In today’s article, we’re looking at the importance of investing in online and offline strategies while also marrying your offline strategies for maximum awareness and engagement.

Business owners in today’s hectic environment are looking for the best marketing initiatives and materials to advance their brands. Everyone is on the hunt for the most effective strategies for luring in clients and prospects in order to maximise the return on their marketing expenditures.

This blog will tackle why both offline and digital marketing are crucial for increasing the visibility of your company. Even better, find out why utilising both offline and online marketing strategies will help you get even better results!

The importance of offline marketing

Your e-commerce company can serve a larger customer base with the aid of offline marketing strategies. The bulk of offline marketing tactics concentrates on using conventional marketing techniques, which can finally help your company gain the trust of clients.

Previous surveys in the US have found that nearly 40% of offline sales originate from offline ads. Moreover, almost 60% of customers choose to buy online only after having been given a word-of-mouth recommendation from other previous consumers. This study illuminates the full potential of an online-to-offline approach that can help your e-commerce business.

Types of offline marketing strategies 

Here are some of the most effective offline marketing techniques you may use to attract new clients to your online business. 

Radio 

Radio is incredibly popular in the local market. In fact, a study published by the Broadcasting Authority aimed to assess the viewer/listenership of TV, radio and online content and identify the preferred source of local news amongst Maltese residents aged 12+ years. When it comes to radio, the study revealed that 2 in 3 Maltese residents are radio listeners, amounting to 61%. This finding was observed across all age cohorts. The study revealed that Bay Radio is the most followed radio station, followed by Calypso Radio 101.8FM, Vibe FM and One Radio. It is clear that radio can be heavily used as an offline marketing technique, maximising the three most followed radio timebands from Monday to Sunday: 

• 08:00 – 08:30 (118,431 radio listeners) 

• 08:30 – 09:00 (108,641 radio listeners) 

• 09:00 – 09:30 (105,246 radio listeners)

TV 

TV viewership is also very strong in the local market. The same study by The Broadcasting Authority revealed that 90% of Maltese residents are TV viewers. Of these, 54% watch both local and foreign TV, 26% watch local TV stations only and 9% watch foreign TV stations only. News is the favourite genre locally, followed by drama and discussions and current affairs. The study also revealed that TVM is the most watched TV station, with 47.9% of all TV viewers mentioning TVM as one of the three TV stations they watched on the previous day. TVM is, in fact, the most watched local station across all age cohorts and gender.

The three most followed TV timebands from Monday to Sunday are: 

• 20:00 – 20:30 (216,796 TV viewers) 

• 20:30 – 21:00 (169,751 TV viewers)

• 21:00 – 21:30 (172,176 TV viewers) 

Press Releases 

A simple approach to spread the news about your company or make a significant announcement about your organisation is by sending out a press release. Simply craft a personal press release that communicates the history of your brand and your noteworthy information. Send it out to the appropriate media outlets in order to secure positive coverage about a milestone that you have achieved through your brand.

The benefits of combining both offline and online media 

Your company must be able to think like its customers in order to successfully execute marketing campaigns. You must comprehend how they access information and consume content. Combining digital and more conventional offline marketing techniques allows you to benefit from the best of both worlds and improves your chances of:

Standing out from the crowd 

Your market reach is increased when you run promotional activities both offline and online. You’ll have the best of both worlds to boost the visibility of your business while your competitors are busy focusing on the digital domain. By making sure your website and marketing initiatives have the same look and feel, you may further improve brand awareness among clients and potential clients.

Getting everything and everyone working seamlessly together 

Getting your offline and online channels to cooperate will help you increase the reach and efficacy of your marketing initiatives. Include your company’s email address and website on all marketing materials. Use print advertising to promote limited-time online-only incentives to increase online visitors. Use QR codes on posters to direct customers to your website, or use special hashtags on flyers, pamphlets, and print advertisements to spark a discussion on social media.

Tracking and measuring your efforts effectively 

Tracking, analysing, and optimising online marketing efforts is simple when you have Google Analytics at your fingertips. However, you can also utilise the web to efficiently evaluate your offline marketing initiatives. For example, you may set up A-B testing to track which advertising headlines, limited-time offers, and other communications your target audience is most likely to find appealing. You can test offline marketing with specific tracking links (URLs) and determine how many customers are responding to your advertising efforts.

Complete Alignment 

Aligning the various parts for a more comprehensive experience is the most crucial factor to take into account when combining offline marketing methods with digital marketing ones. Create unique landing pages first that can persuade visitors to your website who have arrived there after looking at an offline advertisement, a radio advert, or scanning a rapid response code to buy.

Shortened URLs should be used by your online business as well. A memorable link can be extremely helpful when someone is considering an offline marketing entity and decides they want to visit the brand’s website.

You must achieve the ideal balance between internet intuition and offline movements for your e-commerce business to survive. Regardless of the media, consumers still appreciate and prefer individualised experiences, and a solid offline targeting approach will undoubtedly aid in building customer confidence in your business. It is ultimately a multidimensional marketing strategy that is effective, regardless of the commodity or service you are trying to sell.

Feel free to ask for my help! 

If you’re an eCommerce business and you need assistance combining your online and offline marketing methods, I am here to help. With my years of experience, I specialise in creating digital strategies in tandem with offline ones proven to deliver results. My goal is to be an extension of your team by bringing in innovative ideas, sharing knowledge that will bring positive results, and building the digital marketing strategy that your business is looking for.

Let’s talk! Feel free to get in touch via LinkedIn or alternatively drop me an email at [email protected]