How to Integrate Offline and Online Marketing to Grow your Sales
Online marketing has grown leaps and bounds but offline marketing still forms an important part of the marketing strategy of any company. Know how to integrate both to grow your sales successfully.
When in 1990 the internet was introduced to the world, computers were no longer simply glorified typewriters. They became an important platform for businesses to grow on.
In 1994, the first-ever online advertisement was launched. Here it is. Don't laugh.
It had a click-through rate of 44%, something marketers can only dream of today. If it's any consolation: a lot less people were online back then.
This banner ad by Wired magazine was what kicked off the online advertising industry, in which websites sold parts of their pages to the highest bidder. These banner ads, together with digital newsletters, were the start of online marketing.
But up until that people had been marketing and selling products and services for centuries—quite successfully, in fact. Without the help of digital marketing, targeted ads, algorithms, and AI.
Offline marketing was and is still a strong tactic to sell your products and services, but it's often overlooked. Virtually nobody is an offline marketing expert, and no company dares to hire one. Only the digital centipedes are welcome on board.
Yet, that means many businesses are missing out. We're not saying you should take down your website to focus your efforts on handing out flyers on busy streets and hoping for the best. But many businesses could benefit from taking parts of their marketing offline—as long as it's tightly integrated with their online marketing.
Offline marketing: is it for you?
Now, if you're thinking: that's not us, we're solely e-commerce, SaaS, digital services or whatever else, consider this: your business might be operating fully online, but your customers are living in the real, offline world. Most of us haven't packed our bags for the Metaverse just yet.
So with the right tactics, you can get the best of both words and boost your sales with blended marketing. In this article, you'll find 5 tips on how to do exactly that. Why blended marketing is great for sales
Online marketing has beautiful possibilities for reaching the masses, but also enables you to send out hyper personalized content to individual customers. Why would you need offline marketing to get involved in all of that? Let's take a look at the benefits of blended marketing. It improves the shopping and buying experience
We want to update our shopping list by yelling at Alexa from the shower, but we also want to go to a store to pick up a purchase because we're never home when the mailman comes.
There's a time and place for everything. Marketing is not just about advertisements and offers, but also about creating great experiences. Take a look at the buyer's journey your customers are walking through, and think about how online and offline can mix to make everything even more convenient. It makes your brand stronger
People don't think about your online brand and offline brand, they just think about your brand. That's why combining the two of them is crucial. You need to be consistent in how you are presenting yourself. If you do this right, you will be boosting brand recognition and brand awareness, which will help you be top of mind for your customers. Then, you'll likely be their first pick when they are looking for a product like yours. It helps you stand out from the crowd
We don't know how well this article is going to take off, but just in case it does: now's the time to integrate your offline and online marketing. Most businesses have been so focused on online marketing that they've neglected the power of offline marketing, let alone integrating it properly with their digital efforts. This is your chance to get ahead in the race. Delight your target audience with unexpected offline experiences!5 tips for a smooth online and offline marketing integration
Can't really picture having an offline marketing campaign running? Don't even know where the nearest printer is to print out flyers?
If you're struggling with the idea of integrating offline and online marketing, we've got you covered. Here is some inspiration and must-dos to make sure this new adventure is a successful one. 1. Use QR codes in both online and offline marketing material
Love them or hate them, QR codes are here to stay—so why not make the most of them?
Back in the day, posters and billboards, but also business cards would include complete URLs to websites. That required people to either memorize the URL (you can't take a billboard home) and then type the URL in their browser, letter for letter.
In the words of the current internet: 'ain't nobody got time for that.
Anyone can create a QR code, and running out of red and green ink is not even an issue anymore.
Now, you can send QR codes at lightning-fast speed using a business SMS service. With 90% open rates within 3 minutes of sending a text, SMS messaging is the best way to ensure your QR code will reach your customers. For example, you could send them a QR code to their phones to offer a discount. Then, when they visit your store, the code is scanned and the discount is automatically applied.
The same principle also applies to offline marketing material. So let's say you're creating a magazine, or printing booklets with Helloprint to distribute among possible customers. Perhaps you're thinking of designing a creative brochure to distribute among your possible clients. You could include the QR code in your printed material so people can scan it and obtain your product information immediately. Saves them time, and boosts your sales.
These QR codes can also lead to special landing pages, on which you offer anyone who came from offline marketing material an extra discount or other bonus.
You can also use QR codes to explain how products work in your store—drastically eliminating the need for dozens of sales reps on the floor. Plus, often people are 'just browsing', and prefer going through the buying journey alone.
Simply place a QR code next to the physical product, and lead scanners to a page with a video that runs them through how the product works. Don't forget to put subtitles in the video, for instance with Amberscript's auto subtitle generator software because chances are people are blasting their Daily Mix in their AirPods, missing half of the demo video. Accessibility is paramount! 
2. Differentiate between online and offline efforts in your SEO analytics
Building on the first point, let's dive into the way you analyze your marketing efforts—which is equally important as your actual marketing tactics. If you don't know what is working well and what isn't, you can't improve.
If you're using QR codes or even URLs in offline commercials, for instance on TV or Radio, make sure you give these links unique landing pages. This will allow you to optimize ads using several data sources.
You don't necessarily have to design completely different web pages, don't worry. It's about what's happening in the backend. You;; want to be able to see how many people are coming in from offline marketing, and what their next steps and conversion rates are. 3. Incentivize offline customers to go online
If you want to boost sales, it's not just about selling to more people. It's also about selling more to one person.
That's easier to do online. Here's why.
In a brick-and-mortar store, people often come for a specific item. They all see the same store layout and have the same experience at the check-out. Whatever extra products they take are often random because they are heavily promoted in strategic places, and it's often because of discounts.
Now, when someone goes to a webshop, they also often just come for one item. But based on data on your customers, you are able to give them personal recommendations on products they might also like.
This is a great way to up or cross-sell your products, and simply sell more of them.
But how do you get those offline customers to go online? Give them a reason to: a discount code that only applies in the webshop, for instance.
Simple yet powerful. It will also help you track your customers better because once they start buying online, you get access to a whole lot more data than you can ever ask for at a regular in-store checkout. 4. Integrate humans and bots for stellar customer service
Don't overlook the importance of customer service in the selling process. In fact, your customer service is a big part of your marketing—after all, it's another way you interact with customers.
How do you get the best of both worlds in your customer service, using both online and offline tactics?
Dive deep into your SEO and the searches on your website to find out what people are wondering about and what they are searching for. Then, build a knowledge base (not a flimsy FAQ page) to answer those questions. Better yet, teach a robot how to answer those questions.
That will free up the time of your flesh-and-blood customer service reps to give extra care to the more complicated questions.
How does this boost sales? People often have questions about a product or doubts that aren't tackled in a generic product description. Being able to ask questions and get immediate answers speeds up the sales process, and will make them choose you over and over. 
5. Use augmented reality and online solutions in brick-and-mortar stores
Let's close off the list with a way to boost sales in a brick-and-mortar store, using online marketing solutions. Enable people to search for products on tablets or screens in-store—don't have them queue for the next available store employee.
On these screens, allow shoppers to check where items are, and if something isn't in stock, give either an alternative or let them directly order the item to the shop or straight to their home. Simpler said: don't give them a reason to go to the competitor across the street or an online alternative. Be everywhere. Offline marketing is anything but old school
If you're a marketer who's been looking to spice things up in their organization, we hope this list has given you a great bout of inspiration. Maximize your marketing powers by integrating online and offline, and watch those sales numbers skyrocket.
