PS :from an article written on an Australian website I researched - which seems to sum it up....

"Don’t try to fool the 40 –50 year olds. We know what’s happening when you try to put one over on us.  We are the oldest end of the Generation X group, with all that implies. We are cynical, powerful, judgmental and experienced. We are, in the main, anti-advertising. Anti-marketing. We want the widgit for what it can do, not the bullshit you marketers surround it with."

That seems to be what I've found. But... what WILL get through, genuinely?!

9 LEE wrote:

Hello All. I'd like your valuable opinions, if I may, as I'm afraid I'm a little lost at the moment...

All will be explained shortly, but I'd like to put a question to our members aged, say 40+ (or even 35+).

How on earth do I advertise to you, to the point you'll want to buy something? Initially, I'm talking locally - not internet mail-order. It's Audio-Visual, a fairly big purchase financially (but not completely unaffordable to most people of this age group) - and you can physically come and see it.

I've spoken to local business people about local newspaper advertising, who say "print is stone dead - forget it". I then mention Facebook advertising, and people say "yeah, it creates brand awareness - but little in the way of sales". The 'high street' is dead, too... all coffee shops, phone shops and pawn shops.

Physical mail (aka junk mail) gets thrown in the bin, and email marketing gets deleted immediately.

So, if print is dead, the high street is dead, Facebook leads to nothing, paper leaflets get thrown away, and emails get deleted.... what on earth can get you to buy something?

As ever, I always value opinions on here.

Over to you....

Think about YouTube channel with regular short videos on different subjects, demonstrating honesty, hard work and customer dedication of your team and business overall. Make it unpretentious, informative and a bit funny if you wish. Teach us something, and make us want to visit your store or contact you to follow up on the topic you had in your video...

Example: "How we pack bigger/heavier things when shipping across the globe" to demonstrate it is safe to buy online even a 55" TV... Hope this idea helps a bit. :)

I feel your pain.

Perhaps there is something below, if its not to basic?

"Most investigation work nowadays starts on the web"
Create a budget, in thirds for your campaigns and apportion below (1,2,3)

Decide on one of the following each qtr, start with awareness then move around.
. driving awareness (create an audience)
. driving lead generation
. driving sales

1. After setting up a website, linkedin, facebook get SEO sorted and budget google ad words. Don't go overboard on social media, just make sure its a reasonable and updated experience for those using that channel.

Create different incoming opportunities for new website traffic and try to get registrations to form a usable list.
. Instructional videos, resolving problems, differentiation, industry detail
. Blogs
. Google paid visits
(Check Google analytics for results).

2. Create a telemarking campaign, for an event or events or to build a list. Try to create your own list, buying them have not worked out so well for us, maybe your suppliers can initially assist. Try a telemarketer if you have a good one.

Create a marketing campaign for those that register. This can be email or telephone or both. If email perhaps three different streams of emails fortnightly. These can be educational, product specific or range specific.

3. Networking. Hit the golf circuit, industry functions, car clubs and dealerships etc.  Advertise a sign somewhere suitable. Any common element that your target market shares. My old HiFi store had pizza evenings on Saturday afternoons and some wine tasting, a nice table was setup and a movie was on. Radio can work as well.

Beoaus.

Hi Lee 

I fully sympathise with your marketing pitching issue and how everything seems to be marketed at the "young" and quite blatently at the expense of the older age group,

As a bitter and twisted near 60 yr old i'm sick to death of Micheal  F---ing Parkinson telling me i cant get a  cheaper quote  for a hole in the ground savings club !!! oh and before i get to the hole i will need a extortionally overpriced repulsive looking extra boring  hidious assisted chair to help me to a vertical position for my one size fits all zimmer frame " slowly obviously because we dont want to put the body into shock through sudden exertion do we as you might soil yourself "

 but as usual i digress, back to your question how about options .

Option 1 contacting your local radio station and putting a classy advertisment together to raise  LSAV profile awareness locally or getting the local radio to your new location with jaguar, or audi or similar  for a awareness event.

Option 2 Classic FM advertising i imaging that would be megabucks though but its a thought.

Option 3 how about approaching selected auto dealerships to have some of your products jointly advertising LSAV and their Brand being pitched at perceived target buyers at their dealerships.

Maybe these options might be to simplistic but if its any help at all ... sorry for the rant at the start ot the thread....

Marketing these days seems to be a black art that I don't have the answer to either Lee, so if you crack it let me know...☹️

Hi Lee,

Haven't you said it before in another thread.... you get more turnover on your eBay outlet than you get through your advertising on Beoworld?

Honest advertising with faults highlighted, tested products backed-up by good guarantees, careful packing and delivery, ... you are already doing all the right things.

If it's just about 'Local' selling, then surely it's all about location. The Liverpool shop failed, in my opinion, because it was in a location without much passing trade being just between the shopping and business zones and on the wrong side of the street. There's a new B&O store in Ramsbottom, north of Manchester. In a nice boutique shopping street. Broken into twice within days of opening. 

Easy to find? Easy parking? Pay Richer Sounds sales commission for a video link in all their shops to Lifestyle?

Graham

EDIT

I'll qualify that. Richer Sounds are in some of the most out of the way locations and have terribly cramped displays, but seem to overcome that with a website, leafleting and newspaper advertising. Plus they have a massive turnover of cut-price products of varying qualities.