Here's a question about how to market small business in a privacy-preserving way, cunningly disguised as a blog post. I would LOVE comments and suggestions!

https://hodzilla.com/2023/07/11/marketing-that-respects-privacy/

#marketing #privacy #question #askfedi

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@mindshoot if it's a local audience, is radio any good?
@lauraritchie hadn't really considered that, interesting thought. I should check if there are any really local radio stations - I'm thinking town level really, eg within a ten minute drive. Thanks, interesting!

@mindshoot @lauraritchie

Good thoughts.

We should remember that with marketing, esp. advertising, it was never easy to determine "which half" was (not) wasted 😄
cf. https://staff.washington.edu/gray/misc/which-half.html

Advertising with #GAFAM may seem cheap, no effectiveness questions asked. And getting a message across is vastly different from triggering a buying decision ...

Btw, I still think the 10 years old eBay study has many enlightening aspects when it comes to paid ads.

Variations on the "but we don't know which half" line

@wuerglerit @lauraritchie I haven't come across the eBay study, would you happen to have a link to it? Sounds like it would be worth a read!

@mindshoot @lauraritchie
Here is a popularized, somewhat funny story about this, I think relating to a 2013 paper (I know I have a PDF, trying to find it and the original URL).

https://thecorrespondent.com/100/the-new-dot-com-bubble-is-here-its-called-online-advertising/13228924500-22d5fd24

The new dot com bubble is here: it’s called online advertising

In 2018 $273bn was spent on digital ads globally. We delve into the world of clicks, banners and keywords to find out if any of it is real. What do we really know about the effectiveness of digital advertising?

The Correspondent

@wuerglerit @lauraritchie that was a good read, thanks! Definitely thought-provoking.

The kind of marketing I'm thinking about is seeking people who know they like something (eg takeaways, Zumba or whatever) but don't know about my particular offering. Each purchase / action must have come from something specific like word of mouth, finding a website, seeing a social media post or whatever. In a local market where 99% of people have never heard of you, inefficiency isn't such a big deal.

@mindshoot @lauraritchie

I think you are right. Even this or other papers seem to differentiate. As long as we don't blindly believe marketing promises or focus solely on one thing.

I find it very difficult to get the message across. For me, keep friends updated without getting too intrusive is moderately helpful, as are any personal contacts. But also make customers return -> superb product/service. Often against many others who strive to be best, too.

Good luck!