05/26/2020

Mix Your Marketing Strategies: How Digital and Analog Can Work Together

A blended approach can be extremely beneficial

Digital marketing is often treated as the gold standard because of what it can tell you about your audience. But nothing beats the reach of a more traditional, wide-scale campaign (although certainly it costs a bit more). Both have appealing points—as well as disadvantages. How can you maximize their effectiveness together? A few suggestions:

Use both tools to expand demographic reach. As HubSpot’s Kayla Carmicheal noted, traditional marketing, which often has a broader reach, is sometimes less attractive because there is no easy way to track its impact. But digital marketing, despite its targeting and tracking advantages, struggles because of technology weaknesses. Carmicheal suggested combining them in different ways, so that they capture different market segments. “No, you can’t DM a Macy’s print ad, but you can follow them on socials and sign up for their automated emails,” she wrote. “This way, the older woman who prefers flyers and coupons in the mail—like my mother—and her millennial daughter, who prefers social media marketing, receive the same information.”

Combine digital and analog in the customer journey. Recent trends in analog marketing have allowed for some digital-like tactics, noted Business.com contributor Kelly Bosetti. For example, digital billboards support geo-targeted marketing, and many media outlets offer both print and digital marketing options. Combining tactics allows opportunities for broader reach. “While digital marketing tools need to be part of all stages of the buyer’s journey, so do traditional marketing tactics,” Bosetti said. “Such outbound marketing can be used for both the awareness and decisions stages of a consumer’s journey. Digital and traditional marketing must play well together—after all, if your consumer isn’t looking for you, they’ll never find you without a mix of both.”

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.