When I go to social media conferences and other similar events, one of the things I find amusing (and, okay, I’ll admit it, sometimes a bit frustrating) is how often the discussion focuses solely on social media tools.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a HUGE proponent of using digital tools on the social web for marketing. Any marketer who isn’t continuously exploring ways to put tools like blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube to work attracting customers is, well, just not very smart.
But the tools are just that: tools. And as any mechanic worth her or his salt can attest, tools are useless without the braoder strategic knowledge of what you’re trying to build or fix.
As powerful as social media marketing (or “inbound marketing” as it is often called) is, it’s not the only game in town. As I have demonstrated repeatedly with some of my clients, a tightly-tailored, effectively-executed marketing and sales strategy will usually feature a mix of both old and new media approaches. They feed on each other, creating a powerful multiplier effect.
The benefits of an integrated online/offline marketing campaign:
Increased ROI – Consumers gather bits of data about products and services from different sources to construct the whole picture. Each impression builds on the other by reaching the consumer in a different way, at a different time in the buying cycle. If the message and branding are consistent across various online and offline advertising media, the repetition will capture and retain the consumer’s attention, increasing your chances of getting the sale.
Repeat business and referrals – Integrating mediums increases the number of “touch-points” with the customer, resulting in a stronger relationship. Offline customers can be sent invitations to online events, such as webinars. Contacts gathered online can be invited to an Open House, seminar, or special event or reception at trade shows or conferences.
Cost savings – Over time, tight integration of online and offline marketing can save significant sums of money in at least three ways: First, by integrating the different modes of communicating with customers and prospects, you will learn which tactics are effective versus which ones can be scrapped. Next, since your marketing messages are being transmitted via multiple modes, you can actually lessen the frequency and/or duration of the individual tactics without losing too much punch. Finally, if you are adept enough, the integrated campaign will give you more leverage on the marketing medium providers to negotiate lower prices.
So, by all means, learn to be Twitter titan, a Facebook freak and a Blog baron. Just don’t forget that old-fashioned tactics like face-to-face networking, sending compelling sales letters (in real envelopes with real stamps) and hosting industry thought leadership events can still contribute substantially to your success.
It’s all about mixing matching and maximizing your marketing in the right way, so get to it!