Online and Offline Marketing Hand In Hand

In this age of information technology, a business should take advantage of the technological benefits of sending messages at an instant to any part of the world. Timing is very critical in marketing, especially now that the world is bombarded by myriads of different products and brands to choose from.  For a business to be sustainable, it should actively counter the many threats from competitors. Therefore, it would be better to explore the benefits of a combined online and offline marketing.

The traditional offline marketing, which involves the different media such as the broadcast media, the print, and other methods, still works because the mentioned marketing means are the most convenient sources of news and entertainment for the masses.  However, with the advent of the internet where advertisements can be posted in numerous websites in an instant, a faster option is now available. The emergence of several social networking sites such as Yahoo Messenger, Friendster, Facebook, My Space, and others is a boon to advertising. These sites are very popular not only among youth and yuppies but also among career executives, housewives, and business operators.  Therefore, ads posted on these sites have the advantage of a constant and a wide range of exposure.

Compared to the traditional networking and multi-level marketing, online advertisements can reach more potential customers than the personal selling employed by multi-level marketing. But although online marketing saves a lot of time and energy, marketing offline is still effective in terms of the following:

**  Actual testimonies on the product's benefits

**  Soliciting of feedbacks from customers so that products can further be improved

**  Making follow-ups for a return purchase

However, customers' demographic profiles, preferences, and lifestyles do vary. So, employing offline or online marketing alone may fail to attract other potential customers. There are customers who prefer to physically touch, smell, and inspect the merchandise before buying it. In this case, a dealer or a sales agent would be helpful. However, there are also customers who would not want to waste time, energy, and privacy, so they rather scrutinize the products in the internet and purchase it online. This method particularly appeals to busy executives and celebrities who prefer shopping from the comfort of their homes. Therefore, it would be better to employ both online and offline marketing to cater to a wider range of customer class.

A business should still adopt the traditional ways of marketing such as promoting the products through seminars and product demonstrations to the target market segment and yet complement this with sending promotional emails, brochures, and business cards online to maximize the customers' continued awareness of the products' features and benefits. Inquiries and processing of orders should also be done both online and offline to accommodate the different preferences of the customers.

Since both have their own advantages and disadvantages, it would be better to integrate online and offline marketing for a more synergistic result. This way, the advantages of offline marketing will complement the shortcomings of online marketing and vice versa, thus producing an optimum outcome in terms of an increase in sales, increase in returning customers, attracting more potential buyers, and sustained product interest.

Online Vs. Offline Marketing: The Best Method For Your Business

Wondering which marketing method is best for your business? There are two ways you can go: the traditional way or the contemporary way. The traditional way is offline marketing, the use of methods and tools like print, television, radio, seminar, and others. Meanwhile, the contemporary way is online marketing, the use of the internet and cyber technology. Online vs. offline marketing: which is better and which provides the best result? Let's take a look at the following:

Cost

Both types of marketing involve cheap and expensive methods alike.

a. Online marketing

** Cheap: Putting up a blog, joining forums, and commenting in others' blogs to spread the word about your site or business.

** Expensive: Paying for a domain, plus engaging in search engine optimization programs like Pay-Per-Click, link building, and others.

b. Offline marketing

** Cheap: The use and distribution of flyers and leaflets.

** Expensive: Paying ad space for newspapers and magazines, as well as air time for television and radio networks.

Coverage

There is much argument between the offline marketing and the online marketing side when it comes to audience or customer coverage. But, offline vs. online marketing—which marketing type really provides a business or site more exposure? Well, take a look at the advantages of both:

a. Online marketing

** There's a lot of free space in the cyber world for business exposure, and millions of people browse the internet everyday. By advertising online through banners and other marketing means, as well as by putting up an online site, you reach people on a global level.

b. Offline marketing

** Marketing offline may not reach a global level as much as online marketing, but it is advantageous in such a way that it covers more number of people in a particular targeted area. Why? Well, the biggest reason is that it is accessed by a wider group of people compared to the internet, which is usually accessed more only by the younger generations.

