Lesson 30: What Do You Achieve When You Connect Online and Offline Marketing Channels?

Your postcards and print ads are working. Your blog posts and paid search is working too. Why take extra steps to blend the two worlds into one comprehensive marketing strategy? The answer is simple…

Your customers and prospects.

When you connect your online and offline marketing efforts into a seamless system where messages are consistent and each effort supports your goals and your audience, you create a better user experience. Your audience is able to enjoy an experience that provides value and connection. This draws them into your fold and positions you as a reliable business.

Brand Awareness

If engaging your customers and prospects and providing them with an exceptional experience isn’t enough, by taking steps to bridge the gap between your online and offline marketing channels, you help to enhance awareness of your brand. You strengthen it and you’re able to reach more people in a positive, and profitable, way.

You make a lasting impact on your audience and become relevant to them. Whether they prefer offline interaction, online engagement or a little bit of both, by connecting your channels you’re able to reach more people and leave an indelible and powerful impression.

Create your marketing goals for both online and offline marketing. Bring them together and use that new approach to create your marketing plan. You’ll be pleased with the results.

Lesson 29: Using Offline Events to Drive Online Interaction

Offline events are a great way to build a connection to your community. They also allow you a unique opportunity to share information, build relationships, and promote your business. AN event can be anything from a booth at a local fair to a weekend workshop or seminar.

Generally at events there are a few key pieces of marketing. You’ll have your banner with your business name on it. You’ll also probably have a few brochures, a few freebie giveaways, and perhaps some products to sell or the ability to set appointments for your services. IT’s also a great time to generate awareness for your business online. Here are a few ideas to consider.

1. Add your website URL to every piece of marketing or promotional material.
2. Share news and interesting experiences or photos from the event on social media.
3. Encourage the people you meet at your event to connect with you on social media. Consider creating an incentive. For example, if they follow you on Facebook you might enter them into a drawing for a free product or service.
4. If it’s a workshop or seminar, consider recording the event and sharing it on your website or selling it as an information product.
5. Share testimonials and reviews from the event on your website. Consider also creating blog posts to discuss topics covered during the event or interesting things that happened.

Online events are another option. You can promote your online event with your offline marketing channels and drive prospects and customers to engage with you in a whole different way.

We’ve talked a lot about the different ways to bridge the gap between online and offline marketing. We’ve talked about goals and marketing strategy best practices. We’ve shared techniques, tactics, and ideas for both sides of the marketing coin. Next time we’ll wrap it up by taking a look at what you have to gain when you integrate your offline and online marketing efforts.

Lesson 28: The Role of Redirect Domains in Your Integrated Marketing Efforts

Last time we talked about analytics, custom URLs, and promo codes. They’re a way to use offline marketing tactics to drive traffic to your website and to track offline marketing efforts. Another tactic is to use redirect domains. It can be a simpler way to track offline marketing results online.

Redirect Domains

Redirect domains are essentially pointers or a way to forward a person to a different web page or URL. When your visitors accessing a web page on the redirected domain, their browser's URL is changed to the domain to which it is being redirected. This allows you to use the same URL on all of your offline marketing materials. It’s much cleaner and easier for your prospects and customers to manage. Additionally, when you use a shortened URL the website address is much easier for prospects to remember.

By using redirect domains, which can be set up with your website hosting service, you can have your visitors see custom landing pages created specifically for your marketing promotion.

When creating redirect domains there are a few keys to success online and off. The first is that you want to make sure your URL is unique and attention grabbing. Consider adding keywords to it to help make it memorable and relevant. Also, steer clear of creating duplicate websites because you’ll enjoy Google penalizations for duplicate content. Make each website unique to your marketing needs and goals.

Next time we’ll take a look at ideas to use offline events to drive online interaction.

Lesson 27: Tips to Use Analytics in Your Offline Marketing

Do you use analytics to track and measure your online marketing efforts? If you don’t, it’s strongly recommended that you begin. Analytics provides an abundance of information about how visitors arrive at your website and what they do when they’re there. You might be surprised to learn that analytics can also have an impact on your offline marketing. Let’s explore how you can use your data to improve your offline efforts.

Custom Landing Pages

Any offline marketing pieces that are designed to drive traffic to your website should have a unique website address. You want the URL to only be used on that particular marketing piece. This way, you can track the effectiveness of your offline marketing by measuring visits and action taken on the site once they visit the web page. For example, you may have a postcard, a print ad, and an in office poster all promoting the same offer. While the offer is the same, each piece directs people to a unique URL. The page that people see will be the same, it’s just the address that’s different so you can track which marketing piece generated the best results.

Promotional Codes

In a previous message we talked about offline promotional codes and using social media, email, and your website to provide the codes. Google Analytics offers a feature called “Custom Variables” that allows you to set a custom variable on your promotional code field. This enables you to determine how many times your promo codes are used and what pieces of offline marketing were most effective.

