There is an old saying which says “ old is gold” meaning that only the old ways are best & new ones don’t match up to them. But the new way is to say “old is gold & new is platinum” We need both as both are valuable assets. We aren’t referring to jewellery here but to social media! With so much of buzz around social media nowadays, one could be forgiven for believing that Web 2.0 is the way to go and that the traditional, offline marketing methods belong back in the dark ages. However, it would do well to remember that the most effective social media strategy does not work in isolation. It needs to be tightly integrated into the marketing strategy of any organization – what this means is that the thinking company constantly finds way to complement offline marketing with online social initiatives, and vice versa.
Integrating social media with offline media is an effort to enhance the impact of offline communication initiatives, and, in turn, use offline to advertise your social presence and drive traffic to your pages. Offline communications have the power to drive online conversations. Each time you air an interesting ad or announce a new product launch, you can be sure that people are going to be talking about it online – reviewing it, commending it, tearing it to pieces! If your company has a foot in either space, you can monitor these online conversations and fine-tune your offline efforts to address expectations, needs and preferences.
The first aspect to focus on when integrating media efforts is consistency – of tone, of messaging, and of information, across all channels of communication. You do not want to confuse your customer by advertising one price for your product in a print ad and another on your Facebook page!
Here are some ways in which online and offline media can be integrated to good effect:
- Traditional broadcast media, like a radio ad, can be used to initiate a discussion which is then taken online by inviting listeners to participate in a poll, for example.
- PR activity can be complemented with blogs and twitter posts each time there is a product launch or new initiative. Blogs have an immediacy that press releases lose out on – they are also more personal and add a ‘human’ touch to the company. This would work well, especially, in a crisis situation, where, besides the formal press release that goes out, you can have representatives blogging honestly about what went wrong, what remedial actions are being taken, etc.
- When you are organizing an event, be sure to use social media to build atmosphere and excitement around it by showcasing a microsite, organizing online contests, blogging updates, etc. Post the event, photos, videos and presentations can be shared online.
- Make social media a part of direct marketing as well. If you have a regular newsletter being mailed out to your contacts, include links to your Facebook page, twitter profile and blog. Content in the newsletter can link back to some blogs as well. This also encourages your contact list to start following you online rather than merely waiting for newsletter updates.
- Bring your offline customers online. Put your Facebook and Twitter page address on your brochures and business cards. Add the URL of your social media profiles on ads.
These are just some examples of how the old and the new can be combined to form a powerful and integrated communication conduit. There are many more routes out there by which your online and offline media can come together in creative ways to offer your customers a compelling and unforgettable brand experience. So come on catch on to both gold & platinum!
