Marketing is constantly evolving. Think about what your marketing challenges were just five years ago. I would bet that you didn’t even have a “digital strategy.” Now, everyone is focusing efforts on digital marketing – so much so that there has become a pendulum swing of some sort. Have you noticed how light your mail has become lately?

The goal, as it has always been, is to get “butts in seats” – you want to attract clients the best, most efficient way possible and you can do that by unifying your online digital marketing with traditional offline marketing. Here’s how…

Traditional Advertising

Contrary to popular belief, print is not dead. However, no longer are the days of blasting and praying, but you must consider the medium. Targeted niche magazines can be a fantastic marketing choice, as well as radio ads, direct mail, TV ads, newspaper ads and print newsletters.

Here are a few tips for maximizing your traditional media spend:

• Create a specific landing page in one of your Facebook tabs or on your website, and include it with the call-to-action (CTA) of your ad. Rather than blasting the same CTA in all your marketing, try to keep it specific to the readers of one outlet at a time.

• Offer valuable content such as a non-salesy long-form LinkedIn blog post to the local newspaper editor for consideration (and include your byline). The trick here is to really understand the audience of the medium, and not make assumptions about coverage just because you’re an advertiser.

• Include a QR Code on print ads that goes to the above-mentioned landing page.

Public Relations

Do you have a TV, radio show, blog or video blog? Not only can you utilize your social networks to promote your TV or radio show but you can also take the recordings and upload them to video hosting sites, such as YouTube, online afterward. Once the videos and recordings are uploaded, share them on your social networks to promote the show and increase the size of your audience.

Blogs and video blogs can be treated much the same way, with posts on your networks promoting them. If you have a TV, radio show and blog, promote your blogs offline by hosting specific radio shows dedicated to the blog topics.

If you are you a columnist in a local paper make sure to list your social networks and tell your readers to visit your website and become fans of your organization, at the end of your columns. Often times those columns are published online. Link them to your social networks, push your followers to the columns online and don’t forget to tag the media source.

Networking at Live Events

How do you participate in your local community? Church, Chamber of Commerce, event sponsorship, educational programs and smaller local networking groups are all great ways to get involved. But, when it comes to local community events, be careful with how you promote your business. You may find it to be inappropriate to self-promote at some events, but it can be advantageous to promote those events online beforehand to not only increase attendance, but show your followers you’re involved.

At the events, be sure to have a business card on hand that includes not only your general contact information, but also links to your website and social platforms. You may also consider providing a visually stimulating sales piece that encourages prospects to connect online or visit your website to learn more.

And don’t let all those business cards you gathered run through the washing machine while still in the pocket of your pants. Reach out and get connected on LinkedIn with a personalized message following up from the event.

Client Appreciation Events

Do you do client appreciation events? Wine tasting, golf lessons, holiday parties and chili cook-offs are all fun ways to show your clients appreciation.

Promote these events online by creating event pages and forums where attendees can network and exchange information prior to the event. Not only is this a great way to spread the word about upcoming events, but it’s also a great way to keep clients and attendees informed about upcoming events and specific details.

As you can see, there are so many different ways to integrate online and offline communications, and most of them not only benefit your business, but they also benefit your clients and your community.

Did we miss anything? What other ways have you found to integrate your online and offline interactions? Let us know and we’ll add it to the list!

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