Is Marketing Snobbery Causing You to Leave Money on the Table?

Last week, a colleague from a local marketing company emailed me to see if I was available to write content for fax blasts on short notice. Part of me thought it was a joke.

A few years ago, a client scolded me for not having access to a fax machine. I tried to explain that I can accomplish the same thing by scanning or snapping photos of documents and emailing them. This client basically accused me of heresy.

Other than that, I probably hadn’t uttered the word “fax” in about 10 years.

So I called my colleague to get the details about his proposed fax blasts. He explained that his client had a ton of fax numbers from former customers. The cost to do a fax blast was just under $200, so the client figured it was worth a shot.

His first fax blast brought in $14,000.

I’m no math wiz, but that sounds like an ROI of about 7,000 percent. That’s no joke.

I’m leaving out details about this company’s industry and product offering because I don’t want their competitors to steal the idea. Obviously, it’s an industry in which faxes are still widely used.

After the success of the first fax blast, this company bought a list of fax numbers for thousands of companies in their desired vertical. The next phase would include a more targeted approach. I was brought in because the client wanted to do some A/B testing to determine if value-based or price-based messaging would be more effective.

I never thought I’d say what I’m about to say, but I’m very curious about how this round of fax blasts will turn out.

I was recently approached by Paul at NJ Flying Flyers about writing content for his website and blog. NJ Flying Flyers distributes door hangers to the front doors of people’s homes in New Jersey.

Honestly, I didn’t realize that there were companies that specialized in this service, although I never really gave it much thought. I incorrectly equated door hangers with menus from local restaurants.

Then Paul started to explain his value proposition. Door hangers are highly targeted to specific neighborhoods. Unlike direct mail, door hangers aren’t jammed in mailboxes with advertising from competitors.

Door hangers occupy prime real estate. Literally. This exclusivity allows advertisers to avoid coupons and discounting and focus on conveying the value of their products and services.

What blew me away is the real-time delivery monitoring. All delivery people are equipped with GPS devices that allow the advertiser to see their door hangers delivered in real-time through an online interface.

Pretty cool technology that adds a layer of accountability, especially when you consider the challenges created by online ad fraud, ad blocking, and inadequate ad viewability guidelines.

And it’s not just restaurants. Door hangers are used to promote fitness centers, chambers of commerce, live events, auto sales and service, home improvement, and other products and services.

Consider me educated.

That was the statement of an executive during a marketing meeting that I was privileged to attend a few years ago. I was a communications and public relations consultant for this organization at the time.

For some reason, “blog” was a dirty word at this place. Blogging was viewed as a low rent form of marketing.

I didn’t push it because my pleas to launch a blog would have fallen on deaf ears due to the political nonsense going on behind the scenes. The actual marketing people thought it was a great idea, but that was as far as it went.

This company was always looking to place articles in trade publications, but refused to do the same on a platform that they owned and controlled. A platform that could drive traffic and improve search rankings. It basically came down to a mischaracterization of blogging by a few influential people.

I eventually left that company to take my business full-time. Ironically, I was able to make that leap because my blog produced the leads that turned into my biggest clients. Go figure.

I’m not writing this post because I think every business in the world should be faxing and hanging flyers on people’s front doors. I don’t think we need to get on the phone with every salesperson who calls or emails to pitch some form of advertising.

I do think every company should be blogging , but that’s a separate topic for another day.

I’m writing this post because I wonder if we as business owners and marketers are sometimes too dismissive of marketing tactics that aren’t particularly sexy or trendy.

A bit snobbish, you might say.

I embrace my background in radio because it made me a better writer. I also think it’s a ridiculously effective marketing channel because it gives you the opportunity to speak to potential customers for up to 60 seconds. Yet so many people dismiss radio because it has been around for more than 100 years.

In today’s ultra-competitive marketplace, don’t we owe it to ourselves to leave no stone unturned when it comes to finding ways to grow our businesses?

Depending on your company, an article published in the local weekly newspaper could generate more business than a Facebook advertising campaign. Better yet, think of what you can achieve by doing both.

Let your competitors be marketing snobs.

Keep your mind open to all opportunities and invest in marketing that works, not marketing that’s “cool.”