Why You Need To Integrate Your Online And Offline Marketing
Sharon Odom Fling asked:
There are many businesses that seem to have split in half. They have their traditional brick and mortar location, which relies on their traditional advertising and marketing strategies. Then, they have their online location, which operates based on an entirely different set of assumptions and strategies.
The fact that this has happened is understandable. The newer technology of the internet can seem radically different from traditional ways of doing business. Adopting new technology can invariably lead to some level of disconnect with other aspects of an endeavor and its routines.
Some people have gone so far as to intentionally create this division. They see their storefront as a means of doing business with one set of clients, and their website as a means of reaching another.
That approach, however, falls far short of being successful, and should be abandoned as soon as possible, whether it was intentionally implemented or was an accidental outgrowth of the way things “unfolded.” That’s because the distinction between those two groups of customers is becoming increasingly artificial.
The same person who may walk by a storefront this afternoon may very well be surfing the internet tonight. More and more people are relying on the internet to find information and places to spend their money on the products they need.
Demographically, those who use the internet do tend to be a little younger and tech savvy than those who don’t, but the overlap between “net customers” and “walk ins” is growing so rapidly the division no longer makes a great deal of sense.
As such, it is important for companies to understand that they can and should integrate their online and offline marketing strategies to work with one another in a mutually reinforcing way. There are specific tricks on both sides of the equation, of course, but in the bigger picture, marketing is marketing and one’s overall strategy should reflect that fact.
Does your business have on online presence? If so, is it successfully integrated with your other marketing strategies? Do the two elements feed off one another and work together to improve your bottom line?
If you are like many business operators, you probably answered “no” to those questions. If that is the case, it is time to consult with knowledgeable guides who understand marketing in both the traditional and online senses and who can help you devise a plan to put both aspects of your sales efforts on the same page.
Integrating online and offline marketing isn’t necessarily a complicated proposition. In fact, it can be relatively easy. It’s also effective. By combining the two elements into one seamless strategy, a business can obtain results that dwarf previous fragmented efforts.
There are many businesses that seem to have split in half. They have their traditional brick and mortar location, which relies on their traditional advertising and marketing strategies. Then, they have their online location, which operates based on an entirely different set of assumptions and strategies.
The fact that this has happened is understandable. The newer technology of the internet can seem radically different from traditional ways of doing business. Adopting new technology can invariably lead to some level of disconnect with other aspects of an endeavor and its routines.
Some people have gone so far as to intentionally create this division. They see their storefront as a means of doing business with one set of clients, and their website as a means of reaching another.
That approach, however, falls far short of being successful, and should be abandoned as soon as possible, whether it was intentionally implemented or was an accidental outgrowth of the way things “unfolded.” That’s because the distinction between those two groups of customers is becoming increasingly artificial.
The same person who may walk by a storefront this afternoon may very well be surfing the internet tonight. More and more people are relying on the internet to find information and places to spend their money on the products they need.
Demographically, those who use the internet do tend to be a little younger and tech savvy than those who don’t, but the overlap between “net customers” and “walk ins” is growing so rapidly the division no longer makes a great deal of sense.
As such, it is important for companies to understand that they can and should integrate their online and offline marketing strategies to work with one another in a mutually reinforcing way. There are specific tricks on both sides of the equation, of course, but in the bigger picture, marketing is marketing and one’s overall strategy should reflect that fact.
Does your business have on online presence? If so, is it successfully integrated with your other marketing strategies? Do the two elements feed off one another and work together to improve your bottom line?
If you are like many business operators, you probably answered “no” to those questions. If that is the case, it is time to consult with knowledgeable guides who understand marketing in both the traditional and online senses and who can help you devise a plan to put both aspects of your sales efforts on the same page.
Integrating online and offline marketing isn’t necessarily a complicated proposition. In fact, it can be relatively easy. It’s also effective. By combining the two elements into one seamless strategy, a business can obtain results that dwarf previous fragmented efforts.
Integrating Online and Offline Marketing
Garry Macdonald asked:
It’s not one or the other, it has to be both!
Why integrating online and offline marketing is essential for marketing success . . .
