Considering the constantly crowing competition on the markets, marketing campaigns have become ever more important. It is especially crucial for young companies to establish themselves on the market and gain an according loyal customer base. For this they can use a variety of marketing channels and measures, ranging from email marketing to social media and print advertisements.
A combination of online and offline marketing communication (cross-channel-marketing) promises great efficiency and reach.
The Significance of a marketing mix
The marketing mix of a company means combining the different channels of marketing communication to a portfolio. The marketing mix starts with generating attention and a wide reach. For this the AIDA principle of advertising psychology plays an important role as guideline. AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.
The main goal is to move customers to take an action; this could be a purchase or a standing order. A good marketing communication supports potential customers on every step of the way from gaining their attention to the closing of a contract.
Clients can be categorised in different target groups, depending on their media use. That makes it important for companies to use different media and therefore marketing channels. This includes online as well offline communication.
Email – A fixed constant of marketing communication
Emails are a popular and successful marketing channel. To send out newsletters regularly allows targeting specific groups. New as well as regular customers will be kept up to date and can be incited to buy something (again). Among the unique advantages of email marketing are the comparably low costs. This is why companies should give customers or potential customers the chance to subscribe to a newsletter.
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Social-Media-Marketing
Marketing communication in social media has become a fixed component of a modern marketing mix. A large pat of (nearly every) target group is using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or other platforms today. Facebook for example offers companies the chance to set up a company profile, which establishes an easy way to communicate with (potential) customers.
Social media marketing allows getting in touch with customers in real-time and at eye-level. Engaging this way has a positive effect for the company image. Customers’ trust in the brand and its products will grow. Which of the social media networks is best suited, companies should decide based on who the target audience is and how they use social media. Many companies have profiles on various social media channels to gain a wider reach.
ADVERTISEMENTS IN PRINT: THE ROLE OF OFFLINE MARKETING IN A MARKETING MIX
Parallel to online marketing there is a growing trend to rediscover classic pint-media as well. Companies have rediscovered the advantages of addressing customers this way because they gain customers’ attention and stand out among the masses of online messages and newsletters.
While print-media was in decline for years, it has regained its importance when it comes to customer perception. With the renaissance of the classic advertisement modern marketing has rediscovered an established channel of communication. This makes it an important addition to online marketing and can be connected with it in different ways.
CROSS-MEDIA-MARKETING: SYNERGIES GAINED FROM ONLINE- AND OFFLINE-MARKETING
The reach of different offline and online marketing measures can go beyond the sum of their individual effects. Synergies of printed and written messages as well as online marketing can be achieved in very different ways, for example with a QR-Code that can be scanned with most mobile devices. The QR-Code can be printed in newspaper ads and leads potential customers to a website or online presence that provides additional information. CLIPTHIS (Augmented Reality) will bring pictures to life by providing a video via QR-Code.
An alternative are PURLs, personalised URLs. They are often part of a printed advertisement letter and lead customers and clients to a personal website. There the customer will be greeted with a personalised message that even includes their name and address, their individual preferences and interests. This way they get the feeling that their interests are actually valued and they additionally learn about new products or services. The company can also add further campaigns to this individual URL, which might include a unique discount code or a prize draw with the encouragement to participate.
Conclusion
When looking for the best channel for marketing communication, it has to be concluded that there is no panacea. What to choose depends on various factors like the industry sector or the target group. One thing experts agree on is that customers today demand a marketing mix consisting of various online and offline measures, reaching from social media to advertisements in newspapers.
A so-called cross-channel-marketing takes this into account. Which marketing communication is most successful for a company and thus leads to the most conversions, can only be concluded by thorough testing.