Customer Relationship

When it comes to dealing with customers, there is a great mark of difference between online and offline marketing, as follows:

a. Online marketing

** Everything about the company or the product is presented in a website and online catalog. However, many customers are doubly cautious when it comes to doing transactions and shopping in online sites because of the many cases of fraud and identity theft that are happening in the internet. This causes people to doubt the authenticity of online businesses, even those that are legal in reality.

b. Offline marketing

** This type of marketing provides a great advantage when it comes to establishing a good relationship with customers. More people trust advertisements found in newspapers or television stations that they rely on. And when you market your site or business through such offline marketing methods as seminars and workshops, you'll be able to show your expertise in your field among the participants. And, the word of mouth that results can be a very good asset to boost your business.

So, online vs. offline marketing—which is better? The best way is to actually combine both, picking the most effective methods from the two to get the most benefits.

The Different Offline Marketing Methods

If you think promoting your business or website online is not giving you your much desired traffic and visitors, you may want to start thinking about doing your marketing offline. Unknown to most online marketers, offline marketing is a very strong means of business or website promotion. There are different offline marketing methods you can choose from, and all these provide various benefits.

Print Marketing

As the name implies, marketing by print pertains to posting advertisements via paper. You can do this in three different ways, as follow:

**  Newspapers and magazines. This is an expensive print marketing option because you will have to pay for ad space. Depending on the popularity and circulation coverage of the paper, you might pay higher if you're advertising with a big company. But, the benefit is that you'll get possible customers in an instant—those who read the paper will know about your business at once.

**  Flyers and leaflets. This is a less expensive print marketing option because you won't have to pay for ad space. All you'll need are paper, printer, ink, and people who will do the posting or handing out of the flyers and leaflets. Its benefit is that it would be up to you how many people you reach.

**  Press release. This is another print marketing method that is not as expensive but almost as powerful as marketing via newspapers and magazines. And while you'll be promoting your business, you'll also be giving the press people a topic to write about. And, you won't have to pay much with this method.

Live Commercial Marketing

Unlike all other offline marketing methods, this type of marketing makes use of live broadcast in television and radio. Similar to newspapers and magazines, you also pay television and radio stations for airing space, or airing time, for your commercials. This is also an expensive option but with tremendous benefits, considering that almost all households today have televisions and radios. Besides, watching television and listening to the radio are activities common to both young and old, and to men and women alike. So, your audience and potential customers will come from various generations and from all walks of life.

Sponsoring Or Participating In Events

It could be a seminar or a workshop in your field, or even an event like a charity. You can be the host or you can also be a guest. By showing yourself to people, your target customers, it's easy to establish trust among them and it's easier to convince them to go for your product or service. You'll also be given the chance to explain to them what your business is all about—answer their questions, hear their comments personally, and see their reaction, something that is not possible with online marketing.

Giving Away Freebies

Everybody loves freebies, and you can use this to market your site. Give out stuffs that contain your site URL, from bumper stickers to caps and similar items. Like giving out flyers and leaflets, the benefit with giving away freebies is that you can decide just how many people you can reach

All these offline marketing methods are available for you to choose from. When employed properly, they are powerful methods to promoting your site and business.

Using Posters For Offline Marketing

Poster-making has been an integral part in the lives of people in the cultural, business, and political levels, that it consequently became a genuine art form. Shakespeare advertised his plays through the use of posters, attracting even the bourgeoisie to come see the plays that are now considered classics in literature.

Propaganda and political posters were also instrumental in the major uprisings that led to significant changes in some countries(the memorable Che Guevara poster comes to mind), and commercial posters have made an imprint in the minds of people that directly or indirectly led them to choose a particular product. Which brings us to the topic at hand: how do you make a poster that's effective in eliciting a positive response among the buying public? We're going to tackle some tips and strategies that should help you out.

First, you have to know who your audience is. If your customer base involves gamers, then it's wise to put up your posters in video game shops and the arcades. That way, it is more likely that people in those vicinities will take interest with what your poster will have to say.