Lesson 26: Integrating Social Media and Coupon Codes into Your Offline Marketing

Do your customers love coupons? Who doesn’t like to get a discount on a product or service?

Do you embrace coupons or promotional discount codes in your offline marketing? For example, maybe you occasionally send your customers a postcard with a discount code or coupon. Or perhaps you occasionally include a coupon in your company newsletter.

There are a few different ways you can integrate your offline coupons with your online marketing using social media.

• Invite Followers – In your print marketing, let your prospects know that they can get a coupon for products or services by liking you on your social media page. You will of course need to set up your social media page with a unique URL so new followers are able to immediately gain access to the coupon code.
• Invite Subscribers –Invite prospects on both social media and through your print marketing to sign up for coupons and special promotions by signing up for your email list.
• Drive Website Traffic and Sales – Send prospects to your website using both your social media profiles as well as your print marketing. Send them directly to a promo code or downloadable coupon that they can use immediately.

You can use your coupon and promo codes to drive sales of the products or services you promote offline. Simultaneous offline and online promo code marketing or complimentary tactics both work to help bridge the gap between your offline and online marketing.

Next time we’ll take a look at how to use your online analytics to fine tune your offline marketing.

Lesson 25: Tips for Connecting Your Online and Offline Marketing with Images

Images have become a primary component of effective marketing. We’re a visual society and with the growth of online visual channels like YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram as well as information driven sites like Visual.ly and SlideShare.net it seems like visuals are the foundation of good content.

However, if your offline visuals aren’t consistent and supportive of your online content then you’re sending mixed messages. When prospects and customers receive mixed messages it leads to confusion and they leave.

• Make Sure Your Visuals Have a Purpose – It’s not uncommon for people to throw an image into a brochure or a website because they think it needs one. Yet, if your visuals don’t have a purpose, then they are nothing more than a distraction. That doesn’t help your marketing. Your images and graphics need to help make a point or support a point in your marketing material.
• What’s The Goal? Create a goal for the marketing piece and align your visuals with the goal. IF they don’t support your content and your goal, get rid of the images.
• Consistent Colors. Colors evoke emotions and give your content an overall feeling. This feeling should reflect and support your brand and your voice. Be consistent across all marketing channels online and off to create a strong brand.

Finally, try to create a consistent look and feel to your graphics including any videos, photographs, and infographics. When your images have a unique and unified appearance, you help brand your business.

Next time we’ll take a look at using social media and coupon codes to promote your offline marketing efforts and vice versa.

Lesson 24: How to Promote Your Top Sellers on Your Website

What products or services do you promote in your offline marketing materials? Chances are they’re your top sellers and the products that help create customer loyalty and perhaps they’re your highest priced products.

A website is an essential component of online marketing. You can use your website to help promote your top products – the ones you feature in your offline marketing materials. There are a few keys to success.

Above the Fold

The first important step is to make sure that your offline promoted products are featured above the fold on your website. The “Fold” is the point at which the screen ends. When a visitor has to scroll down, that content is considered to be below the fold. You want your visitors to be able to see your featured products or services without having to scroll.

Price Consistency

Make sure that the prices that are reflected in your print marketing materials, radio ads, television ads and other offline materials match the prices reflected on your website

Optimize for the Search Engines

Make sure that the descriptions and supporting website content is optimized for the search engines. Use targeted keyword phrases including phrases that identify product features like color, size, or duration. For example, “60 minute therapeutic massage” can help prospects find the exact service they’re looking for on a massage therapist’s website.

Adding your featured products or services to your website helps strengthen your customer’s experience. It reinforces their interactions with you online and off. It also helps them find exactly what they need. Next time we’ll talk about how to connect your online and offline marketing with images.

Lesson 23: How to Use Paid Search to Advertise Products You Promote Offline

Paid search isn’t often considered for offline businesses. Yet, you can bet that the vast majority of your customers are using the internet to find and research products and services.

Paid search gives you the opportunity to position your business directly in front of your prospects, people who are searching for your products or services. And it serves as a great bridge between online and offline marketing when you use paid search to sell products you promote offline.

Your customer can easily find your promoted products when they are using search engines. Be sure to focus on your top products and use the majority of your budget for those ads.

Look for opportunities to broaden your keyword list. Look for possibilities that include broad descriptive terms, branded terms, local terms and terms that include product details like color and size.

Create systems to test and track your paid search results. This helps you avoid wasting money on ads that aren’t generating results. Most paid search tools provide downloadable spreadsheets to help you track your keywords and your budget. Stay on top of your budget as well. It’s easy for a PPC campaign to get carried away.

Paid search can make a tremendous difference in your sales and store traffic. The easier it is for your customers and prospects to find your products, the less likely they are to turn to your competition.

