In recent presentations I continue to get questions about the various forms of media and which should they be using. What they are really asking seems to be…”Is email dead?” They also want to know the same about direct mail, newspapers, radio. It reminds of the scene in Monty Python’s The Holy Grail where they were collecting the dead from the streets at the height of the Black Death – “Bring Out Your Dead, and the retort was from one lying in the street – “Not Dead Yet!”
Not dead yet is my answer for all of the media people are continuing to use. Everything is still alive and kicking and serves useful functions for reaching segments of the audience you want to reach. One only has to look at the conduct of the advertising for the recent elections to see just how segmented the approach was by the various campaigns. Living in California, I saw it all, and received it all, including some mobile for the very first time.
The key for making the right choices are the target segments you are trying to reach. That will lead you to the right media mix- that’s right the media mix. Change in media has been endemic over the last several years, and continues to change daily, is that it takes a mix to ensure hitting your targets. The article in the sidebar and linked here – “Email Marketing: I am not dead yet” gives you some recent stats that show email marketing is alive, and in Deliver, the USPS publication contains a number of good hints and stats that show direct mail is also still viable. I’ve worked in both arenas, as well in newspapers and out of home and I can attest that all are still useful – when used the right way, for the right audience, and in the right mix. Kind of like making a cake – right ingredients, right temperature served to the right company will get you raves. Change any of those variants will change the outcome. It takes a lot of ingredients, all in different proportions to make a cake – and the same holds true for trying to reach your customers and potential customers.
My advice to my clients is to focus on your audience and segments and that will help you define the right media mix for now and for the future. Newspapers may not be as profitable as they once were, but they are still viable as a part of your mix – “Not Dead Yet!”
