Use Social Media as Part of a Layered Marketing Strategy

A week ago today I had the pleasure of speaking at the Realty Executives Quarterly Retreat in Phoenix, Arizona.

As I was listening to the panel of presenters speak before I took the stage, I heard them share that some of them had completely abandoned their offline farming activities – ie sending a hard copy print newsletter to their previous clients and farm area.  One of the presenters shared that he didn’t want to send them to his blog until he had enough content.  So he did nothing.

BIG MISTAKE in my humble opinion.

While it’s true that there is a massive movement of people and resources to the online environment, it’s a fallacy that your offline marketing strategies are going to be replaced completely by them.

Direct response mailing continues to dominate in terms of effectiveness with regard to marketing that works.  Granted, you have to know what you’re doing and track your results very carefully to fully unlock it’s value.  But it still works.  Why would you abandon it for something that is emerging and still being worked out?

With my clients, I recommend that they look at the full range of options that are available to them to reach their markets.

• Referral Marketing
• Print Advertising
• Direct Mail
• Traditional and Online Newsletter
• Blog / Website
• Online Social Networks
• Social Media Tools

Not every one of these is right for every client.  In fact, with our attorney clients, some of these are ethically off the table.

The point is that you need to look at what you are trying to accomplish, look at the media that will get that message into your market most effectively given your marketing budget.

THEN, you’ve got to look at how you’re going to bring those leads through your sales process; online, offline or in some sort of combination – and yes, lawyers and CPAs have a sales process.

For goodness sake, don’t stop doing what already works because you think you NEED to be using online Social Media.  And don’t be afraid to drive your offline clients to your online presence and your on-line leads into your offline pipeline development process.

People consume their information the way that they consume their information.  Make it all available to them. 

That’s the point of marketing.

Engage your prospects.  Engage your clients.  Engage your past clients.

And do it with both the proven and emerging methods.  It’s not a matter of ‘either/or’.  It’s a matter of engaging them where they are with multiple and sometimes layered methods.

Without those people engaging, you don’t have a business.