Haven’t we come a long way from the Golden Pages? We got thinking about how our parents found things when we were younger. What about schools, summer camps and things on in the area to keep us entertained all summer. How did we survive without Google?! We had the good old Golden Pages and word of mouth.
We have become so dependent on Google these days. Also what was word of “mouth” has become more word of “social media”.
How did businesses reach out to find customers? They relied on the Golden Pages to make sure their business was listed. It encouraged good customer experience to ensure positive word of mouth. Businesses also spent on various forms of advertising, depending on what the budget allowed.
In one respect, marketing a business was a bit more straight forward a few years ago – well, 20+ years ago! Now there is so much choice. Your business can have a website, be on lots of social media platforms, advertise online and offline, register your business on relevant forums, chose various advertising mediums of video, imagery and blogging. The list is endless!
The Golden Pages was the “go to” book in every house. It was used to find options for everything from hairdressers in your area to emergency plumbers. There was a cost involved for these businesses to both advertise and place their phone number (landlines – remember them?!) each year. The costs nowadays are obviously a bit different as it is now about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and being found easily online.
Word of mouth, while still relevant in the world of business referrals, the way in which it is used has changed. Word of mouth used to be a verbal recommendation, but now social media plays a large part. Forums within social media are now a great source of business referrals. For example, I am a member of a local parent forum on social media. It is a great source for referrals of anything from where to find summer camps to babysitters. If you’re in the business locally of anything to do with kids, it is worth being “tuned in” to such forums to encourage your business awareness.
So we’ve come a long way in marketing businesses from the yellow pages in a big, thick book. It is great to see and as businesses, we need to embrace the opportunities that the world of the internet provides to us.
Find us at https://lushmarketing.ie/contact/ if you want to talk about marketing opportunities for your business. We provide a one hour free consultation for all first time customers.