We’ve all heard that one should not place all the eggs in one basket, but with the growth of digital media and its power to transform a brand, it may not be easy to stick with this advice. Practically everyone spends time on their phone or tablet, which is why it is feasible to advertise your brand’s message nearly 24 hours a day.

However, it should come as no surprise that the growth of digital marketing has overlapped with a slight drop in traditional forms of advertising. Still, it has survived, indicating its effectiveness even in the digital era. So, how can you take advantage of this? By integrating your offline and online marketing strategies.

What is Omni-Channel Marketing?

In less than five years, one marketing term has progressed from a trendy buzzword to becoming a critical component of effective marketing campaigns—omni-channel marketing. It is one of the most rapidly-growing ideas in the retail industry, and for good reason.

The notion of omni-channel marketing was presented to the marketing industry for the first time by Author and Partner at Bain & Company, Darrell Rigby, who first coined the term in 2011. The word was used to describe a shopping experience beyond traditional multi-channel retail boundaries, allowing customers to obtain an ideal purchasing experience across all platforms—from conventional brick-and-mortar stores to the digital world of websites, emails, and social media marketing.

Even though it was introduced over 12 years ago, omni-channel marketing did not receive much attention in the first few years. Later, it became a popular term in 2013, both among marketers and customers alike. However, during the last year, the idea has progressed much further. Retailers that want to remain competitive must embrace omni-channel marketing, which has evolved from a “buzzword” to a “must-have.”

5 Ways to Integrate Your Offline and Online Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business

Did you know omni-channel purchases occur 250% more often than single-channel purchases? In comparison, the average order value is 13% greater per order on omni-channel purchases compared to single-channel purchases.

For years, there has been a heated debate about which marketing strategy is more effective: online (pay-per-click advertising, Google Ads, or social media promotion) or offline (newspaper, collateral, direct mail, coupon programs, and so on).

The good news is that now you are not forced to choose between the both. Depending on your goals and the demographics of your target audience, your marketing plan may contain a combination of online and offline marketing approaches. In a nutshell, a successful marketing strategy is an integrated marketing strategy.

Use Online CTA on Your Offline Promotion

Today, one of the most untapped possibilities is leveraging your internet presence to promote local physical sales—and a call to action (CTA) is the best way to motivate people to do something. If you have an offline event coming up, you can use internet marketing to promote it to a broader audience.

In a similar vein, you may use offline promotions to boost your online visibility. For example, you can invite people to a live event displayed on your social media account or website through print advertisement. On top of that, create compelling grounds for your audience to visit a separate landing page (rather than your homepage), so you can collect contact information for further follow-up on future campaigns.

When it comes to using online CTA on offline promotion, Netflix, the video streaming behemoth, is a trendsetter. The company, founded in 1997 as an online movie rental business, has adjusted and tweaked its marketing tactics several times.

The super brand uses an impressive marketing budget to execute its promotional operations to attract new and existing consumers by strategically placing banners with compelling and surprising ambient advertisements in public places. To do this, Netflix utilizes the Omnichannel approach. Billboards are placed in high-traffic locations to enhance broad brand recognition and promote certain content accessible for ONLINE streaming.

Here’s an example of Netflix’s Omni-channel approach:

Start A “To Be Continued” Campaign

How about starting your storyline offline and then finishing it online? Using this method, you may direct the user to a landing page or to one of your social media channels, where they will discover extra information (and a specific CTA).

If you’re writing a print article, you may add a call-to-action along the lines of “to win an exciting gift hamper, follow us on social media, and share our post by using the hashtag #CampaignTitle,” or “find out more by visiting www.yoursite.com/landingpage.”

Casper, a company that began in 2014, has grown to be worth $100 million brands. It is still new in the game with a lot to show; however, as a business that has made a significant impact rapidly, its marketing technique is worth considering.

Casper increased their spending on out-of-home media, like New York City Subway or bus shelters trains, since the company realized they could get more bang for their dollars and successfully convey the idea if they did so. Below you will find the most real-life examples of a “to be continued” campaign.

Offer Offline Discount to Your Online Customer

Attracting offline leads into an online environment is more beneficial than the opposite strategy. This is because internet leads may be more precisely targeted, and there are more channels via which you can interact with them.

The question is, how to make that opposite strategy work? Offer special discounts to individuals who follow you on social media. This is an incredible option for local companies such as pubs, cafes, and restaurants that already have a good reputation in their neighborhood but desire a more visible online presence to expand their growth further.

Consider the following scenario: you own and operate a restaurant, and your current marketing objective is to increase the number of followers on your Facebook page. To do this, you may post advertisements about your Facebook page at your establishment and give those who like the page a discount on a particular day of the week or a specific item from your menu. In return for the offer, they’ll be delighted to follow your page on social media.

Apply Brand Consistency Throughout

As a business owner or marketer, you are well aware that your company’s success is dependent on its brand, and one of the most important aspects of a brand is its consistency. The truth is that many companies fail after a given period not because they are unable to establish a brand but rather because they fail to see the value of maintaining their brand consistency both online and offline.

The need for consistency in the brand message is not a new concept in the marketing world, but some lessons are still to be learned, particularly in the startup community. Even though startup businesses are less likely to have hundreds of thousands of dollars available to spend on market research and extensive A/B testing to evaluate messaging, therefore; each piece of branding must be consistent and on-message.

Nike, the sportswear behemoth, is an ideal example of brand consistency. Even if individuals are not Nike customers, they can still pronounce its simple slogan without thinking about it. For those of you who don’t remember, Nike’s slogan is “Just Do It.” We’re sure you’re most likely recalling it right now.

Nike has been utilizing this phrase for more than 15 years, demonstrating the company’s dedication to maintaining brand consistency. Consider Reebok, which has changed its slogan 14 times since 1987. Now you know which the most powerful brand is; Nike has the lion’s share of the sports shoe industry — they are synonymous with style and quality and are really consistent.

Digitalize Your Real-Life Leads

Ensure that your offline marketing efforts sync with your online efforts, including information that directs consumers to your online channels. Check to see whether you can include a QR code on your printed materials so that customers may scan them with their smartphones and be sent to your landing page.

You may also include links to your social media accounts, which will encourage others to follow you on social media platforms—taking initiatives such as these increases your chances of digitizing your “real-life” leads and managing them using your online tools, such as customer relationship management systems, in the future.

Four years back, SmileCodes, branded QR codes created by Amazon, was the next big thing in the market. Using SmileCodes, mobile consumers may activate Amazon discounts by scanning the codes when they come across them in the real world. SmileCodes can only be activated via the Amazon app and are thus secure and unique to Amazon customers. Amazon tested the codes in pop-up stores and Amazon Lockers for several months in Europe until later in February 2018; the codes debuted in popular publications in the United States, such as Cosmopolitan and Seventeen.

The Final Cut

The landscape is constantly changing. The level of competition is high. It can be difficult for marketers to maintain a presence across diverse channels while operating within strict budget constraints. However, when the correct balance of online and offline media is combined, marketers can provide customers with richer, more engaging, seamless customer experiences that result in genuine outcomes.

That’s everything we’d like to share about integrating your offline and online marketing strategies to grow your business. Now it’s time to hear from you.

What methods do you use to connect your physical and internet marketing activities at the moment? What type of outcomes have you observed thus far? Please share your thoughts and observations in the comments section below.