7 Ways to Combine Traditional and Digital Marketing to Achieve Your Goals
The internet has changed how customers find your company. Now, more than ever, they will do an online search to find out what you have to offer and to read reviews about your products. With mobile devices, this is something they can do while standing in your physical store. However, before that happens, you need to make them aware that you exist.
Not only has the internet changed how customers find you, but it has also changed how you market to those customers. Many places online make it possible to create ads for little to no money. It can be challenging to only apply these tactics when it comes to traditional marketing, but you may not be reaching all your potential customers.
It feels like traditional marketing has all but died. This avenue includes things like print ads in magazines, billboards, radio and TV ads, and other methods. While these can be expensive, they may still be beneficial. If you can find a way to combine your traditional and digital marketing, you may be able to achieve all your goals.
Importance of Combing Traditional and Digital Marketing
Sure, traditional marketing methods can be expensive, and you may not be able to track the return on your investment. However, you also have to remember that with all of the advertising you are doing online, your competitors are on there as well. Every other company in the world is also using this platform to try to talk to customers. That means that people are being inundated with ads.
While it may be inexpensive to marketing online, it’s also easy to get blocked or lost in the crowd. Customers have become really good at ignoring ads or installing software to keep them from popping up. To ensure that you are getting your message across, you have to vary your campaigns. With a lot of people only focusing on digital marketing, that leaves holes in traditional marketing that you may be able to fill.
Ways to Combine Traditional and Digital Marketing
By combining traditional and digital marketing, you have the opportunity to get your information in front of more potential customers. People still watch TV and listen to the radio, so this can be a way to get your information to them. Below are some of the ways you can use traditional and digital marketing to your advantage.
- Publish Online and In Print
If you are doing your marketing campaigns right, then you are creating content for your website or blog. In addition to posting these online, you may also consider putting them in print. This could be as a guest column in a local magazine or in the local paper.
Not everyone gets online to find information, so you could reach a different demographic by putting your information in print. There are a lot of different articles you can create to appeal to a wide audience, including how-tos and educating customers on the best ways to use your products.
- Billboards and Geotargeting
When driving through town or down the road, it’s still possible to see billboards. You might consider using these to target your local community and get them informed about your business. At one time, getting billboard space was out of the question for most small businesses. Now, though, it has become more affordable. This can be a great physical way to be seen in your local area.
In addition to creating a billboard, you can develop a geotargeting ad. This can be done in several ways. You can set up a campaign so that a banner ad pops up on the driver’s phone when they pass your billboard. Or you can set up a general geotargeted ad for your local community online that utilizes location and keywords.
Combining these options together will ensure that you are tailoring your message to the local community. Since they are most likely the ones who will be doing most of the shopping at your business, this could get you a great return on your investment.
- Online and Newspaper Ads
There was a point in time when one of the only ways to advertise was with your local paper. This was often incredibly beneficial, as many people used this as their source for business information as well as news. It’s still an option that exists today. Newspapers still sell ad space in many different forms. The cost varies depending on the size you get and whether or not you have color, but this can be a great way to get in front of new customers.
In some places, the local papers will even produce special papers or other publications for the area. This could include tour guides, best-ofs, or maps. Putting your ad in these items gives you the opportunity to be seen by even more people.
Coupling printing your ad with running online ads may be just what you need to increase your sales. When you run ads online, you can tailor it to a specific audience and place it on different sites. Social media ads can be seen by a wide range of people, while Google ads will pop up when searchers type in specific keywords.
In some cases, if you buy a print ad with a newspaper, they will also run a digital ad. This means that if people subscribe to the paper online, they will still see your information. Many places have seen a decline in paper readership and the publications seem to be getting smaller, but people still turn to the local paper to get news. It can be beneficial to advertise with them.
- TV and Online Ads
Many younger consumers aren’t that into cable TV. In fact, most of them don’t even subscribe. They only get their information from streaming services or from places like YouTube. Thus, if you place video ads on these sites, you are sure to be seen by this generation of consumers.
