Not a great sales pitch, is it? And yet, as I was visiting a client recently, this is what was written on the marquee outside a non-brand name hotel in the area. It made me do a double take because I know that so many small businesses are still trying to combat digital marketing and social media engagement with simple signs like that one.
When my father started R&A Marketing in 1984, the internet was still in its infancy. Smartphones had yet to be invented. There was no YouTube, no Facebook, and the main form of media was TV and newspaper. With fewer choices, my dad says that building a marketing strategy was just plain simpler.
A lot has changed, and the speed at which things are changing is getting faster by the day. Techniques like the one this hotel is using are outdated, but like so many businesses, they’re just doing what they’ve always done.
“Fresh pasta, vintage wine & live music every Friday”
Imagine if the hotel marquee had said that instead. A lot more appetizing, right? Now imagine that they had created a Facebook event for a special grand opening to introduce their new menu. And they sent emails to all previous customers who live in the area inviting them to exclusive wine tasting events. Then they could follow up with direct mails offering special dinner discounts to overnight guests.
This is the type of campaign that R&A does for our clients every day. Ever since my father started R&A Marketing 34 years ago, our agency has helped independent furniture retailers launch, grow and reinvigorate their marketing efforts. With our decades of experience in the industry, we can provide the guidance and connections to do smarter marketing at lower costs, and our in-house production team can create and execute plans quickly and efficiently.
We focus on driving furniture sales with a cross-channel, digitally-led approach to advertising.
I’ve learned that the only constant thing in life is change, and that in order to adapt, our businesses need to change too. I’m well aware that my business is in a constant state of transition, and will likely look very different 6 months, 1 year, and even 5 years from today. Which is why I make sure to constantly assess and reassess if what we’re doing is working.
Are our efforts producing results?
Are we moving the needle?
Are we leading the pack in innovative ideas, or are we falling stagnant?
It’s definitely frustrating when the thing that’s always worked for you stops working, but you now have two choices. You can dig in your heels and argue with reality, or you can do what successful people and businesses have done for years – learn new techniques & strategies – and adapt.
“Simple” marketing is a thing of the past, as are businesses like Blockbuster, The Yellow Pages, and advertising techniques like marquee billboards… “Come in and check out our new menu” is just not going to cut it when retailers are staying ahead of the game and serving up curated content and ads to the person who used to be your customer.
