There's a difference between perception and reality in business. Companies who focus on traditional marketing strategies do not gauge customers the same way as through digital initiatives, especially for a business' visibility and notoriety. According to a 2015 study conducted by CEFRIO , 50% of Quebecers shop online, a number that keeps increasing. The study also showed that 5,2% of online stores are exclusive to the web. Does this mean they should include only digital strategies? When should a business adopt a traditional marketing strategy?
An Integrated Approach
Using one way is not ideal. To market successfully, you need to integrate both digital and traditional marketing. This will allow you to use the right tools at the right time to target the right audience.
Before developing a marketing strategy, stop and think a minute
Before deciding on which strategy you should implement, ask yourself how you want to position your brand? What type of business are you? In order to deploy a targeted strategy, you must know who your target market and target audience is.
If you don't have enough information, you'll have to analyze your industry, audience, and competition through polls and website analytics. Creating personas (fictitious representations) of who your target customers are can also help. You'll be able to understand their habits, needs, consumer habits, etc. It's a great way to see who your customers are!
Integrated marketing in the digital era
With today's digital platforms, SMS, Snapchat, and other new communication networks, it's normal to think that traditional marketing is obsolete. However, using traditional tools is important because customers are everywhere, and are using a variety of channels to inform themselves.
Remember that there are many ways to reach your clients !
From digital to traditional
You want create an offline experience for your clients? Think of Pop-Up shops, who serve as a promotional kiosques. Their goal is to promote a product or service rather than sell it. These offline destinations are located where target customers are more likely to be. Using this strategy is another way for you to reach your customers. Many e-commerce businesses begin exclusively online, but end up operating physical locations as well in order to maximize their reach.
From traditional to digital
Most of Quebec's businesses need to combine traditional marketing tools and digital strategies in order to be successful. According to an AB Canada study in 2013, online advertising expenses had surpassed television's for the first time ever! Rightfully so, since online marketing makes it easy to measure your results, easy to target your audience and allows you to control your ads in real time !
You can target your audience online by using specific keywords and precise locations. Even if the service you offer isn't online, digital tools will help you reach your customers !
You can also determine, based on your data, which channels and campaigns to launch! Social media strategy & advertising, PPC (Google Adwords) paid ads, partner websites, ad banners, etc.
Thanks to these digital tools, you can have real visitors on your website who've search for your products and services! The knowledge of these tools will help you combine traditional strategies to your plan, through collecting emails during events, inviting people to subscribe to your social networks at your sale points, etc.
Digital tools are essential for your business growth. Let us help you learn how to use them properly!