If you only want to target the younger generation of consumers, then online ads are the only way you should go. However, if you are looking for older generations and want their business, then it’s a good idea to look into TV ads. The older generations still get their news by watching TV, so advertising on a local station could be just what you need to attract their business.
In many cases, these local stations often maintain their own YouTube or other online channels that you can buy ad space on. This is a great way to target even more customers and have them see your information. By creating different lengths of ads, you can repurpose them to use on social media or your website.
- Radio and Streaming Ads
Radio ads are like TV ads. Most of the younger generation doesn’t listen to the local station, but they stream music on their phones. These services may not have a lot of ads, but they have some. Buying a spot online could get you heard by people who didn’t know about you.
To target older generations, consider getting ad space on the local radio station. They will often tune in first thing in the morning and after work to get the news and hear about the traffic report. A well-placed ad can get you noticed.
Radio ads can also be more budget-friendly than TV ads. In some cases, your local radio station may be able to reduce the price or produce one for free. This can be great for your marketing budget but still, attract new customers.
In addition to buying ad space, you might also consider doing interviews for both your local radio station and on podcasts. For this option, you can talk about new products that you have coming out or another area of expertise that your business focuses on. This can be a great way for people to get to know you and your products.
- Newsletters and Mailers
As part of your marketing plan, you should be sending out email newsletters to stay in touch with your customers. This is also a good way to let them know about any specials or sales that you are having. You can even create specials or sales just for subscribers. This will let them know that you value them and want to give them something in return.
You can also send out mailers to customers to let them know about any specials that you might have. In many cases, you can tailor the mailers to a specific demographic or geographic region. This is a good way to get local buyers into your store and aware of the type of products you sell.
It may be possible to work with local print shops to have the mailers created and mailed for one price. This means that you won’t have to worry about picking them up and putting them in the mail. That will be taken care of for you. Having them take care of the printing and mailing makes the process easy and convenient for you.
Having an electronic newsletter and a physical mailer will allow you to reach more customers and hopefully get them buying your products. If you are running a special or giving a discount, this may make them more inclined to check out what you have to offer. Once they are in the door, you may be able to make them a life-long customer.
- Social Media Talks and Physical Events
If you are using social media correctly, you aren’t constantly telling customers to buy your product. You are engaging them in conversation, as well as asking them questions or having them share stories to your page. This is how you build a relationship.
Not only can you build relationships online, but you can also do it in person—and this could be a great way to attract a new set of customers. There are many ways to do this, including having a conference or hosting an event at your store. This can be an after-hours affair with drinks and product promotion or an event during the day that gets people out of the office for a little while.
No matter what you decide, make sure that the socialization aspect is front and center. Remember, you are working on your relationship building. Once people trust you, then they will check out your products and see what you are selling. Make sure they feel valued and important, and they will return the favor.
Create a Partnership
Navigating the world of marketing can be a confusing and challenging task. With digital marketing, things are constantly changing. If you aren’t up with the latest trends, it’s easy to fall behind and get lost in the crowd. If you create a partnership with a digital marketer such as joel house, they can help with all of your online marketing needs.
Combining your digital marketing with traditional marketing is a great way to get your information in front of a wider range of customers. Different people look at the various mediums, so if you are only doing digital marketing, you could be missing out on a lot of sales. Traditional marketing can be cost prohibitive, but if you find the right venues, you could get a return on your investment that makes it worth it.
The other really great thing about combining both digital and traditional marketing is that you have the opportunity to target your local market. If you don’t sell your product on a worldwide scale, then be found in your community is important. People use the internet to find out about a lot of businesses, but advertising in traditional places can also get you discovered.
If you are only using one form of marketing, then you are limiting yourself. If you want to be relevant and found by potential customers, you have to vary your campaigns and go where the people are. The internet has changed how businesses market to customers, and this can be beneficial to your business. However, it’s also easy to get lost in the shuffle. Stand out from the crowd by using both digital and traditional marketing to reach your buyers.
