Although the industry may be veering more and more toward all things digital, there’s still something to be said for the power of tried-and-true traditional marketing.
Imagine combining the best of both worlds: the reach and ingenuity of digital marketing with the proven effectiveness of traditional methods.
After all, an effectively delivered, well-crafted message is at the heart of a successful marketing campaign, and this end can be accomplished both online and in-person.
Take a look at the breakdown below to learn the sharpest ways to intersect traditional and digital marketing campaigns.
Think enhancement, not replacement
Instead of putting all your eggs in one basket, it’s wise to merge digital and traditional marketing methods to get the most out of both.
For instance, a simple skim through a print magazine demonstrates that physical ads still promote their business’s social media identities. Likewise, a social media post might highlight an upcoming feature in a print publication.
Let’s dig deeper.
Perhaps the contacts and leads you’ve cultivated online can be targeted through personalized print mailers.
By blending the digital and traditional, you’ve taken an online connection and created an opportunity in the physical world.
Passive vs. active campaigns
Traditional marketing methods can disseminate a message and help shape brand identity, but these are generally considered passive. Even mailers, commercials and radio spots that have a call to action woven in aren’t quite interactive in the way that digital marketing can be.
However, as passive as traditional marketing can be, it casts a wide net and reaches a broad audience — an invaluable tool when cultivating business or establishing your presence in a new area.
Meanwhile, active digital campaigns — across social media or through email blasts — can hone in on a specific audience with a specific need.
Click-through options, contact forms, shareable social media and the like create an active opportunity for your potential clientele.
Cultivating a grand presence and a personal connection
Consider a real estate agent with attractive signage that’s showcased on the lawn of all the properties he or she represents. This generates awareness and authority in the area, but isn’t necessarily a personal way to connect and get to know this agent as a professional.
However, you can elevate this traditional approach by pointing toward social media channels, where an agent can better express his or her voice, working style, areas of expertise and even relatable personal tastes.
Traditional methods like signage, billboards, mailers and print ads play an integral role in your company’s professional image, but digital marketing can take that presence many steps further — transforming a business into a personalized service with a distinct voice.
All in all, traditional and digital marketing aren’t at odds with one another.
Ideally, both work in a complementary fashion, upping your efforts, presence and impact by bridging the gap between two essential marketplaces.
Keep these ideas and examples in mind as you merge the best of traditional and digital marketing to give your business a decisive boost.
Brandon Doyle is a Realtor at Doyle Real Estate Team — Re/Max Results in Minneapolis and co-author of Mindset, Methods & Metrics – Winning as a Modern Real Estate Agent. You can follow him on Twitter.