Marketing is big business for good business. The way a product is promoted to potential customers can render it either a success or a failure, and in this age of technological revolution there are many ways a business can reach its target audience through marketing strategies. It is well known that the industry of marketing other peoples products is the fastest growing employment sector, even during times of economic downturn. Knowing how to keep other industries afloat has an overall positive effect on our economy and employment.



The traditional method of pitching to a customer has been with door to door marketing. This has worked especially well for industries and services that are exclusive to an area, with the target demographic based on location rather than lifestyle. Taxi companies, window cleaners, gardeners and of course, the obligatory fast food establishments are all examples of the type of businesses that can benefit from a local door to door campaign.

The rise in new media advertising was expected to create a decline in the need for traditional methods of advertising, such as direct marketing. With everyone being connected to the internet, downloading podcasts and watching high definition television, promotions using paper were in danger of becoming obsolete. The truth of the matter is that small businesses need to use door to door promotions more than ever to push a product, due to the vastness of new media promotion techniques.

The unification of these advertising methods works best. Creating a website is a relatively easy thing to do, and the new blog style pages are available as ready to use templates. The cost of a domain name and hosting has reduced greatly over the last few years, and can be reasonably included in the advertising budget. Once the site is set up, the tool of leaflet distribution comes into its own, acting as a temporary advert for a sale or promotion and as a link to a permanent presence on the internet.

For the best results, it is best to employ the services of a dedicated distribution team. These companies have databases that reflect various demographics and their location. The promotion of a product that is applicable nationwide needs a door to door marketing campaign with the resources to ensure a good rate of return. If the campaign utilised a special promotion, it is possible to calculate the success of a leaflet drop. Having a promotional code or special offer that is redeemable with the flyer will yield statistical data that can help inform further promotions.

The downfall of this type of marketing lies in the environmental impact of large quantities of waste paper. The general public are much more aware of the state of the environment that they were just a few years ago, and many homeowners choose to opt out of 'junk mail' deliveries. This has the obvious effect of affecting the advertising campaign, but it also gives this type of marketing a bad reputation as a generator of waste. This is the point at which combining a door to door marketing strategy with an online presence makes marketing sense. Once a customer has logged on to a URL and registered as interested in your product, there is no need to send another leaflet through the letterbox. Entering the digital era, targeting customers through email addresses rather than postal addresses is the way to make a business a success.