Online Companies Are Marketing Offline

Few things drive me as crazy as the knee-jerk reaction to a need for marketing as “I’ll post another story on Facebook.”

Social media can be both far-reaching and inexpensive, but it’s not the only answer to any company’s communications requirements.

Digital marketing, too, can be very cost-effective, targeting the right audiences with great potential for return on investment.

So why does Google use direct mail to lure potential advertisers with promotional offers? Why does Amazon run TV ads to expand awareness of their company? What do they know that you don’t?

Both firms could exclusively promote themselves online and still grow. Instead, they use traditional media to reach out to new audiences to expand their businesses.

Google and Facebook recognize the importance of traditional media…so much that they’ve committed $75 million and $100 million (respectively) to supporting community newspapers.

Regardless of what you sell, you should also be learning this lesson and expanding your reach into new markets. Segmenting your audience and expanding visibility with direct mail, print advertising, bus stop marketing, or other offline vehicles might provide striking results.

Marketing must be viewed holistically. No one communications tool solves all problems, and a good media mix enables one vehicle to support another.

Thus, social media may lure readers, but a clever promotion in the mailbox will convert those eyeballs into buy-balls.

Similarly, a digital ad might drive traffic into brick and mortar stores, but a dynamic point of sale promotion may be needed to close the deal.

Yes, I’ve said it before, and forgive me for being repetitious. Every organization needs to have a comprehensive years-long marketing plan. It requires creative strategies, multiple tactics, realistic budgets, and honest timelines.

And it must be logically and regularly implemented and updated.

But just as no business can survive strictly on the back of good public relations efforts, neither can it thrive entirely on Instagram posts.

Admittedly, these are peculiar times, and it seems reasonable to just post another tweet for attention. But with television viewing up well into double digits (year-over-year) and many media outlets begging for advertising, there’s a HUGE opportunity for any business with vision to build a good landing page, invest a bit offline, and generate big online sales.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

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