We’re going to stick with talking about offline promoted products next time and take a look at how to begin integrating them into your website. Again, it’s about connecting your prospects with your biggest sellers and bridging the gap between online and offline activity.

Lesson 22: 3 Tips to Find Your Marketing Voice and Communicate It Consistently

Your marketing voice is synonymous with your company personality and brand. It is what your prospects hear when they engage with your business online and off. It’s important for your voice to be consistent in all of your marketing tactics.

Consistency helps you bridge the gap between online and offline marketing and it creates a unified experience for your audience. Before you can communicate your voice consistently, you need to define it.

• Think about your company personality. What adjectives come to mind? What adjectives would your customers use to describe your company? What words would you use to describe how your prospects “hear” your information and content? 
• Read your existing marketing content. Does it reflect the same personality that you identified in #1? If you said that your customers would use the word, “friendly” to describe your voice and company does your content support that? Is it friendly?
• Create a description of the voice and brand. What tone do you want to consistently communicate? Include your description as part of your brand description and marketing strategy. Make sure that all of your marketing content supports your brand identity.

A strong voice helps your customers differentiate you from your competition. It showcases your personality and connects you to prospects and customers. Maintaining a consistent voice across all marketing channels helps position your business positively in the minds of your prospects and customers.

Even your advertisements need to convey a consistent voice and message. Next time we’ll take a look at paid search and how you can use it to promote offline products.

Lesson 21: When and Where to Use Hashtags Offline

The hashtag, #, is a relatively new invention. They’re widely used on social media and are essentially keywords. They’re used to help identify the topic in the content and they can be used by business owners to capture audience attention. Hashtags are used to help people find and join conversations. When you use them, you increase your ability to become part of those relevant conversations. While social media is the primary channel where the hashtag is used, you can use them offline to help boost your social media activity.

Events

Are you hosting an offline event? Maybe you’re conducting a workshop or weekend seminar. Or perhaps you’re participating in a local charity event. Create a hashtag for the event. Position the hashtag in all of your relevant marketing materials. For example, if you’re participating in a local health fair you might have a banner, marketing brochures, and t-shirts. Print your hashtag on all of these materials. It connects your supporting online materials. When people search the hashtag they will find your online marketing content too.

Print Media

Any publications that you have can be tied to unique hashtags. These hashtags can again connect your online and offline marketing content. You can also use hashtags to help achieve a marketing goal. For example, anyone who searches your hashtag may be led to a free downloadable eBook or a coupon for your products or services, or even a contest entry.

Advertising

Last but not least, you can include hashtags in your offline advertisements. Memorable

hashtags can be an excellent tool to create a memorable campaign and to get people talking about your organization.

A hashtag campaign is a unique and effective way to bridge the gap between offline and online marketing efforts. They can be part of a long term marketing approach or a short campaign launch. One thing that’s important when you’re creating offline and online integration is the concept of voice. Next time we’ll take a look at what voice is and how you can communicate it consistently on any marketing channel.

Lesson 20: 3 Keys to Successful Marketing Integration

There are three critical components of launching a successful online and offline marketing campaign. This means that before you create your timeline and your launch plan, you should make sure these three components have been covered. Let’s take a look at them individually.

Simultaneous Launch

Both your online and offline campaign should be launched at the same time. That means that if you’re using a direct mail campaign and an email campaign, your recipients should receive their message on or near the same day. If you’re blogging and publishing an article in an industry publication, they should be released to the public on or near the same day. This also means that the campaigns should end at the same time. This helps ensure your prospects and customers receive the same message and that your marketing achieves optimal results.

Complimentary Tactics

Your online and offline marketing campaigns need to compliment and support one another. They need to work together to achieve the same goal. We talked a bit about this back when we talked about creating weekly or monthly themes for your content. For example, your print and online ads both drive traffic to your opt-in page.

Consistent Message

We’ve talked about having a consistent brand message and that’s still the case. You want to make sure that anyone who is exposed to any marketing message experiences the same tone, personality and voice. This is true both during your launch campaigns as well as any other marketing campaigns. Consistency is critical.

Social media is a powerful online marketing channel that can help you achieve your marketing goals and objectives. It can be difficult to integrate with offline tactics. Next time we’ll take a look at hashtags and their role in offline advertising, print media, and events.

Lesson 19: Trying To Bridge the Online and Offline Marketing Gap? Don’t Forget Your Goals 

You know that by bridging the gap between online and offline marketing, you’re able to create a more cohesive and comprehensive user experience. Your prospects grow, your brand awareness increases and prospects become part of your community. In fact, integrating your marketing can help you achieve a number of business building goals and objectives. 

Before you jump you’re your existing marketing strategy and begin building connections, it’s important to take a step back. A marketing strategy needs a goal.

In fact, it’s practically impossible to try to build an effective marketing plan without one, regardless of where you’re marketing. How are you going to test? What are you going to measure? How will you know you’re successful? 

