Many companies make the mistake of focusing all of their efforts on creating and optimizing their online marketing strategy, while completely ignoring the offline world. We do live in a digital age, but that doesn’t necessarily make the traditional marketing tactics useless. No matter what your target groups are, you’d certainly be able to benefit from some offline advertising!
So yes, we believe that online and offline marketing tools are best combined, and here’s how you can apply them to your own business.
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Broaden your reach by lowering the generational gaps
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We all know that older generations, especially baby boomers simply react better to offline marketing tactics. It simply feels more familiar to them. Besides, people older than 50 are very unlikely to notice your TikTok campaign. However, there’s a way to keep them notified and interested in your online efforts too.
A good way to do this is by implementing interactive screens at your brick-n-mortar stores/offices, for example. You can display your social media feed for everyone to see, and potentially get them interested in what you have to offer. This approach is excellent for attracting younger generations as well. As long as you keep your posts relatable and informative, you’re likely to gain a better social media presence by getting your in-store visitors to follow you.
Overall, marketing tools such as digital signage software can help you bring the online to the offline world in a matter of seconds! In this way, you’ll be able to attract a wider range of people who all prefer different types of marketing.
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Host a competition
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Another way you can combine offline and online marketing is by hosting an online competition. The participants should be notified of this both in their real-life and virtual spaces. For example, ask them to take a picture of themselves in your store and post a creative caption.
The competition might be held online, but you can always give out the rewards in person. Of course, this is just an example idea. Competitions give you a plethora of ways to combine your offline and online marketing strategies, so don’t hesitate to get creative!
Hosting a competition can be extremely rewarding, and with today’s software technology, it’s also incredibly easy to organize. You can start hosting a competition via social media, such as a trivia question or posting the best photos of your customers using your products. Also, you can host a competition on your website such as a web content writing contest wherein you award the “best customer writer” for the month.
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Coupons and vouchers
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Discounts are the backbone of the marketing world and there’s no way to deny it. They’re mostly given out by offering various coupons, vouchers, and most recently, online discount codes. The best thing about these marketing tools is that they can be applied to both online and offline marketing spaces.
For example, you can send out discount coupons via your newsletter and make them usable for both online and in-store visitors. In this way, you’ll keep different groups of customers who have different shopping preferences satisfied with only one move.
While most of us think online stores are a more convenient way to shop, some people still prefer seeing and touching the products they’re buying before swiping their credit cards. ALWAYS keep this in mind while creating your marketing strategy. The goal is to keep everyone satisfied all while saving as much as you can on marketing costs.
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Advertise your real-life events online
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Another great way to mix the virtual with the real-life marketing world is by simply promoting your in-store events online and vice versa! Of course, to be able to do this, you’ll have to invest a lot of your time and effort into building your social media presence, and a high-quality website.
Your website should be the primary virtual representation of your brand, while your social media should be where you’ll promote it. That especially goes if your website is more than just a static page and/or you’re using e-commerce services.
So, ensure your website is SEO optimized (easily searchable) and consider consulting with a professional marketing agency such as Web Services CT to help you with all things digital.
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“Click and collect” shopping
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You may not be aware of this, but click and collect shopping is one of the biggest marketing trends right now. According to some research, more than 70% of online shoppers take advantage of the opportunity to order their items online and then pick them up in their local stores.
It’s a simple marketing trick that makes people shop more and promotes impulsive buying. Besides, setting it all up is quite simple, providing you already have access to a functional e-commerce website.
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Use the available technology to your advantage
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If you’re looking to create a completely new customer experience that combines both online and offline marketing strategies, we suggest you look into Augmented and Virtual Reality. These tools are a great way to leave an everlasting impression on your customers. They send an important message: your brand isn’t afraid of keeping up with the latest trends, and you’re providing your customers a brand new experience every time they decide to visit your stores.
Virtual events can be used to create an engaging customer experience. For instance, creating exciting virtual events such as live polls, virtual seminars or webinars, store tours, and product manufacturing tours can provide an immersive experience to your customers and prospects.
These events provide a touch of reality for your target audience to feel your brand at a higher level compared with fixed images and generic videos they’re used to seeing online. You can check sites like touchcast.com to learn about the best creative virtual event ideas you can implement in your marketing campaign.
There are many technological innovations you can use for your marketing campaign aside from AR and VR. For instance, you can incorporate your social media profiles and website into your direct mail marketing, providing your target audience an option to redeem a promo code they see on the postcard or brochure you send them to get a discount on your products and services when they go online. If you’re looking for a user-friendly tool to help you create your brochure, you should consider using a brochure maker website which offers a wide range of customizable options. This is a good example of combining your online and offline marketing strategies.
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Be flexible
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Lastly, the golden rule of marketing is to always keep on “listening” to your surroundings, so that you can make instantaneous changes to your strategy when necessary. Flexibility and readiness to adapt to new situations and trends should be your primary goal. If your offline-online campaign seems like it’s simply not working, don’t be stubborn: it’s time to change your approach.
Overall, make sure to switch things up from time to time and test out some new strategies. Remember, no matter how good your campaign seems to be working, there’s always room for improvement!
The bottom line
Mixing up digital and traditional marketing tactics is the best way to create an effective campaign. There are many ways to achieve this (competitions, AR/VR, discounts, online ads, etc.), but the main thing you should remember is to analyze your focus groups before coming up with a definitive plan.
All in all, be creative and try out some new things until you’ve found what works best for you. Choose the tools and strategies that best fit your specific situation and goals. Once you do that, we’re certain you’ll succeed in making your business stand out above the competition!
