Chat rooms have become the new form of word of mouth advertising.Called "viral advertising" those employed by marketers will intentionally start an online chat information about a certain product in order to market that product.