So as you begin to weave your offline and online marketing together, consider your goals for each. What do you want to accomplish? There are a number of goals you might consider. They include but are not limited to:

•    Driving traffic
•    Increasing awareness
•    Strengthening brand
•    Building your email list
•    Increasing engagement
•    Generate new leads
•    Increase customer loyalty
•    Improve search engine rankings
•    Boosting credibility and authority
•    Attracting partnerships and/or affiliates 
•    Selling products or services – increasing sales.

Once you’ve established your goals, you can then begin the process of identifying the best online and offline marketing tactics to achieve them. Next time we’ll take a look at the keys to successful marketing integration. It’s about embracing your goals and strategically blending your marketing efforts. 

Lesson 18: Rewarding Loyal Customers

Are you interested in rewarding your loyal customers? How about motivating customers to help you promote your business while also providing value to their peers? We’re talking about digital rewards and location based check-in applications like Foursquare.

What are Location Based Apps?

Location based applications allow users to “check in” when they arrive at a destination. For example, let’s say that a person is looking for a massage. They use their app to find a massage therapist. They book an appointment. When they arrive, they check-in. The application then links to social media, or sends a text message to their friends, and announces where you are. When they check in, they receive a digital reward like a percentage off of their massage.

Location Based Apps to Consider

There are literally dozens of location based applications and your community may offer its own options. Nationally, consider:

• Mogl
• Foursquare
• Yelp
• Gowalla
• Whrrl
• BrightKite

Using Location Based Apps

The key to successful integration between offline and online marketing is to promote the same marketing message across in-store and online communications. In your office or place of business use print marketing to let your customers know about your online activity. Invite them to use Foursquare for example. Highlight the reward they’ll get for checking in with this online service.

You might hand out postcards to clients that invite them to connect with you. You might have a poster near the front door or desk. You could even mention the campaign on your voice mail message. Think about the offline in office marketing tactics you’re using and how you can promote your digital rewards campaign.

Next time we’ll take a look at goal setting and how it relates to your online and offline marketing strategy.

Lesson 17: How Mobile Technology can Improve Your Customer Experience

Did you know that a few mobile services can vastly improve your customer experience? It’s all part of brining your offline world and your online world together. We’re talking about mobile websites and the applications that you can integrate into your business and your website. There are three primary ways you can use mobile technology to improve your customer experience.

Appointment Scheduling

You can offer your customers the opportunity to schedule their appointments using an online

application or their smartphone. It encourages clients to make appointments, and they often schedule more appointments when it’s made so simple and easy for them.

Updates and Reminders

Mobile and online appointment scheduling applications also allow you to create automotive appointment reminders. This helps you avoid the forgotten appointment. Even if you don’t use an online appointment scheduling software, you can use in office scheduling technology that sends your customers an automated email reminder. Consider also looking into applications that allow you to send your customers information about your business, updates, and valuable content.

Mobile Check-ins

Finally, you may be familiar with mobile check in applications like Foursquare that allow people with smartphones to “Check in” online. They announce to social media where they are. It helps build awareness for your business and provides a kind of word of mouth marketing effect. You can incentivize it by adding each “check in” into a monthly sweepstakes or by giving awards to those people who use a mobile check-in to tell their friends they’re at your place of business.

Speaking of incentives and rewards, next time we’ll take a look at the concept of digital awards to bridge the gap between your offline and online marketing strategy.

Lesson 16: 5 More Ideas to Promote Your Website Offline

Last week we talked about using car magnets, business cards, swag and other offline marketing tools to help spread the word about your website. Let’s cut to the chase and take a look at five more ideas to help promote your website offline.

1. Your Telephone – When someone calls you and they either have to leave a message or they’re put on hold, what is their experience? What do they hear? This is a great time to let your callers know that you have a website. In fact, the information on your website may help them answer their question or solve their problem.
2. Direct Mail – Do you send coupons and promotional offers to your prospects and customers? Do you have a mailing list? Next time you send out a mailer, make sure to include your website address on it. In fact, you might consider sending your mail list directly to a page where they can opt into your emails in addition to or instead of receiving direct mail.
3. Print Ads – Including your website in your newspaper and magazine advertisements helps build awareness for it. When it’s included in a call to action, it also helps you measure the success of your advertisement.
4. Articles – Do you occasionally publish articles in your newspaper or in industry publications? Make sure your website address is included in your bio box. Consider also including a call to action that motivates readers to visit your site.
5. Teaching Materials – Teach a local class through your community education program and include your website address on all of your course materials.

Your website is just one of your online marketing tools. Mobile technology is another. In fact, you can use mobile technology and a mobile website to support a service based business and improve your customer interactions.

Lesson 15: 5 Ways to Promote Your Website Offline

Sometimes your marketing efforts can seem to live in two different worlds. Your offline people interact with you offline and your online folks, well…they engage with you online. However, there’s more power to each marketing initiative when it intersects with both marketing worlds.

