6 Ways offline and online marketing are different

Photo taken by me in early 1993

I wrote the following post in February 2013, nearly 10 years ago. My nephew Jake is now 32 and is a senior art director and my other nephew Josh is now 41 and a senior IT guy!!

The facts I wrote about then are still true today.

…….

The world is always changing and we in business must keep up if we want to be successful (no matter how we define success for us).

Technology has REALLY changed. I remember (I’m 62 now in 2013) co-owning one of the first Apple computer dealerships in Toronto in the 1980s and helping to create and run a conference company in the 1990s where we held events for people who used what were then called hand-held computers (PDAs). I’ve always been at the “bleeding edge” of technology (just before the “leading edge” which means being in the red and not making money but always being the first to know about new technology).

We had/ were:

  • one of the first fax machines in 1984. It was as big as a small photocopier but since very few others had one there were few to send things to!
  • one of the first cell phones in 1985. The battery for this was the size of a car battery and the handset like that of an older dial phone with buttons. I called it a “luggable” phone.
  • one of the first to use the internet to market with our “email blasts” in the conference business in1995. They were “fax blasts” using email addresses but we could send them from our Mac (our potential conference attendees had email addresses but most companies didn’t have websites yet).

Times continued to evolve and with this came what was in 1984 a revolution (we even produced a print booklet called A Revolution in the Making which in 1984 took 6 weeks to produce even though we had the latest desktop publishing software at that time) that caused all of us to transform ourselves and our thinking.

In fact my nephew who is 22 now and studying at Ryerson University and producing art (by paint and on computer, films on his Macintosh and photos with his digital camera) is a great testament to this transformation. He is of the generation who grew up with and used all technology. He even had access to my brother’s Macintosh when he was a baby.  (From left to right: my brother Phil, his son Jake who I wrote about here and my other nephew Josh who’s 30 now and has been using computers since he was 4 and has been in the computer business since he was 17. He’s now 32!)

But I digress.

There are at least 6 ways in which online marketing is different from offline marketing.

One needs a computer, a hookup to the Internet and a browser such as Firefox or Chrome.

  1. Speed  One can do EVERYTHING faster. Once you have set yourself up, just input some data and you can send it at the “touch of a finger”.
  2. Cost  EVERYTHING costs less or is free (do you know of the book published in 2009 by Chris Anderson  Free: The Future Of A Radical Price )   – audio and video production and even payment processing.
  3. Reach  One can connect (for free) with contacts both locally and globally.
  4. Measurement & Tracking  One can easily get access to key metrics with ad trackers, newsletter openings, website analytics etc.
  5. Easy to do marketing   One can “do it yourself” (if you’re not a technophobe AND have the time).
  6. “Abundant”  information at your fingertips  With most search engines like google or Ask one can search for and find anything – anywhere in the world. (Remember that this info has the caveat of buyer beware as does any info you find online)

How has this blog post made you think – whether you use technology a lot or you’re a  “technophobe” who didn’t grow up with technology?

Here is access to the other post I wrote 14 Ways Offline and Online Marketing Are The Same

Compare the two and tell me what you think. I’m VERY interested in what everyone has to say!

 Originally posted on February 6, 2013

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How to make technology your friend

Do you see technology as a friend or foe?

Photo by R.D. Smith on Unsplash

When I was a kid in the 50s and 60s, all phones were black and had dials, typewriters were manual, cameras had film and music was on records. Now in 2020, phones are “dialed” by tapping on them, typewriters don’t exist, your phone is your camera that takes photos and videos, and music is on mp3 players. Oh how technology changes the way things are done! By the way, why do we still say that we dial a number when we actually press buttons? Hmmm.

All of these were technology AND everyone knew how to use them. So why are many people afraid of technology today? There are lots of reasons even if people use it often.

  • it’s too difficult to learn
  • I don’t need to use all the features
  • I can’t learn/ use it
  • I’m too old
  • I don’t have time to learn it
Picture from pixabay by TheDigitalArtist / 7307 images

It comes down to the fact that all of us have difficulty with change. In the 70s people said “I’m not mechanically inclined”. Now they say “I’m not technically savvy”.

My belief then as now is that it’s mindset. I don’t know who said “if you think you can, you can and if you think you can’t, you can’t” or something like that.

What can YOU do?

