by: Larry Westfall
You might think I am crazy – but it is true. Marketing hasn’t changed one, single bit in the last 100 years. Selling is still selling. And advertising is still advertising.
About the only difference is the past 100 years is the means of delivery. We now have the Internet to advertise whereas before we only had magazines, books and flyers. Instantaneous gratification can be achieved by advertising on the Internet, but the basics still apply.
If you think that the so-called Internet gurus of today invented BOLD HEADLINES, long, informative sub-headlines and long copy – think again. All of those “new innovations” have been around for ages. They may not have been in full color, shown electronically all over the world or made “search-engine’ friendly” – but they still existed.
Way back in the early 1900’s, a publisher by the name of A. W. Shaw published a series of “How To” books on advertising, real estate, sales, life insurance and about 12 more. Mr. Shaw had it wired. His topics all read almost the same – something like – “How to Run a Store”, or “How to Increase Your Sales”. All had a Sub-Headline that ran something along these lines – “Methods by which sixty two retailers sold more goods at less expense.” And for a reason I have yet to figure out – all the books were exactly 128 pages.
Mr. Shaw published his books to a market that was just grasping the industrial age. Men were going door-to-door selling anything and everything. The TV and the Internet did not exist and most salesmen had to rely on the written word and their ability to talk to make a sale.
Keep in mind that these salesmen were selling to buyers – not selling to other marketers. It was pure salesmanship and they relied on the same things that ewe rely on today. Headlining your product, sub-headlining some more detail and then explaining all of the benefits of the product. Whether this is done on the Internet, on radio or TV, or in person – it is all the same. Selling is selling and advertising is advertising.