And let’s face it, you spend enough time, energy, and money on your website that it’d be nice if more people knew about it, visited it, and interacted with you there.

Let’s take a look at 5 ways you can promote your website using offline marketing tactics.

1. Your Business Cards - Yes, it’s a simple change but it’s something that’s easy to do and it can pay off big. Each person that you hand your card to, may visit your website. It’s one more point of contact and an opportunity to engage with them online.
2. Giveaways – Do you give away swag? We’re talking about pens, calendars, coffee mugs and notebooks. If you have contests and give away prizes you can add your website address to the items as well as all of your freebie giveaways.
3. Brochures – Do you have a business brochure? This is a perfect place to position your website address. Include it in your contact information at the bottom of each page of your brochure. Also consider including it in larger print somewhere in the body of your brochure. Call attention to your website.
4. Event Signage – Do you attend events? You probably have a banner or sign that you hang up to help market your business. Add your website URL to the banner.
5. Your Car – Many business owners use magnets on their car to advertise their business and phone number. Add your website address to your magnet to drive traffic to your website and your business.

There are many other ways to market your website offline. Next time we’ll take a look at five more ways.

Lesson 14: How to Promote One Special Across All Your Marketing Channels

We’ve talked about complimentary content and how you can create both an offline and online content theme across your offline and online marketing channels. Using the same concept, you can also promote new products, services, or promotional offers across your marketing channels. Let’s take a look at a few examples of how this might work.

A Massage Therapist

A massage therapist might limited time offer free 15 minute massages for new patients. They could promote this special in their office by telling their customers to tell their friends. They could promote the massage on social media, their blog, and through a postcard mailer. 

A Success Coach

While success coaches can take clients both online and off, it’s sometimes more profitable to meet with clients face to face. A success coach can use an offline event to promote their face to face consulting. They could also host an online event to promote the consulting. And both an email and print newsletter could be used to help draw attention to the events or to the face to face consulting offer. 

Getting Started

Begin thinking about a promotion you can create and launch. How can you use your offline and online marketing tactics to spread the word about your promotion? What information does your audience need to know and what value can you provide with each tactic to help grab attention for your launch? 

If you’ve been marketing offline for a while now and are beginning to look at what the internet can do or you, the first step is to create a website. Then, you can begin to promote your website offline. Next time we’ll take a look at a few ways you can promote your website offline. 

Lesson 13: Tips to Embrace the Power of Cross Promotion

How do your prospects and customers engage with you? Are they able to choose the channels and formats they prefer? Do you offer a variety of ways for your audience to interact with you online and off?

The concept of cross promotion, using one marketing channel to promote the other, offers you and your audience a number of benefits including the ability to access information and material the way they prefer.

Engage the Way You Want to

When you offer a variety of ways to interact with you, your prospects can pick and choose. We all have our own unique preferences for engaging, finding content, and researching. One person may prefer to stick to social media whereas another may like to pick up the phone and give you a call. When you serve the needs and wants of your audience, you’re able to position yourself as a solution and a resource for more people.

Informing Your Audience

Cross promotion means that you inform your audience of their options. For example, your voice mail message might let callers know that they can find your FAQ page on your website. Your social media page may include your contact information including your phone number. Your email signature may include both your contact information and your social media page link.

Take a look at your existing marketing channels and tactics. How can you begin to cross promote each channel on the others? Start the process. Next time, we’ll take a look at how to promote one special across all of your marketing channels, online and off.

Lesson 12: Is Your Brand Message Consistent?

One mistake that often happens when businesses strive to connect their offline and online marketing is that the brand message becomes confused. While it’s true that you may provide different content and use different marketing approaches online and off, your brand needs to stay the same. Prospects and customers need to know what to expect from your company. A consistent brand strengthens awareness, trust, and credibility.

How do You Create a Consistent Brand?

Your brand is how your businesses make your customers and prospects feel. A strong and consistent brand demonstrates the unique value your business has to offer. It accurately reflects who you are and what you’re about.

When defining your brand you probably looked at your vision and mission – your values and the company you wanted to be five, ten and twenty years from now. You also probably explored how your business is different from your competition and created a Unique Selling Proposition or USP.

Those key elements of your brand are far beyond the simple logo and tagline. It’s about the language you use in your marketing materials and how you approach your audience. One step to make sure your branding is consistent in every marketing channel and tactic is to ask yourself how the piece makes your prospects feel. If the feeling matches the feeling your brand is intended to evoke, you’re on the right track.

Next time we’ll take a look at how to bridge the gap of online and offline marketing with cross promotional offers.

Lesson 11: Are You Using QR Codes Optimally?

One way to bridge the gap between your online and offline marketing efforts is to use QR codes.  QR stands for Quick Response. These codes are scannable, two dimensional images that can hold data. Using a device like a smart phone with a QR reader application, your prospects can scan the code and be taken to your digital content or web page.