First and foremost you can change the mindset that you have that says “I can’t do technology.” In order to do that, there are several things you can do.

1. take one technology and learn what it can do and what it can do for you in your business or personal life. As an example, let’s use smartphones. A smartphone can be known as a mobile or cellphone. It has an operating system (like a computer does), can allow you to take photos and videos, record notes you may have, check and respond to email and look at posts and websites. It can be your media player (mp3s), it has a touchscreen and can run 3rd-party apps. Decide which apps you need. Become a knowledgeable consumer.

2. find an expert who won’t use “geekspeak when talking with you and will explain things to you until you understand.

3. find someone to do it for you. I tried my hand at programming several decades ago and decided it wasn’t for me. So whenever I need a new website, I make a list of the features I need, then do due diligence on the person I choose — and voila — it gets done for me!

I know what I want, my web designer answers my “techy” questions as I have them and then teaches me how to use it and how to make content additions or changes myself. And I don’t have to do any programming!

It starts by having an attitude where you say to yourself “I can’t do it so I’ll hire someone who can.” There are lots of things we think we can’t do but in reality we aren’t willing to spend the time needed to learn that thing. But hiring someone could be worth our while. We should be doing the thing we love to do!

Have I succeeded in convincing you that you need to change your attitude? What have you done?

 Originally posted January 18, 2015 

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8 Actions for a startup – #5 Take live courses and webinars

You take courses for at least two reasons – to learn and to meet people – network.

Kinds of Courses

1. Live Course. This is just as it says. You’re in a seminar or course with a group of people in a physical place like a hotel. Pros: you network with people, “personalized” attention from instructor Cons: cost – your time to get there, parking and fuel, paid recording of the course.

2. Webinars (used to be called telecourses and were via phone only) These use technology – computers or phones. Pros: cheaper, no travel time for you or the instructor, no cost for parking, can get a replay if you’re not available, use your laptop computer or smartphone for webinars Cons: networking with other participants is difficult or impossible, you may be at a client and therefore have no access to long distance for a phone course.

You can see that both types have their pros and cons. For me who can’t travel as easily since my stroke, if a seminar is in town I either have to pay for a taxi or find another participant to give me a ride, the webinars and telecourses are perfect. I can take several each year and I never have to leave home. Thank goodness for technology:-) But choose for yourself.

Why Take Courses?

  1. As a lifelong learner I believe in education and learning. Never stop learning. Even if it’s a free webinar, as long as the advertising of the speaker’s next course is kept to a minimum, sign up for them. The good news is that all webinars are recorded. The bad news is that the slides used in a webinar aren’t always available.
  2. Networking is the first kind of marketing I always suggest. At a live seminar you can choose the other students you wish to and talk with them or set up to meet them. You also have an opportunity to meet the instructor in person.

How do you hear about them?

Ask the same people you asked about what newsletter to subscribe to (#3 in my list of 8 actions) and books to read (#4 in my list of 8 actions). I’ll repeat the points here.

  • Make a list of what matters to YOU.
  • Make sure you put professional development costs in your planning budget.
  • Take a free webinar first.
  • Ask your mentor and your coach which ones they attend in person or listen to on a webinar. Ask them which ones they would recommend. If they’re paid courses by someone you’ve never heard of, ask your mentor or coach if they’ve heard of the speaker. If they have and you can afford it, take the course.
  • Have a list of what’s offered that you’re considering.
  • Read websites and go to the ones the business owners suggest.
  • Ask other women at networking events.
  • Check out the ones that the writers/ owners of the newsletters you subscribe offer.

Remember, you always learn something. Over the years I’ve taken many courses and webinars. You can never know everything.

You would think I know a lot since I’ve been self employed since 1980. Nope – one can always learn more. Early in 2011, I  took a group coaching program/ telecourse for 10 weeks from Tsufit  of “Step Into Spotlight”  and I learned something new AND different ways to look at something that I already knew. There’s always something new to learn!

Often I’m called a marketing expert. That’s because I keep learning through books, newsletters, webinars and conferences. But I learn the most from YOU – my students and followers. YOU ask the questions and if I know I tell you the answer. If I don’t know I tell you and then search to learn it and then tell YOU!

That’s how it works. It’s okay to not know the answer. Just ask and then you’ll know.

 Originally posted February 14, 2012

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