Think. Strategy.

Customers are always on the prowl for the newest way to purchase and interact with the brand’s they love. Every brand in any market has their own technique of relaying information to the buyer, and many campaigns are tapping deep into the digital, AI and mobile frontier. The easiest way to engage consumers is to directly have a conversation with them. Consumers are usually loyal to one product anyways, so why can’t it be yours?

Due to the constant presence of advertising on literally every platform available, companies are increasing their digital marketing budgets tremendously. According to Entrepeneur Magazine, here will be a 14 percent increase in digital budgets just this year alone. To the small business owner this may sound relatively pricey, but in the long run a strong digital marketing strategy can cost-effectively reach customers across the media landscape.

A strong marketing strategy is the X Factor that can take your business to the next tier. Emails drive a steady flow of traffic to landing pages that offer relevant and attractive content. Pepper in some social media, a dash of SEO and pay-per-click ads and your powerhouse campaign will be full steam ahead. Digital marketing only reinforces the brand’s offer. Because anyone can try to market online, your company needs to stand out from the pack. Here are three crucial points to keep in mind.

Relevancy Rules.

When directly marketing to the consumer, there are three golden rules that need to be focused on: the target audience, the offer and the accompanying support, and most importantly, the creative content.

Analysts in 2022 estimated that close to 400 billion emails were sent and received every day. That’s a lot of crowded inboxes. The average customer is not willing to sift through the mountain of emails and will simply delete them in masses without even looking at the subject line. The key is to create a high-quality, targeted email list for every campaign as well as a strong, viable offer with creative content that will catch the viewer’s eye. Otherwise, you are wasting time and money to be a part of someone’s trash bin.

Take it Offline.

Ever since the dawn of the technological age, offline marketing efforts are perceived as Stone Age techniques. In reality, a high-touch offline initiative can streamline your efforts into converting a marketing investment into sales revenue. It is less common these days to receive anything physical in the mail, and a direct mail piece can be a refreshing surprise. For example, incorporate a “downloadable coupon” on the mail piece. Innovative programs like this can outperform email conversion rates by as much as 10 times.

Think “Integrated,” not “Isolated”.

The idea is to implement both online and offline strategies that can unify and complement each other. Online marketing can be perfect for prospecting, lead-qualifying, and lead-scoring. After that initiative has legs to stand on, offline marketing can reel them in and make the sale. Using both methods, hand-in-hand and driven by a central strategy, will yield far greater results rather than solely using one.

The root of using a strategic marketing plan is to delicately present your information from all forms and angles, but not to force-feed it. By incorporating both online and offline marketing, your business can identify prospects, convert them into loyal customers, and maintain them for years to come.