They’re easy to create and add to your print materials. They can be used on posters, articles, your newsletter, in print advertisements, or even on clothing. Keep in mind that they’re only scannable by users with smart phones. You’ll want to make sure that your audience does embrace this technology. It also means that any webpage or content you send them to should be mobile ready. If they cannot read or access your content on their phone, your campaign will fall flat.

Decide what you want to achieve with your QR code campaign. What is your goal?

You’ll also want to define the value. Why would anyone want to scan your code and what value will they receive when they scan it? For example, will they be able to access a report? Will they receive access to a contest? Other options include free services or discounts on products.

Focus on creating a campaign that offers immediate value. Because QR codes are much more common, it’s important to make sure there’s a compelling reason for people to scan and visit. Whether you’re using QR codes or hosting a weekend seminar, there’s one important consideration that we have yet to mention – consistency. Next time we’ll talk about the role of branding consistency.

Lesson 10: A Secret for Successfully Integrating Online and Offline Marketing

How many marketing tactics are you using right now? How many campaigns do you have running currently and how many are in the works? It can become a muddled mess. Careful planning, and organized timeline, and structure are the only way to make sure that your marketing efforts are as successful as possible.

And let’s be honest, unless you have help it’s easy for your marketing plan to get away from you. Some marketing tactics will fall short of your goals but because you’re so busy trying to keep it all together, you won’t notice or have time to fix them. So what’s the solution?

Well analytics and automating your marketing are two helpful approaches. However, in addition to embracing the power of technology, consider an old fashioned approach.

Focus on adding and integrating one tactic at a time.

Instead of trying to pull all of the pieces together and to expand your marketing efforts into several new channels, pull back and prioritize.

What marketing channel or tactic is most important to you right now? What can generate the biggest results? Focus on this tactic first. Measure results, track the data, and fine tune your efforts to generate the highest return on investment.

For example, your goal might be to grow your email list through your offline print materials. Choose one print material or create an in office or in store campaign to send traffic to your opt-in page. Track how many visits your page gets and how many of those visits sign up. Work to increase your traffic to that page and your conversions. When you believe that the campaign is as good as it can be, right now, then add another marketing channel or tactic to your plan.

This approach helps you create a laser focus on your marketing. Instead of feeling pulled twenty different ways, you can create powerful and effective marketing campaigns. Next time we’re going to go in a different direction and talk about QR codes.

Lesson 9: How to Use Video in Your Print Marketing

Do you advertise in your local paper and print publications? Do you have a newsletter that you share with your customers? Many offline businesses and marketing tactics offer a perfect opportunity to increase the value of the print material and bridge the gap between offline marketing and online marketing. 

Using Video

Video has come a long way in the past few years. Businesses are getting more creative and users share videos, subscribe to video channels, and engage in video based digital media daily. In fact Vimeo, YouTube, Vine, and Instagram videos have doubled in users. You can capitalize on the amazing popularity of video in your print marketing. Here’s how…

Add Video Links To Your Print Articles and Advertisements

Use your print content to provide your readers and prospects with value. In your call to action, create an opportunity to increase the value by visiting a web page and watching a video on the topic. 

For example, you might create an advertisement that offers three tips to save money at tax time. Your video could then offer 7 more tips to save money on tax time or share a tax saving secret. At the end of your video you might offer viewers the opportunity to come in for a free consultation, to download a free report or eBook, or a discount on services. 

Think about your marketing goals and how you can use video to enhance the value your offline content provides. A strategy and planning are essential for marketing success and as you begin to integrate your offline and online marketing, it can become confusing and overwhelming. Next time we’ll talk about a secret for marketing strategy success. 

Lesson 8: The Power of Complimentary Online and Offline Marketing Strategies

We have already talked about online and offline content marketing. The purpose of content marketing is to provide some sort of value to motivate your reader to take action. The action can be anything from downloading a report to buying your most expensive product or service. One of the challenges to a content marketing campaign is making sure that you have enough ideas to consistently deliver valuable content.

Let’s talk about complimentary strategies.

When you’re planning your online and offline content, look ahead and plan a few months’ worth of content. Make it easier on yourself and give your marketing a boost by creating a theme for the week or for the month.

For example, a nutritionist might talk about vitamin D in her online and offline content in November and talk about indulging in the month of December. The

themes are relevant to her clients and timely so they’re valuable. It’s also easier to come up with content ideas and create a stronger impression when you approach content marketing with a theme or a complimentary strategy.

Here’s an example of how the nutritionist might approach it if her goal was to build her email list.

• Print newsletter article about the importance of vitamin D. At the end of the article she might send readers to download a report on the pros and cons of supplementing vitamin D.
• Free in office event about how to get more vitamin D in your diet. At the end of the event she might invite attendees to download the supplementation report.
• Blog posts on a variety of vitamin D topics with a call to action that invites readers to download the report.
• Social media post on top 5 vitamin d food sources with a call to action that invites readers to download the report.

