Integrated Marketing: Offline and Online

Effective Marketing Is Integrated Marketing

A lot of people tend to misunderstand inbound marketing, believing that its best practices are made up of online strategies and nothing outside that. As more brands look to the Internet for their stream of information and consumption, it’s an easy mistake to make. But this is exactly the reason why offline strategies are still important. The Internet can be very cluttered, and brands need to realize a fully integrated marketing strategy that draws from offline and online strategies if they’re to rise above the competition and create brand awareness.

Fully Integrate Your On and Offline Marketing

1. Open as many avenues to your brand as possible. Promotional products are a great way to integrate your services with your online branding. The promo gear should be relevant to your brand.  The most important part of this concept is to lead people to your services. Get them to your site. Better yet, get them to pick up the phone and call you.
2. Cross-promote your business’ big news with press releases. These can go in the local paper, business and trade publications and even on your social media channels. News can easily get lost in the fray of content both on- and offline, so sharing with as many different channels and outlets as possible will increase your chances of getting traffic to your site.
3. Direct Mail still works! Most brands have taken their marketing online, so you may find that some offline strategies that were formally exhausted are revitalized. Be where the crowds are, but also attempt to fill a niche that is relatively free of traffic. This demands creativity and some trial and error, but it can boost a small business’ brand considerably. You can also consider handing out flyers or publishing and mailing print newsletters. Again, be sure to have a clear call to action (CTA) and send them to a landing page, not your home page.
4. QR Codes are great examples of integration: Something seen offline can take your prospective customer to you online. If your landing page sparks their curiosity enough, they could easily be back. Make sure you give them an offer or report with helpful information.

These strategies give small businesses the opportunity to reach out locally and personally. An integrated marketing strategy is also a balanced marketing strategy, and your customers will notice the difference.