How to reach people

[jonnyslick]

.. ok ... i know this is WAYYY off topic, but I'd like your help on how to do this with some ideas for a marketing group i'm trying to do a presentation for.

if you have a product, idea, or service and want to reach mass quanities of people (on a national level, not just local or regional), what is the best way to do so. so lets talk about various marketing ideas if you all don't mind and the realitive costs as well as the reputation level.

here are my ideas so far (and remember I'm not a marketing expert, just this is what i FEEL, so if i'm wrong PLEASE CORRECT ME). thanx!

1. national TV or Radio spots = expensive = reputation pends on the ad spot/time (late night ads have low reputation).
2. national newpaper ad = expensive = fair to strong reputation
3. magazine ads = expensive = reputation level based on national opinion of the magazine
4. "viral" video on youtube, ect. = low to no cost = low reputation level
5. e-mail marketing = low to medium cost = low reputation
6. home shopping channel = no idea on cost = reputation high among "regular" viewers
7. word of mouth = free = strong reputation
8. "snail-mail" marketing = fairly expensive = low reputation


so those are my ideas. basically i'm trying to find the balance between reaching mass amounts of people (say e-mail spam for example), with low cost, but having strong, meaningful reputation (like word of mouth).

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

The way I see it, Radio and TV are effective at getting the brand name recognition out there, but there needs to be a quality product behind it. A good website goes a long way in getting your product name out there too, as people tend to look online at products they know little about. If your site looks like Craigslist, it does not inspire confidence. Quality needs to be there as quality does it's own viral marketing. People happy with your product will sing it's praises online and do the advertising for you. The opposite is also true. You must make the early adopters happy in order to have long term success. The best advertising campaign in the world will only succeed in getting strong initial sales if the product sucks. If it sucks, the early adopters will kill it for you. People love to complain and will be sure to do so and tell everyone they know, and a few million of their closest friends if they are dissatisfied. In this day and age, you can't just shovel sh*t anymore. There is just too much access to information for it to work.

 

[jonnyslick]

^ Very good points.

But when you have a good product with good quality ... or a good service with good work ... how do you go about reaching the most people when you have say very meager working capital?

I guess the question should be: "What's the best bang for the buck in advertising, and still maintaining a high level of respect?".

I know the short answer to that is word of mouth, but that takes time. It's hands down the best ... but takes time. What would you consider the next best option to get things rolling quicker w/o breaking the bank?

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

It all depends on the product in question. If you have a local small business, mail and print advertising has a good amount of return as it targets your probable clients. If it is a national product, like a car, television and radio are the key as is print advertising in magazines. This gets your foot in the door, but the product had better sell itself after that. That was my point. If you are targeting early adopters of your product, TV and Radio is best, but to keep sales moving it needs to have enough appeal to bring along those who would not buy something on initial release. I, for example, am not someone who buys a lot of stuff off advertising alone. I do tons of research before making a buying decision on something like a Computer, car or appliance to be sure I am not buying junk. I may see something I like on TV, but TV will not make me buy until I confirm I am getting a good product. My point is, no one form of advertising reaches 100% of your target market. You have to differentiate between the early adopters, educated consumers, and the members of different socio-economic classes in order to formulate a successful campaign.

It also depends on the product. A can of soup is marketed differently than a plasma TV, as the prices mean it is not a big leap of faith to buy bad soup as it is a bad TV. If you don't like the soup, it is not expensive to throw it away. If you don't like a $1500 TV, it's a little harder to start over. So, people approach the decision to buy soup with less care than a TV. The economic conditions of the time also play into it. In a good economy, people are more apt to be loose with their cash and take more chances than when times are less certain.

So, what the heck is my point then? Well, the point is that no one answer is right for every possible situation or product. You need to tailor your advertising campaign to fit the type of product you are selling and the needs of your potential customers. Even that won't always work if the product you are selling is an Edsel though. :lol: