We call it “Classic” brand marketing around here, but the idea is the same.

We agree and I personally haven’t seen anyone argue to the contrary. The only difference that I see between classic market research and new media research is that with the latter we now have the ability to instantaneously determine what your online consumers think and want from your product.

That’s one of the keys to effective Facebook, Twitter and other network marketing. You have to ask to know what they’re feeling. Engage your fans and make them part of the conversation. We’ve noted to you on several occasions here that Facebook is littered with companies who set up a page and then never took the time to talk to the people who sought them out.

Tragic:

Old school here refers to the use of traditional market research techniques to make sure you understand why customers buy from you (your unique value proposition) and which methods they prefer to use to communicate with you. If you do your homework and profile your customers using traditional methods, you will know which tactics (i.e., direct mail, in-person, social media) will make the greatest impact before you spend time and money on deploying them.

It’s common for businesses to want to use the latest techniques simply because they think they need to stay current, or fear that they’ll be seen as old-fashioned and risk losing out to competitors. However, when these new tools are applied to an audience who doesn’t use them, it is potentially a recipe for disaster.

The article is short on details but the lesson is solid nonetheless. But it’s also an opportunity to bring your customers along for the ride. As you may have noticed, more and more television ads are being aired with the company facebook or twitter logo emblazoned on the screen. You’ll continue to see more of that.

The new trick in fusion marketing is to turn the passive act of simply including the icon in your ad into a dynamic one where the viewer or reader wants to see what’s on the other side of the looking glass.

So while the old rules do still apply, new ones are being written every day.

Contact us today. Let’s write some rules.