Some say marketing is becoming more complex in the digital age, but the principles have not changed whether you run an ‘online’ business or ‘offline’ business.

Marketing is still about reaching your audience with your desired message, generating interest and then converting that interest into sales (in the most cost effective manner). What has changed is the way people consume messages and share information, with a lot more time spent using email, iPods, the internet, cell phones as well as ‘traditional’ media such as press, radio and TV. This media fragmentation means there are more choices for where to advertise than ever before so it can be difficult to choose which channel is right for you, let alone how you might integrate your efforts.

The answer lies with your customers. If you can think like your customers and know how they behave, then you’re half way there. Your customers are not very likely to respond and interact with only one form of advertising before making the decision to buy, so it’s important you map out their typical behavior before deciding the right advertising mix.

For example, if you were targeting working mums, they are likely to listen to radio between dropping off kids and work, access the internet at work for banking, travel and health tips, and potentially curl up with a magazine after putting the kids to bed.

Advertising using these channels is likely to reach your audience, but these are fairly cluttered environments so your advertising creative will need to have high impact to get cut-through and be memorable. That’s where integrating online, with your offline advertising can help. Ensuring your brand’s web address and name are prominent extends your communication and can help to create online post exposure to your offline advertising.

Search marketing is another important consideration in helping to connect your audience to your website. Understanding the way your customers find your site, can help fine tune which keywords you should purchase, and also which creative content is generating the best lead sources.

The destination from both your advertising and your search campaign is, of course, your website, so it’s important to integrate your website as part of the communication and sales process. Here are some ideas on how to drive traffic to your website from your offline advertising:

1. Offer a discount voucher that can be accessed only from your website, and then redeemed in-store, over the phone or online.

2. Tell people they can experience more about your product on the website.
For example: “Experience our product in 3D” or “Watch a video comparing our product with the competition”.

3. Prompt people to “Find your nearest store” by TXTing their postcode to a dedicated phone number, or visiting the website.

4. Offer a free guide or e-book on a related topic to the product or service for download on your website.

5. Promote a newsletter whereby consumers can be informed of the latest product updates and promotions.

6. Make sure any offers you put in your advertising are included on your website, along with directions on where to buy your product, or how to make an inquiry.

It’s important to get the best ROI from your campaign by asking consumers to register their details in order to access added-value offers or promotions such as some of those mentioned above. Don’t ask for too much data, just their name and email address is a good start, plus their permission for future contact. That way you can start building a database of prospects whether they buy today or not, ensuring the best possible value from your advertising investment.

Another simple way of ensuring your promotions get maximum exposure is to include your campaign message in the standard footer of all employee emails (with a link to your website). You’d be surprised how many emails are sent out of your organization on a weekly basis, and it’s crazy to ignore this as an opportunity to reach a wider audience, and probably one with which you already have a relationship. I’ve heard of these types of campaigns having an 8% click-through rate which is enormous compared to general banner advertising.

Integration of online with offline marketing should be planned using consistent creatives and timed to run concurrently as research confirms that this has a multiplying effect on the results. It’s imperative that you use the technologies available to track all channels of the sales funnel to measure effectiveness and optimize your creative and placements.

Your efforts will be rewarded with cost-effective campaigns that not only deliver sales results; they will also deliver an integrated brand experience for your customers.

Jason Davey is the Director of Digital Marketing. Jason has over 14 years experience in digital marketing, design and multimedia in both Australia and the UK.