Online Marketing 2012 by Brenda Segna at Blast Creative

Has Online Marketing taken over in 2012? Well, lets just say that traditional marketing isn’t dead, but if you aren’t doing some form of online marketing you risk extinction! And traditional marketing-newspapers, television stations and radio stations are scrambling to fill the void, because they know the reality that their companies face.

Unfortunately the sales staff at these traditional media marketing companies are now forced to sell social media and online marketing packages that they have no training in and know very little about! But sales people they are and they can sell anything, so they do and unsuspecting business owners shell out the bucks for substandard online marketing!

Here’s the 411, if you are a business owner you absolutely need online marketing and social media marketing in 2012 or you absolutely do risk extinction! But do your homework. If a television, radio or newspaper is offering you a great deal on social media check it out first. Is their form of marketing simply plugging an RSS feed into your social media pages? A twitter feed into your facebook page? If so they may be doing more harm than good for your business and actually turning people away.

Nobody wants to talk to an automated voice. You hate calling any business and getting a recording and that is basically what you are doing with an rss feed. You want interaction, you want engagement and a business should only use RSS feeds as the cherry on top or icing on the cake! RSS feeds are an enhancement, not your entire platform!

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is! If someone is offering you something free or at a lower cost than everyone else or locks you into a long term contract, that should be a red flag to you! Shop around, ask questions and be careful!

Your website is still the front door of your business in 2012! Your online presence is necessary and your social media presence is the new word of mouth! Be careful how you let someone represent you!