Mariana Wagner is a realtor in Colorado Springs with an incredible eye for marketing, specifically marketing 2.0. In her post, "Shall I be trendy?" she writes:
How does Web 2.0 fit into your life? : I know plenty of agents who run screaming from anything remotely “new fangled” like that pesky “internet”. Okay. Fine. I know that (just like their fashion sense and Glamour Shots) they are stuck in the day where door knocking and cold calling reined king. Well, they can HAVE their gold embroidery blouses and PUSH their advertising into everyone’s lap. I would rather answer the phone call of a new client that has researched me, like what I say and do and wants to do business with me, than cold call a “lead” that doesn’t know me from Adam.
Remember the old days, when marketing meant standing on a corner in a costume handing out single page flyers? Ten years ago, people thought the internet would function in the same way. Put up a web site and people will automatically walk by and passively accept the information as they go on their merry way. Time and experience have shown on thing for certain: The web doesn’t work like that.
Web 2.0 is the result of people wanting more INTERACTION. When you’re looking for a realtor, you need to know more than just what appears on the "single page flyer" handed out by the guy in the hot dog suit. Marian writes on her Active Rain blog entry "Secret Life of Gen X’er"
I don’t mind advertising and marketing efforts. I just don’t like charades. Why do you think my generation loves the “making of” and “behind the scenes” stuff so much? We are sick of what’s being offered- it’s all the same. Call me cynical, but I would rather know WHY it is being offered, made, etc. Give me the “meat” of what you are offering- no flowers, no sleek marketing ploys, no fine print (I will read it…). Give me what I want and I will respect that more than fancy-pantsy Hello Kitty lip gloss flavored postcards and webpages.
Customers like her are much more likely to read your blog for WEEKS before contacting you, checking you out to see if you’re "for real". For consumers like Mariana, if you fill your blog entries with hard sell tactics pushing your product hard sell style… well, I think it’s obvious how that will be received.
My mantra has always been "see your business through your customer’s eyes". "PUSH" marketing is also seen as "THE HARD SELL". If you’re just thinking about you and your business, then it’s going to come across as "HARD SELL." If, on the other hand, you’re thinking of your potential CUSTOMER/CLIENT, then you begin to move to "PULL" marketing. Whether you call it "SOFT SELL" or "consultative selling"…. there’s one thing for certain… most consumers today prefer the latter to the former.
Web 1.0 was more suited towards HARD SELL while Web 2.0 is PERFECT for pull marketing. However, pull marketing is virtually impossible without first targeting your audience. After all, Web 2.0 is all about INTERACTION.
Many thanks for the mentions! You are SO right on about PULL/niche marketing. If you position yourself as the expert of a niche, especially with the tools of Web 2.0, you will NEVER have to HARD sell again … and since no one likes a hard sell, isn’t this the OBVIOUS choice?