A cursory search online will suggest to you that there is an ongoing conversation or argument about the old ways of marketing versus the new. Should your business be embracing the changing digital landscape or relying on the old tried and true methods? There are a number of blogs and articles written contesting that digital marketing is better because of its pricing structure or that using traditional media will benefit you because the results have been measured over a more extended period.
However, you shouldn’t get caught up in these debates. The truth is there is room for you to blend your marketing strategies. You can target your potential online customer base while simultaneously appealing to those who might have a distrust of internet advertising or who are more reachable through print media. So here we will look at how you can mix the old with the new to get the most of your marketing budget and do the most for your business.
First of all, you should explore search engine optimization (SEO) when building a marketing strategy. This one is less a debate of new and old and more an understanding of what is happening now. Putting the time and effort into making sure your business comes up higher in search engine lists will pay you back repeatedly and you might argue that there isn’t much value in having a website that no one can find. This definitive list will give you the ideas on how to build your SEO both from scratch but also upon what you already have.
If that is the beginnings of your online presence, what about getting recognition for your brand offline? Business can be so bogged down in moving forward with what is new that it forgets what got it to the dance in the first place. And that is why we are looking at a combined approach to marketing.
Brand exposure offline can be as pivotal to your business as online, whether you’re a bricks and mortar store or have a strictly digital presence. The next time you’re walking down the high street you will see bus stop posters and billboards for all of the major tech firms, they spend a large part of their time vying for your online marketing budget but know to advertise universally. Now chances are your budget isn’t that of a Facebook or Google but that doesn’t mean you can’t use their techniques.
Your brand is your business and is the ideal tool to use to advertise both offline and online. Once you have created a logo, you can be print or upload it anywhere. Click here for examples of how you can get your brand on pretty much anything ranging from tote bags to USB sticks and beyond. And while you’re getting the public to use products with your brand on it in their everyday lives, you should also look at targeting their social media feeds so that your brand becomes recognizable so that when they need what you’re offering they think of you first.
Sticking with social media, don’t be overwhelmed by your options. Yes, a synergy between the different options is a good strategy but starting where you feel comfortable and building up from there is an example of working smarter. If you don’t have video making skills at the moment then maybe YouTube comes later, and in the meantime you can build up a presence using Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. The important thing to do isn’t to just create a profile and hope for the best but get to grips with where you are going to build your presence, understand your market and what social media platforms they use. Sprout Social explains the ways different demographics are using social media and how that can help your brand with its advertising.
As we are discussing the ways of combining your marketing strategy to use both traditional and newer styles, let’s look at synergism of the two to create one harmonious plan. You’ve got your brand and a marketing line that can be used both online and in print media. But your print media doesn’t just have to be a straightforward advert that asks customers to seek you out; you can actively encourage them to engage with your business. You have a website or social media platforms, so direct potential clientele to them from their newspaper or leaflet. Using a QR code you can put the ball in their court easier than ever before because now they don’t have to search for you online, you can direct them right where you want them to go.
It is important to remember that while you can use digital media to advertise, the old ways of doing things are alive and well and are waiting for you to use them. Your business can thrive using a healthy mixture of different marketing styles; however that isn’t to say you must go with an even distribution between the two. You might want to focus most of your energy on making engaging online content, which is a reasonable thing to do, but a suggestion would be don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. The same goes if you are on the technophobic side of life, embracing the future will help you grow your business.
Finally, don’t be afraid to pioneer new ways of doing things. Recently a major fast food company used a combination of their social media and the high street to engage with customers in what was somewhat counter-intuitive. They promoted negative tweets online and then paid to have those same comments plastered around towns, the end goal is to tell the public they were changing their recipe in response to criticism. So unusual was this strategy that major news outlets wrote articles about it, increasing the reach of the campaign without spending another dime.
So, combine your strategies and aim higher with your marketing ideas.