It’s a simple example, but it shows how a variety of content all on a similar theme can help achieve a singular marketing goal. The content is complimentary rather than competitive and the more a prospect connects with the nutritionist online and off, the more value they’ll receive. Next time we’re stepping away from content and talking about advertising and video.

Lesson 7: Tips to Provide Value Both Online And Off

People buy from those they consider to be credible experts in their industry. Content marketing is one tactic you can use to help position your company as experts that your audience can trust. To be considered an expert and to gain the trust of your audience you must provide one thing consistently…value. Your content needs to help your audience solve a problem, improve their life, and move forward toward their goals, hopes and dreams.

Offline Value

Offline you can provide value in a number of ways. Some possibilities include:

• Seminars and workshops
• Articles in industry publications including newspapers
• Print newsletter
• Advertisements that provide tips, quotes, or incentives. For example, if your newspaper ad offers 10% off services when customers mention the ad.

Online Value

Online value often looks much like offline value. Some possibilities include:

• Live events- online seminars and workshops
• Articles published on other sites, on your blog, on social media
• Email newsletter
• Advertisements

Offline and online, value is the same. The objective is to help your prospect or customer take a step toward your business. Your goal may be to motivate a purchase, to inspire an email opt-in, or to encourage an upsell or repeat business.

The tactics aren’t mutually exclusive. You can use your offline content marketing to bolster your online content marketing and vice versa. The goal is to use what’s called “Complimentary strategies.” Next time we’ll talk about what complimentary strategies are in both content marketing and via other marketing channels and we’ll explore some examples of how you can use it to build your business.

Lesson 6: How to Get More from Your Business Newsletter

Do you have a company newsletter? It’s a great idea. Newsletters help keep your customers engaged with your business. They receive both news about your organization and valuable information. You’re fostering the connection with them and providing value.

The only downside is that newsletters need to be printed and mailed. Both can be costly. You can actually capitalize on this expense and the environmental impact to justify a move to a downloadable newsletter.

Offer a New Format

While still printing and mailing your newsletter, offer your customers the opportunity to support your environmentally friendly initiative and to receive the newsletter in their email inbox. You can promote the new downloadable newsletter directly in your printed version.

Decide if you’re going to continue with both a printed and a downloadable newsletter or if you’re going to transition to download only. Give your customers time to make the transition and consider adding an incentive to making the switch. For example, when customers sign up for your email newsletter, maybe they get a percentage off their next purchase.

Once you have your customers signed up, ask them to promote your newsletter by sharing it with their friends and family and also sharing it on social media. Invite them to follow you and begin transitioning your customers into your online community.

Email is a powerful marketing tool and allows you to build stronger connections. Your offline newsletter can help make the transition to email easier. Next time we’ll talk about providing valuable information both online and off as a means of integrating your marketing and building a strong strategy.

Lesson 5: How to Build Your Social Media Community

How active are you on social media? Are your efforts generating the results you’d like or are they falling flat? If you’re using offline promotional tactics to drive traffic to your social media profiles then it’s essential that your social media activity is kicked up too. If people begin connecting with you on social media and there’s no effort to engage and build your community then your efforts are lost. Let’s take a look at a few tips to help build your social media community.

1 - Connect With Customers – If you’ve invited customers to connect with you on social media, by all means engage with them. Comment on their posts, ask them questions and get them involved in your community. You might consider creating a poll or survey to get feedback from them about your business. You can also invite them to special promotions or contests. Make your customers glad that they liked your Facebook page and connected with you on social media. 

2 – Connect with Contractors and Employees – If your business is one where your

employees work personally with your customers, consider connecting with them on social media. Ask them to share, comment, and interact with your business page. Invite them to contribute to your social media posts and comments and begin creating conversations.

3 – Consistency Matters – Make sure that you are active on social media every single day. That may sound overwhelming and time consuming. Keep in mind that there are tools you can use to automate some of your interactions.

For example, your email newsletter can automatically be posted on Facebook and Twitter. New blog posts can be scheduled and linked to social media as well. You can also outsource or hire an assistant to interact with your audience for a few minutes each day.

Be present and active on social media to build your community. Social media can also be used to build your online and offline newsletter. Next time we’ll take a look at email marketing and how to get more from your print newsletter.

Lesson 4: How to Use Offline Promotion to Drive Online Interaction

To integrate your online and offline marketing, one can be used to support the other. For example, you can use a coupon campaign to drive traffic to your Facebook page.

It’s a great way to build client and prospect engagement and to bring your customers into your online marketing community.

Let’s take a look at a few examples of how businesses have used offline promotion to drive online interaction.

