Online internet marketing is the most cost effective by far. Start by SEO optimizing and getting links to your company website. Then follow by Facebook promotional and community involvement campaigns. at the same time connect with those in the industry on LinkedIn. In your spare time, set up Google+, Twitter, and Youtube accounts for your company. Then follow up by writing expert articles and blog post, post that content to all the above social media outlets. If you don't have resources or technical ability to create your own useful videos for Youtube, just create playlist of relevant videos already on youtube.

If you do the first part correctly (SEO company site with links back), you will most likely find your self doing less of those old-school marketing techniques and mediums. We don't cold call, don't email ads, mail flyer, postcards, don't pay thousands for pay per click, radio or TV ads, etc. Just passive internet marketing. It results in hundreds of times a return on investment compared to any or the old-school methods.

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Wayne Spivak Replied on Nov. 28, 2011

Don,

Thank you for the clarification.

This leads to a second observation; are the 300 million readers around the world the correct target audience or is the percentage of 6K in the trade mag the right target?

Or another way of say it, if $300 gets you nothing and $3k gets you something are you better off?

BTW, i don't think there is an easy answer, it is a case by case business decision, but one that shouldn't be lobbed into old-school and new school, which places modifiers that aren't always correct.

Why not term it internet-based and non-internet based? Not all companies are virtual, some are only brick & mortar, while others live in both worlds....

Don Fitchett Replied on Dec. 2, 2011

Great follow up. And point noted about my use of 'old-school', I can see that is a negative connotation. I agree a combination of both might be needed for local business seeking local customers. National companies and international is what I was mostly focusing on in my reply. Also was giving perspective as it relates to our company which is industrial training. (A local restaurant would warrant a different respond from me. :)

And yes, the free internet customers are targeted because they are searching, and search engines only deliver your site and info to targeted customers, if you did your company site correctly. Another reason internet marketing results in such a greater ROI than Non-Internet marketing is when someone finds your product or company, they are looking. (in shopping or even buying mode), but when they receive the post card, TV ad, radio ad, or magazine add, they are more like to NOT be in shopping or buying mode. When I read a magazine, I skip adds, in article learning mode. When I watch movie, in entertainment mode, etc..