Whether you own an offline or online business, it is evident that the internet provides a wealth of information for your potential customers.
I have focused a lot on online marketing because it’s something that hasn’t totally convinced a lot of business owners but I am still a believer that there needs to be a balance between online and offline marketing efforts.
These days, you launch advertisements or special business offers and potential customers are looking for this information online within minutes. If they are then not met with the information they desire, they could go somewhere else and find information advertising a competitor. Likewise, a customer could find a special promotion released online, only to be turned away in store by one of your sales representatives who have never heard of it!
Aligning your offline and online marketing efforts are crucial when every potential customer is important.
Here are a few tips to make sure you’re online and offline sales efforts are working together:
- Don’t alienate the departments. In the past you would build a website and then leave it for years, but with current form, not only should your online marketing reflect the promotions before they are released, but they should also play an integral part in creating and improving them. Once again this applies both ways. If you release a promotion online, your staff working at your shop need to know what is going on and how to approach customers who enquire about it.
- Make sure your search engine campaigns match your offline marketing efforts. If you mention any particular wording in an advert, make sure you appear in search results when someone looks for them. People could drive past a billboard and only remember one part of it. Don’t think that because you have a small local business without a website, this doesn’t apply to you? Get yourself listed in Google maps and other search engines with keywords relevant to your business. You’ll then appear when people are searching for something related to your business, within your geographical area.
- Test your marketing campaigns through analytics. It’s quick and cheap. This can be done simply through buying banner space on a website. Design a number of banners and use your analytics to find out which one your users react well to, and integrate it into your next billboard or newspaper advert.
Advice provided is of a general nature and individual circumstances may vary. It is recommended you seek advice to ascertain your correct course of action.
