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Marketing Strategies That Work Both On and Offline
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Increasingly companies are doing business online as well as offline through physical outlets. So, understandably they are looking for marketing strategies that are effective in both trading environments. For many, the use of digital screens in-store has been key.
With this in mind, we have created this digital signage marketing tips and strategy guide. It is designed to enable business owners that sell online as well as own physical stores, workshops, and service outlets to understand and take advantage of modern 360-degree marketing techniques.
Make Videos the Foundation of Any Marketing Campaign
The medium of video is one that many business owners still shy away from using. This is mostly because they think that they are expensive and complicated to create. In the past, this was certainly true. Most firms had no choice but to hire a professional to create their marketing videos.
Now, it is possible to create a video that is good enough for a basic marketing campaign without hiring anyone. Provided there are no plans to use them on TV it is possible to film them with a smartphone and edit them using online packages. In-depth instruction videos provide business owners with a step-by-step process to follow.
Videos Are Powerful and Versatile
The thing about videos is that they are extremely versatile. They can be cut and edited to tell different stories to each customer group. The footage can also be cut and edited to produce images, memes, and short videos. Here are some examples of how these images and short videos can be used. Both in-store and online:
- To create social media videos – showcasing what a firm has to offer on YouTube is only one example of how videos can be used. They also work well on TikTok and Facebook.
- To create memes – for use on the firm’s website, on social media, and in-store digital signs
- To create short in-store ads – to get more complex ideas across many firms are increasingly creating 20 to 30-second ads. For example, fashion stores that want customers to buy a whole outfit will create a video that shows the model finishing off what she is wearing by donning a coat. The video enables viewers to see every item of clothing that makes up a layered outfit in a way still images don’t.
- To create still images for promotions – still images continue to be important elements of any advertising campaign. They can be used in print magazines, on websites, social media, for GIFs and to create in-store promo ads that can be displayed using digital screens.
- Create banners and other forms of static advertising materials – still images are also great for creating banners and sandwich board advertising or for use during poster, billboard, and leaflet campaigns.
Again, how to do all of this can easily be learned online. For example, you can find out about creating memes from videos by clicking this link and how to create still images from them by clicking here.
Having created advertising materials that can be used in the physical world as well as online you can use them to boost sales across both trading environments. Creating promotions that encourage people to take certain actions. Things that strengthen the relationship between the business and the customer and create further opportunities to encourage them to buy.
An Example of Cross-Marketing between Online and Physical Stores
Here is an example. A store can create promotions to use online, then use heat mapping, A/B testing, and sales data to work out which images and wording work best. Those ads can then be used in-store to tempt physical customers to buy.
If the sale comes from a person for whom their gender, age, and postcode are known it is even possible to work out which demographic likes which types of ads. Stores can then use that information to decide which adverts to show at which times of the day, in their stores. For example, mid-morning on a workday the people shopping are highly likely to be retirees. Whereas on a Saturday early afternoon most shopping malls are full of teenagers. Provided the store is using digital advertising screens the promotions that are displayed can be changed within minutes.
The Future of Marketing Is Digital and 360 Degrees
The cost of marketing is going to continue to go up rather than down. So, there is no doubt that 360-degree marketing will become the norm and that most campaigns will be digital. With screen displays playing an integral role in pulling customers into the store and converting them into buyers. Those business owners that take a flexible approach to their marketing, tap into the latest tech, and create campaigns that can be used across multiple online and offline platforms are the ones that are going to grab market share.
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About Shane Avron
Shane Avron is a freelance writer, specializing in business, general management, enterprise software, and digital technologies. In addition to Flevy, Shane's articles have appeared in Huffington Post, Forbes Magazine, among other business journals.Top 10 Recommended Documents on Marketing Plan Development
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