By James Lintzer
Marketing tactics are constantly evolving—what works today, might not work tomorrow. The business landscape is always changing, as new platforms emerge, more competition arises, and new marketing strategies are implemented.
Customers change, too. Their priorities, the devices they use, and their expectations for brand values are constantly adapting to new environments and opportunities.
Many marketing tactics that used to be popular are now considered outdated in the face of new advancements: think traditional newsletters and brochures, snail mail, and even billboards and trade shows. But, in some cases, these so-called “outdated” tactics have actually just been misused. Oftentimes these strategies were not optimized for customers and their needs, or were poorly implemented.
If outdated strategies are utilized in fresh, new ways that address today’s customers, these tactics can be very successful. Check out the following examples:
1. QR codes
Remember those black and white square barcodes that businesses featured in advertisements? The ones you could scan with your smartphone and the encoded address or action would be accessed automatically?
QR codes were a popular marketing tactic during the early 2000s, but they were riddled with problems. They suffered from poor placement, with ads displayed in subway stations on the wrong side of the tracks, or flashed on TV commercials for only a few seconds of air time. In many cases, they also weren’t optimized for users, with codes leading to broken links, irrelevant landing pages, or generic corporate websites that weren’t targeted to the specific user. They also weren’t intuitive to use. Many users were deterred by the process of downloading a separate QR scanning app, and gave up before even trying.
Some marketers may say QR codes are outdated, but QR codes have been implemented recently by several major businesses in new and improved ways. One example is Snapcodes—QR codes incorporated into the Snapchat user experience. Users can scan them to add a new friend, unlock fun Face Lenses and World Lenses, or even create their own Snapcode to link friends to any website of their choosing.
Another example is Spotify, which implemented QR codes to enable users and artists to share their music more easily with others. Other social mobile apps such as Venmo and Facebook Messenger also have implemented QR codes, and Bird—the dockless electric scooter company taking over many U.S. cities—requires a user to scan a QR code in order to start riding.
It’s clear that QR codes are not dead; they just need to be used in the right way. If you plan on including them in your marketing strategy, make sure they are accessible, optimized for mobile, and will enhance your users’ experience. Draw in your customers with an implementation that makes their lives easier, and you’ll be rewarded, too.
Other Articles From AllBusiness.com:
2. SEO
The reputation of search engine optimization (or SEO) has been tarnished over the years by “black hat” techniques, which ultimately hurt a brand’s Google rankings and image. Whether it’s keyword stuffing, massive link building, or churning out constant or irrelevant content around keywords, not only do these tactics ultimately signal to search engines you’re trying to trick their algorithms, but it discourages site visitors from reading and engaging with your content.