Bed Bath and Beyond – In an effort to build their email list, this retail company decided to give away a free product. They advertised the promotion in their stores, in their print media, and online. To obtain the free product prospects and customers had to go online, visit an opt-in page, and sign up for emails. Once they signed up and gave the retailer their email address, they were emailed a coupon. They could then take that coupon into the store to retrieve their free product.

Beauty Salon – Another example of using offline promotion to drive online interaction involved a salon that offered a free makeover when prospects added the salon’s logo to a photo and used that phot as their Facebook profile picture.

Book Authors – Authors often embrace the power of offline promotion to drive online interaction and vice versa. They hold contests which are announced both online and offline including events like book signings. To enter the contest readers may review a book written by the author, follow on social media, or subscribe to their email newsletter.

There are many ways to use offline promotions to drive online activity. Determine your goals for the online activity and consider what type of promotions your audience will respond to. Next time, we’ll take a look at simple ways to begin building your social media community.

Lesson 3: Add Social Media to Your Print Marketing

How engaging is your print marketing? Does it lead readers to your website or social media page? Are your print pieces actually accomplishing anything and if so, what?

One of the goals for print marketing is to build interaction and engagement with your business.

There are a few marketing channels that allow you do accomplish this. Social media is one of the more powerful online marketing channels and you can use your print marketing to boost your social media interaction.

Identify Your Goal

Your goal for your print marketing needs to be to boost social media interaction for this to be as effective as possible. However, even if your goal is to drive traffic to your website or to a sales page, instead of social media, you may want to also include your social media information in your print marketing.

Decide what social media account is most important to you. In some instances it may make sense to focus on one site over all of them. For example, you may have a Twitter account, Facebook account and a Pinterest account. Decide which account is most important to the success of your business and your marketing goals.

Create Consistency and Brand Recognition

One simple method to help create consistency and branding is to add your social media links to every print marketing piece that you publish. For example, if you have an article in a print publication then your Facebook page should be included in the footer or bio box of that article. If you publish an advertisement in a magazine, include links to your Facebook and other social media accounts. Include your Facebook address on everything like business cards, posters, receipts, and coupons.

Next time we’ll explore to use offline promotional tactics to drive online interaction. Again, social media can play an important role in this tactic.

Lesson 2: What Should You Measure and Track? 3 Metrics For Online and Offline Marketing

Are your marketing efforts working? How do you know? Ideally, you’re tracking a few key pieces of data. You’re measuring the information and using it to set new marketing goals and objectives. When you’re striving to integrate your online and offline marketing tactics and to build a cohesive and well, profitable, marketing strategy it’s essential to measure and track a few key metrics.

Key Metrics to Track and Measure

Return on Investment – Offline marketing isn’t cheap. It can cost you several thousand dollars for a print ad placed in your local newspaper or in an industry periodical. How do you know that you’re making any type of return on investment? One of the steps marketers take is to ask new customers how they found the business.

If they say “I saw your ad in ABC magazine,” then you can add that to the tally. However, this tracking system is full of holes. It’s more efficient and productive to send your advertisement viewers to your website. You can track every single visit your ad generates by measuring visits to a unique website address, which you created specifically for your ad.

Conversions and Click Throughs – Online you’ll measure conversions and a click through rate. These are essentially people who have taken the action that you requested them to take. “Buy now,” “Visit my website,” and “Download my free report,” are all examples of requests or calls to action. Each time the desired action is taken you’re able to measure a “click through” or a “Conversion.”

Other metrics you can measure online and off include:

• Customer value
• Customer loyalty
• Subscribers
• Visits
• Return or repeat visits

Once you’ve established your goals for your marketing strategy, decide how you’re going to achieve your goals and how you’re going to measure success. When linking offline and online branding you’ll want your tactics to support one another and achieve the same objective. Speaking of objectives, next time we’ll take a look at how you can integrate social media into your print marketing efforts.

Lesson 1: Integrating Online and Offline Marketing? Understand How Customers Engage With Your Brand

Do you know how your customers find you? How do they interact with your business brand both online and off? Most marketers and business owners are unaware of the data that connects their online and offline marketing.

What are the Possibilities?

Offline they might see an advertisement on television or hear an ad on the radio. Most likely they came to you because of word of mouth or a print advertisement. Online, people may see you on social media sites, see an advertisement during a search, or they may hear about you from a peer.

Why Does it Matter?

Offline activities and engagement have an impact on online activity. For example, 40 percent of people make a purchase after being influenced by an offline marketing channel like television, radio or a print ad.

Understanding Your Audience

In order to set reasonable goals and establish effective marketing tactics, it’s important to understand how your audience engages with your business. Start tracking your customers.

Learn how they find your business and what steps they took after their first exposure.

For example, if they heard about your business from a friend, did they then go online to research you? Did they download your free report and sign up for email? Learning what actions your audience takes will help you create a seamless and powerful integration. Next time we’ll take a look at online and offline metrics to help you better understand your audience. ​​​​​​​