Now that nearly everybody has a smart phone, it’s more urgent than ever to be conscientious about integrating online and offline marketing. Cyberspace and the real world converge in the hands of your customers, so if you want to succeed and build your brand, you need to understand how to target your customers and create a cohesive message that spans the virtual world and the real world.
Two approaches in particular benefit from integrating online and offline marketing: relationship marketing and event marketing. Standard promotions also benefit from using them together to build your brand.
Event Marketing
To knock it out of the park, try integrating online and offline marketing with a little twist of guerrilla marketing. Few things are more powerful than using an event to promote your business, especially when you apply a brilliant strategy to produce a big turnout and positive response. There are countless ways to do this with each event requiring a unique strategy.
- Well in advance of the event, promote it through traditional offline marketing like print, TV and direct mail.
- At the same time, integrate online marketing at all levels. Make the blog your virtual marketing home base by writing articles about your plans and preparations and use social media strategically. For example, you could tweet about the ups and downs you encounter as you plan, and share interesting bits you discover along the way via social media platforms. This is how you create buzz and interest.
- Build a landing page for the event that links to your blog and social media profiles and make sure it’s on your mobile website if you have one.
- On all of your marketing collateral, both online and offline, use traceable URLs such as vanity Bitlys and QR codes that direct users to your landing page.
- As the event nears, invite the public through traditional offline and online marketing, again using QR codes and traceable URLs.
- Finally, leverage the potential of location-based marketing by encouraging participants to check in on social media and do something unique, so they’ll talk up your event with their friends.
Relationship Marketing
Few things result in longer, more sustainable business than great relationships with your customers. In many businesses, tapping into inner circles is more precious than gold. You can (and should) use online and offline marketing to enhance relationships with your customers.
At the basic level, you can build relationships by sending your customers targeted email offers, offering promotions exclusive to social media followers and electronically tracking referral bonuses. On a more advanced level, you can build relationships through social media by responding to tweets, Yelp reviews and comments on Facebook. The key to linking online and offline marketing together is to lure the customer into your business to try out your services, sometimes for free.
Mobile websites and apps are also powerful tools in relationship marketing. With a smart design, you can make it easy for your most loyal guests to build your business by interacting with you on social media, placing orders and sharing with friends. Make it worthwhile for them by designing your mobile app or site to provide them with an excellent experience and rewards for their loyalty.
Here is an example of what integrated online and offline relationship marketing looks like:
A day spa shares a special offer for a free facial to their regular clients, using social media and targeted email marketing to reach out to them. If they receive the offer on their mobile device, it goes to a landing page on your business’s mobile website where clients can schedule the appointment by calling or booking online. When the client comes in, she enjoys a free facial as well as a bonus skin consultation. After her appointment, she is presented with coupons for discounts on skin care products.
Everybody wins in this scenario, and the customer will go tell her friends about the great experience she just had.
Standard Promotions
- Integrating online and offline marketing do not have to be grand and complex like the above examples. The execution can be quite simple yet remain an effective strategy that improves the results of regular promotions. Here are a few examples:
- If you run a print ad, include a QR code and traceable URL that links back to your website (or mobile website) where users can get exclusive access to deals.
- Run an ad on local radio to promote a contest on your Facebook page.
- Use PPC advertising to promote a cell, using media that aligns with your print advertising.
- Blog about the unique way you source your products or conduct your business and use PR to promote that same message.
- Offer exclusive coupons to your email subscribers that can only be redeemed in-store. While they are there, they will likely shop for other items or explore other services you offer.
Whether you go big or small, it’s vital to think of online and offline marketing as one and the same. Of course, each has unique advantages, but when used together, they’ll reach more people than you ever imagined and position your business to compete with major brands and local competitors alike.
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Image credit: www.phoenixpearse.com