Advertising to Baby Boomers: If You build a website, they will come.

08 November 2017

If You build a website, they will come.

I have a client. An entrepreneur. He has a good idea for a service, has a solid business plan. He’s already successful in the Real Estate industry and his business proposition is Real Estate related.

Disclaimer: Rarely do I blog about clients, large or small. I find that writing/talking publicly about any consult or campaign fractures an unwritten confidentiality pledge. Most advertising bloggers follow this rule. So, no names and not much of anything.

We’ve put together good copy, a good website, good graphics, even a handful of down-to-earth short videos. He has a very engaging personality and explains his business quite well. I’m happy with the work we’ve done so far. It’s been easy (don’t tell him that) because he’s a breeze to work with.

The problem is that my client is obsessed with Facebook. He also suffers a bit from a decades-old malady, “If You build a website, they will come.”

Facebook. I’ve blogged about social media advertising for over ten years, have little faith in it. Sure, if you’re putting up a local pizza joint page then Facebook’s great. But marketing this service you’ll have to do a bit of blanketing. It’s not local. It’s super-niche,but has to reach as many eyeballs as possible. Only a small (very small) percentage will be interested. That percentage will be enough to (likely) ensure success.

I’ve convinced him that Google AdWords might be a smart move. His service is something people would search for, there are only one or two competitive services – so his company would be in the top three unpaid searches. On one screen, he’ll end up with two ‘ads’ instead of one.

But I’d still like to see something in (silly retronym ahead) traditional media. This would give the company much-needed gravitas.

And the right eyeballs.

More info on social media non-advertising:

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