As an authority in the print and digital world, we understand the importance of reaching a wide audience quickly. While digital marketing is an excellent way to achieve this, it’s crucial to combine your digital and print marketing strategies to create a complementary and memorable experience for your customers. This approach not only expands your reach but could also make a significant difference with an increase in sales, improving your brand image, and establishing a lasting impression on your target audience.
Getting to Know Your Audience
To effectively cater to your demographic’s needs, you must first understand who they are. There are several ways to gather valuable information about your existing and potential customers:
- Social Media: Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram provide insights into people’s interests, activities, and opinions and other analytics. We encourage you to it a step farther by reviewing the profiles of your followers – particularly those who engage with your content. What are they saying about your business? Are they complimentary or critical? These can be indicators of where your strengths are and how your business can improve.
- Surveys & Interviews: Distribute surveys via email or online, and conduct interviews face-to-face or over the phone. You may be amazed at the response you receive and the information your customers (especially loyal ones) are willing to provide.
- Website Analytics: Install tracking code from search engines and social media platforms to gather data on demographics, user flow, interests, and more. Some of these tracking codes can be used to re-market to website visitors on social media platforms and other other online advertising mediums.
- Competitor Research: Analyze your competition’s content, audience reactions, and demographics visible on their social media profiles. Pay attention to what their audience is saying about them online as well. Are they positive or critical? What are their weaknesses and how can those become your strengths?
Decoding Consumer Behavior
Consumer behavior is a combination of habits, preferences, and desires that influence both online and offline interactions. When you are putting your marketing campaign together it’s important to consider these statistics:
- 50% of consumers prefer in-store shopping.
- 74% research online before visiting stores or selecting a business for services.
- 41% say positive reviews influence their decisions.
These stats reinforce the idea that customers are going to research your business for a variety of reasons. You have probably done this at some point in time yourself. That’s why it’s very important that consumers leave with a good impression of your business online, especially when they’re doing research.
Maximizing Impact with Print & Digital Strategies
With a solid understanding of your audience, you can now begin to integrate your print and digital marketing efforts. Here are some suggestions to enhance your marketing campaign’s performance:
- Establish a connection between print and digital marketing by offering opt-ins for newsletters and exclusive offers on your website.
- Utilize QR codes and personalized tracking URLs to bridge the gap between print materials and online engagement.
- Incorporate social media reviews and comments in print materials to showcase positive feedback and your online presence.
- Include clear calls-to-action to encourage customers to engage with your digital content.
- Employ campaign-specific hashtags on print materials to consolidate marketing channels.
- Leverage variable data printing to personalize print materials based on customer data.
- Combine in-store campaigns with social media to create an omni-channel experience for customers.
The Key to Success: Consistency
For your marketing campaign to be successful, it’s vital to maintain consistent branding, messaging, and imagery across all platforms. By doing so, you can direct attention to each aspect of your marketing strategy, engage customers, and keep your brand at the forefront of their minds. Most importantly, be genuine. Healthy relationships are built on trust, consistency, and being there when you’re needed. The same goes for business relationships, which in our opinion is a key factor to success in business and marketing campaigns.
