Integrated Digital Marketing – Part II

Get the best of both when you integrate online & offline

In our previous post, which focused on integrating a digital strategy into your overall marketing strategy, we stressed the fact that consumers are increasingly using mobile devices and online applications to interact with the world around them, with the brands they are interested in and with each other. I mean, we’re really serious about you getting in on some digital action if you want a business that won’t stagnate and if you want to continue being relevant and in touch with your clients.

Be… everywhere

Integrating a digital marketing strategy with more traditional offline methods is a sure way to pump up the performance of your campaigns and being in this industry has shown us the incredible results which can be achieved with a balanced approach.The big bottom line is that by creating a cohesive presence over the web, across mobile and social and by incorporating communication that is relevant to the target market, using email and social media, you will draw new prospects and keep your current customer base informed about your company’s offering and make your brand stay top-of-mind.

This digital approach provides valuable information regarding the performance of your campaigns, as it provides such effective and easy methods to measure interaction (click-through rates, site visitors, followers, likes etc.) and campaign successes (measured by conversions, sign-ups etc.).

For small businesses this is especially advantageous, as they are able to use sophisticated marketing techniques (think Google Analytics, AdWords, Facebook advertising) in a very cost-effective manner and are able to reach large audiences on a relatively low budget (well certainly muuuuch lower than a 30 second spot on tv).

Here are a few key points about the process of digital integration: 

Home base: optimise your website

Your website is not the lone ranger. It needs to be integrated with your social platforms and optimised according to a complete search marketing strategy to increase traffic. Use paid search, PPC, SEO and display marketing that functions as a cohesive unit. Use responsive design to reach customers wherever they are and on whatever device they use.

Do Your Homework

You should get to know the touch points between your business and your customers ─ where do they meet and how? Analytics data will help you to spot the current trends to be able to use every new opportunity to your advantage and reach your target audience with the right message at the right time on the right channel.

Content Strategy (‘nuff said)

It ain’t just about links anymore. SEO is evolving and increasingly linked to the publication of good content. Businesses have to internalise a content marketing culture that provides their audience with relevant, valuable content. Content must also be optimised wherever possible and it must be easy to find and easy to share.

Play the Game

Engage your customers through social media, it’s direct and quick. Find out what the most appropriate platforms are for your company and consider whether you have the time and the talent within your own company to run with your social media, or whether you want to outsource it to the professionals at an agency.

Mobile Strategy

Research shows that mobile devices are increasingly snatching away a large share of web traffic from desktop devices. It’s vital to also line up a strategy that is mobile-centred and to utilise content specifically aimed at reaching a mobile audience, since they will have differing needs and search queries than desktop users (remember the SoLoMo consumer explained in last week’s blog post).

And on that bombshell…

Everything works better when it works together and this is especially true when you have campaigns that run online and offline. There should always be a clear call-to-action in your offline marketing messages that should direct the audience to interact with your brand online. This again will make it much easier to keep track of how your campaigns are performing. Here it is vital that the various elements of your campaign do in fact function as one, integrated campaign, that is visually consistent with clear messaging.

If you’re lost as to how to integrate a digital strategy, contact Semantica Digital, we’re very able and keen to help!