Why You Need to Integrate Your Online and offline Marketing

by Sharon Odom Fling

Published on this site: September 15th, 2006 - See more articles from this month

There are many businesses that seem to have split in half. They have their traditional brick and mortar location, which relies on their traditional advertising and marketing strategies. Then, they have their online location, which operates based on an entirely different set of assumptions and strategies.

The fact that this has happened is understandable. The newer technology of the internet can seem radically different from traditional ways of doing business. Adopting new technology can invariably lead to some level of disconnect with other aspects of an endeavor and its routines.

Some people have gone so far as to intentionally create this division. They see their storefront as a means of doing business with one set of clients, and their website as a means of reaching another.

That approach, however, falls far short of being successful, and should be abandoned as soon as possible, whether it was intentionally implemented or was an accidental outgrowth of the way things "unfolded." That's because the distinction between those two groups of customers is becoming increasingly artificial.

The same person who may walk by a storefront this afternoon may very well be surfing the internet tonight. More and more people are relying on the internet to find information and places to spend their money on the products they need.

Demographically, those who use the internet do tend to be a little younger and tech savvy than those who don't, but the overlap between "net customers" and "walk ins" is growing so rapidly the division no longer makes a great deal of sense.

As such, it is important for companies to understand that they can and should integrate their online and offline marketing strategies to work with one another in a mutually reinforcing way. There are specific tricks on both sides of the equation, of course, but in the bigger picture, marketing is marketing and one's overall strategy should reflect that fact.

Does your business have on online presence? If so, is it successfully integrated with your other marketing strategies? Do the two elements feed off one another and work together to improve your bottom line?

If you are like many business operators, you probably answered "no" to those questions. If that is the case, it is time to consult with knowledgeable guides who understand marketing in both the traditional and online senses and who can help you devise a plan to put both aspects of your sales efforts on the same page.

Integrating online and offline marketing isn't necessarily a complicated proposition. In fact, it can be relatively easy. It's also effective. By combining the two elements into one seamless strategy, a business can obtain results that dwarf previous fragmented efforts.

Sharon Odom Fling - is the author of "How to Promote Your Local Business on the Internet" and creator of GeoLocal Marketing Center, which focuses exclusively on internet marketing for small local business. For free articles, case studies and podcasts, visit http://www.geolocal.com/news