How to Integrate Your Online and Offline Marketing
Thinking about how to integrate your online and offline marketing? That’s a smart move, because combining digital marketing with offline marketing efforts takes the marketing game a new and exciting level. And, when done properly, the returns can be truly amazing.
It’s no secret that the handsome return generated from digital marketing is the top motivating factor behind the decision of marketing directors everywhere to increase their investment in digital advertising and promotion.
However, it is the merging of the two marketing spheres that boost sales.
Combining your off-line and online doesn’t have to be difficult. By following the tips below, you can easily integrate your online and offline marketing efforts while reaping a maximum ROI.
Cross-Device Marketing
An effective and powerful way to boost engagement is via cross-device marketing.
What exactly is cross-device marketing?
Here’s a good example – Suppose your targeted audience is watching television and using their mobile devices or computers at the same time. Reaching out to these same customers on all devices at the same time can boost conversions by as much as 16%, as discovered and reported by Google.
By looking into and examining the data from all the TV and internet providers in your targeted area, you can find out the best channels to use in your cross-device marketing strategy.
Your research will also allow you to choose the right medium to advertise in which to reach out to your target audience, enabling you to optimize your marketing strategy.
Event Marketing
Encouraging the participation of people in events is a powerful way to boost engagement.
Many local businesses, like pubs and bookstores, rely on boosting engagements with events.
Let’s take a bookstore for instance, sharing a quote from even a best-selling book will not engage people with a physical business. But… having an author of a book, especially a well-known author or book attend a live signing and or reading, will attract people to a store and boost engagement.
Facebook can also be used to create a buzz about the event, which will spread the word and help ensure a maximum turnout.
Social Media Polls
Online marketing has great advantages with its access to real-time information, and in doing so, has proved over and over again that it is effective.
Having access such as this makes optimizing your social media campaigns simple and easy. On top of this, a great way to utilize your acquired data is to incorporate it into your offline marketing strategy.
Without exception, market research should be the cornerstone of all of your campaigns. You do this by developing a good understanding of your target audience and their needs and interests.
In fact, conducting polls on social media is one of the best ways to do this.
Here are a few tips you can use to incorporate your online conversion data into offline strategies.
1. Start with creating a Facebook campaign. Set an online conversion goal for your campaign; for example, you can encourage your audience to subscribe to your newsletter.
2. Analyze which of your marketing messages are converting well. Split testing landing pages, ads, demographics is a great way to do this. Split testing is a great way to optimize your campaign and the more you know about it, the better.
3. Once you have this data in hand, you can use it to design effective print ads and select advertising mediums as needed.
A problem with offline marketing is the limited data available. It can lead to poor choices and as a marketer, you can end up targeting the wrong demographic. Therefore, it’s essential to use the data from your online campaign to structure your offline strategy.
Use Custom URLs to Track Everything
Without the use of custom URLs, 50% of your marketing will not be tracked.
So, in order for you to track your offline marketing campaign, be sure you create custom websites or web pages, dedicated to specific campaigns.
When people view your offline ads, they will be directed to your custom URL, and that’s how you can track your offline campaigns.
*When split testing, try running different campaigns with different custom URLs.
Hashtags
Hashtags, created and offered by Twitter, are now frequently used in digital conversations. In fact, Instagram, Facebook, and many other social platforms have now adopted hashtags in their conversations.
Now more than ever, brands and companies encourage the use of their hashtags to find who’s talking about their brand.
One way to integrate this concept in your offline ads and promotions, is to use your hashtag on all your ads, banners, and flyers. In fact, it’s highly recommended you do this wherever you mention your social media accounts.
Rewarding users is another way of encouraging people to adopt your hashtag.
Teaser Ads
Many popular brands use teaser ads to get their target audiences to view their site online. This is quite popular in the film industry when they promote an upcoming blockbuster movie.
GoDaddy has jumped on the bandwagon and has been doing this for their Super Bowl commercials. They show you a short version on the television and ask you to visit their website to see the full, or unrated version.
Slick? Oh yes.
Smart? Without a doubt.
The trick here is to create ads that reveal just what is needed to grab your audiences’ attention, and then ask them to visit your custom URL to discover more exciting things associated with your brand or product.
Summary
Having an interconnected offline or online marketing strategy is what you should aim for, rather than having separate goals and plans for online and offline marketing campaigns.
The motive is to create familiarity with your audience and gain trust and respect. At the end of the day, the conversions you generate are the people who know and trust your brand.
Though timing and medium are important aspects of a successful marketing campaign, a clear, consistent and targeted message will be the key that opens the door for you to reach your goals.