SHOW YOUR CREATIVITY, BUT KEEP IT SIMPLE

Posters that pull in are those that emphasize mind-blowing artwork, photos and text. Hiring a graphic designer or an artist is very important, and the photo or artwork should be something that will allure your potential customers. In the realm of gamers for instance, you could have a gun toting commando, a sword-wielding knight, or a mean looking beastie. It's extremely important that it has something to do with what your product is all about. Lastly, text should be kept to a minimum.

Keep it simple. The common pitfall of poster making is over decoration. Keep it streamlined and easy on the eyes by using a layout or format that won't cause stimulus overload. Think of an arresting slogan or byline that summarizes the fine points of your product. Remember, the goal of your poster is to leave a good but lasting impression.

SHOW POINTS OF CONTACT

Once you have captured the interest of your audience, chances are they'll look for more information. Your email address, phone number or URL should be printed on the poster. If you're going to list all three points of contact, keep them all in one place.

USE VARYING SIZES

Large posters can easily be spotted by passersby, so it's wise to put up large ones in open places. A size I would recommend is 18"x24", but you can make adjustments on it according to wall space or the expanse of the area. In the case of congested or small spaces, a small one would be far more reliable. People cannot view a very big poster from just a few feet away, so small posters are the best ones to go for in this case.

DIFFERENT POSTERS

Sticking to one poster for too long will cause waning of interest. Changing the poster at least monthly can elicit spontaneous recovery and bring renewed interest to your product. A new but equally interesting byline or slogan should help as well.

Using Offline Marketing For The Real Estate Business

Becoming successful in real estate business takes careful planning and patience, and one of the tools of increasing leverage is knowing the ropes of effective offline marketing. If you fall short in delivering an extensive and comprehensive approach to marketing as a real estate investor, chances are you won't cover much ground with your business enterprise.

We'll tackle some offline marketing strategies that will spearhead your real estate business. Here they are:

EMPLOY "GUERILLA TACTICS"

The use of "guerilla tactics" has been used for so many years, be it for small businesses or large businesses, and is still effective even in the fast-paced Internet age. It works like no other marketing for it gives you great results for a minimum investment. Leaving brochures, stickers and flyers in public places, having your ads published in newspapers and television programs, are all great ideas to great ways to increase awareness of your real estate business and attract potential buyers and sellers.

USE THE MEDIA

Doing a number of press releases to local media suits can attract news directors and program directors and in turn result to a significant increase in prospective buyers and sellers. Constant exposure to the media enables you to establish a reputation, and should you maintain that reputation, further your schemes as a growing entity in the real estate industry. A good reputation builds trust, and that trust can cause a chain reaction that will increase your prominence in the real estate business.

GET YOUR SPIEL ON

Public speaking is a powerful tool in getting your message across, and when done right, produces better effect on your audience. While it's true that everyone is not born a public speaker, you can take the necessary steps on how to improve the skills required. I highly recommend joining the Toastmasters Club, a non-profit organization of professionals that aim to improve communication, public speaking and leadership skills.

This also gives you an opportunity to make yourself known to other real estate investors and sellers, and in turn establish a network that will give you more exposure. BECOME A SPEAKER FOR REAL ESTATE Now that you've polished up your public speaking skills, perhaps it's about time you put it into good use. Becoming a speaker in real estate seminars, symposiums, or any event related to real estate is a great way to market yourself, albeit indirectly.

You can showcase your real estate knowledge by talking about topics such as "How to Short Sell a Time Share Property" or "Things You Need to Know before Buying an Owner Financed Home", and just about anything that aims at succeeding in the field. If you're speech is shrewd enough, pulling in potential business partners should be easy.

CREATE A SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING PLAN

Do a lot of research on the market and gather data information that will help you detect potential danger signs and possible business opportunities. Having a list of short term goals in relevance to the long term goals can ensure that your business is always on the right track, and can easily recover from minor and major setbacks.