Technology is changing at a rapid pace, the environment is changing, our taste keeps changing and so is consumer behaviour. Marketing also keeps evolving to keep pace with the everchanging world. Because of this constant change, some things may not be as effective as they used to. However, some old or traditional marketing techniques still work.

Word-Of-Mouth Marketing

An “old-school” marketing technique that almost any business can utilize and benefit from is word-of-mouth marketing. According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from others, even people they do not know, over branded content. Smart marketers use influencer marketing tactics to scale word-of-mouth marketing in the digital world. – Dennis Doerfl, Fourstarzz Media LLC

Discounts And Freebies

Never underestimate the power of free. In this day and age of digital content and influencer marketing, nothing drives trial like a free or reduced-price offer. That includes load-to-card and the even more old-school FSI (Free Standing Insert) — direct mail or Sunday newspaper. An FSI with a strong call-to-action will still pull the same redemption numbers it did 20 years ago. – Patrick Nycz, NewPoint Marketing

Relationship-Building

There is no marketing automation software or new, innovative technology that can replace an authentic, personal relationship with your customers. Picking up the phone instead of sending an email, hosting in-person meetings and fostering a genuine interest in your customers’ feedback isn’t “old school” — it’s the best way to build a longstanding, valuable relationship and grow your business. – Michaela Dempsey, Scout RFP

Reaching Out To Bloggers And Journalists

It seems simple but reaching out to bloggers and journalists in your niche to provide them value still converts. The key is to provide them with some sort of value without expecting anything in return — they’ll automatically provide you value back in due time. One way to execute this is by offering to create an exclusive piece of content for them that they can use. – Nishank Khanna, Demand Roll

Trade Shows, Video And Live Presentations

People still attend trade shows to enhance their knowledge. Video and live presentations in that environment still capture attention and ultimately provide a means to effectively market the message to the right audience. These tactics have been working for decades and continue to be effective. – Robert Macdonald, Impact Communications

Face Time With Your Audience

Very little beats real-world interaction. Events, in-store retail collaborations, even contacting local news channels to offer up your industry insights can be great tactics. Any opportunity for key players in your company to have “face-to-face” time with your audience is time well spent. – Bernard May, National Positions

Promotional Items With Logo

Branding always works, don’t let your customers walk away with their purchases but without something branded. This can be a bag with your brand on it or a product that you gave them with your logo — a little free advertising never hurt anyone. – Giovanbattista Cimmino, SocialAsk

Postcard Retargeting

One of the coolest new marketing methods that are widely under the radar, takes an “old-school” technique and makes it relevant again. Postcards are as “old school” as it gets, but now you can use modern retargeting methods when someone visits your website to send out very relevant postcards to residential consumers. It’s called postcard retargeting and it is causing a resurgence in direct mailing. – Greg Trimble, Lemonade Stand

Cold Calling

Cold calling still works. If you build an ideal client profile using demographics, you can use AI tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator to identify prospects who fit the profile. Then just pick up the phone and call them. You might leave a lot of voicemails, but that can produce better outcomes than the 150 emails the prospect will wade through that day. – Randy Shattuck, The Shattuck Group

Direct Mail

Direct mail is a very powerful marketing channel. Study after study has shown that direct mail messaging is remembered better and acted upon. The ROI is great and gets even better with personalization. Combine direct mail with digital marketing to significantly increase your results. There are so many formats to choose from you can really stand out. Don’t miss out on direct mail marketing! – Summer Gould, Eye/Comm Inc.