Part IV

Finding Powerful Alternatives to Advertising

In this part . . .

The Japanese poet Matsuo Basho advised, “Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.” In marketing, the goals never really change. We’re always eager to find new customers and grow our revenues. But the means of achieving these goals can and do change, so always look for alternatives and fresh approaches to traditional advertising.

You especially have to stay on top of your game in today’s advertising because entirely new ways of communicating with customers and prospects have emerged. E-mail, Web sites, blogs, paid listings on search engines, and many more innovations are transforming marketing and expanding your options for publicity. If you want, you can actually design an effective marketing program that completely skips conventional advertising in favor of one or more of the many alternative media out there. The chapters in this part help you figure out how to make the most of advertising alternatives.