All brand managers unanimously agree that marketing is a must. But while they are constantly trying to overcome media clutter and find innovative advertising devices, they often commit a simple yet serious crime. If print, TVC, radio, OOH belongs to the realm of offline marketing, PPC, social media marketing, blogs, forums and articles form a distinct part of online marketing. What many people fail to realize is that a marriage of online and offline marketing plans is likely to produce far more effective results than either one alone.
This is at the core of the concept of 360 degree marketing that basically prioritizes multiple media marketing over one or two media. In other words, it may be better to put your eggs in many baskets when you are trying to reach out to the maximum number of consumers.
For brick and mortar businesses, the first obvious step to marketing online is to create an online identity in the form of a professionally designed, search engine optimized website. Not only does this help you reach out to far greater virtual visitors than possible with a physical store or office, it also is a more cost effective way to advertise services. Since most offline marketing media entail prohibitively expensive costs, it is best to use as little media space as possible to grab eyeballs and generate basic awareness. The offline advertisement must then contain a link to your website or more specifically, a specially created web landing page, where the audience can get greater details to satisfy the curiosity created by the offline ad.
Another very important aspect of online marketing is to not limit your presence to a website. There are multiple low-cost, pay for results models offered by various sites and affiliate marketers that can help spread the word about your business on the World Wide Web.
Going from offline to online methods is therefore relatively easy and economical. The reverse, however, is much harder making it very difficult for exclusive internet businesses to have a presence in the non-virtual world. This is particularly magnified in the case of pan-continent businesses where it is just not possible to have an offline presence without having targeted geographies. For such businesses, full exploitation of all possible internet marketing methods is a far safer bet.
Another great benefit of online marketing is the ability to evaluate various media comparatively to a very fine detail and then re-plan allocation of funds to the more ROI effective methods. There is a far more ambiguous link between advertising and sales in offline marketing methods.
In conclusion, online marketing is more suited to smaller companies that are starting up or have limited funds. With time though most businesses need to find a way to make their online and offline marketing models work in tandem for maximum benefits.
It’s not one or the other, it has to be both!
Why integrating online and offline marketing is essential for marketing success . . .
All brand managers unanimously agree that marketing is a must. But while they are constantly trying to overcome media clutter and find innovative advertising devices, they often commit a simple yet serious crime. If print, TVC, radio, OOH belongs to the realm of offline marketing, PPC, social media marketing, blogs, forums and articles form a distinct part of online marketing. What many people fail to realize is that a marriage of online and offline marketing plans is likely to produce far more effective results than either one alone.
This is at the core of the concept of 360 degree marketing that basically prioritizes multiple media marketing over one or two media. In other words, it may be better to put your eggs in many baskets when you are trying to reach out to the maximum number of consumers.
For brick and mortar businesses, the first obvious step to marketing online is to create an online identity in the form of a professionally designed, search engine optimized website. Not only does this help you reach out to far greater virtual visitors than possible with a physical store or office, it also is a more cost effective way to advertise services. Since most offline marketing media entail prohibitively expensive costs, it is best to use as little media space as possible to grab eyeballs and generate basic awareness. The offline advertisement must then contain a link to your website or more specifically, a specially created web landing page, where the audience can get greater details to satisfy the curiosity created by the offline ad.
Another very important aspect of online marketing is to not limit your presence to a website. There are multiple low-cost, pay for results models offered by various sites and affiliate marketers that can help spread the word about your business on the World Wide Web.
Going from offline to online methods is therefore relatively easy and economical. The reverse, however, is much harder making it very difficult for exclusive internet businesses to have a presence in the non-virtual world. This is particularly magnified in the case of pan-continent businesses where it is just not possible to have an offline presence without having targeted geographies. For such businesses, full exploitation of all possible internet marketing methods is a far safer bet.
Another great benefit of online marketing is the ability to evaluate various media comparatively to a very fine detail and then re-plan allocation of funds to the more ROI effective methods. There is a far more ambiguous link between advertising and sales in offline marketing methods.
In conclusion, online marketing is more suited to smaller companies that are starting up or have limited funds. With time though most businesses need to find a way to make their online and offline marketing models work in tandem for maximum benefits.
