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Alternative marketing is both old and new. It is old because it mirrors what businesses used to do. Such as call customers by name, deliver personalized service, and treat people as individuals. It's new because technology has made it easier for any size business to develop a relationship with customers. No matter what time of day or where they are located. Customer Focused Alternative marketing is characterized by quality and not quantity, innovation not stagnation, creativity not status-quo, and planning not the quick-fix. It is customer focused and custom-tailored. The goal of alternative marketing is to save time, increase income, reduce stress, attract and retain more customers, bring more fun into worklife, and much more. The more you use Alternative Marketing, the more effective and economical it becomes. For example. Instead of doing a mailing to all of your customers, you mail to only those customers who you know will be interested in what you're now offering. That cuts down on your cost while increasing your response rate. Alternative marketing is about making smart decisions: 1. Planning. Untold millions have been invested in various campaigns that failed because they did not have measurable goals, documented steps to get there, and the correct people on board to make it a reality. 2. Commitment. People practicing Alternative Marketing realize that instant results are rarely part of the deal. True growth and success take time. But of course, that's all in the plan. 3. Change. The business world has changed because it has shrunk rather than expanded. Competition is more prevalent. It is a customer focused economy. If you are not keeping up, your customers will leave you behind. Being flexible and listening to what your smallest customer or lowest level employee has to say will help to keep you on the cutting edge. 4. Technology. Marketing has also become a lot more technical. But that doesn't mean you have to be technical -- because technology has met you more than halfway by becoming much easier to use and even easier to pay for. Alternative Marketing embraces technology while balancing it against overall business objectives and needs. Technology serves its purpose when it can help you serve customers, scout for new prospects, link with other marketing partners, research the competition and create a plethora of marketing materials for yourself. Technology fails when it sits on a self untouched. Good planning makes sure the former happens, not the latter. Alternative Marketing Ideas When distributing a marketing piece always remember to focus the content of your message and where it will placed on the characteristics of the community you want to reach. Stuff fliers in: -grocery bags-church bulletins -paycheck envelopes or employee mailboxes -local newspapers, including free ones Distribute fliers at:
-post offices or libraries
(as bookmarks)
Print message on: Creating an Alternative Marketing Piece When creating a marketing piece, remember the community you are trying to. Regardless of whether you are producing a health message or program announcement, the message needs to be communicated clearly and simply in the "language of the listener." This means don't bother with fancy scientific words or formal language if you want the message read or heard by a rural older audience. Here are some ideas to simplify your announcements.
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