Marketing is an important aspect of businesses. It requires a lot of trial and error because what works for one business may not necessarily work for another. This is because each one has its own factors that they need to consider.
For local businesses, you rely heavily on the community for customers. That means you need to find a way to target the people in your immediate area. One method you can consider is blended marketing. It can help you increase your local presence as well as give your audience more variety through an online platform.
Perks of Using Blended Marketing
While most businesses are now going digital, that doesn’t mean that it is the only marketing strategy that can be used. Companies that focus on online marketing are usually those that rely on international audiences For local businesses, you can actually use a mix of traditional and digital marketing. This strategy is called blended marketing.
Blended marketing has numerous benefits that can’t be found in purely digital or traditional methods. For one, it increases your exposure because you are able to reach different audiences. There are certain industries where traditional marketing is more effective. Home care is one example because it targets older audiences.
Having multiple marketing channels also provides you with various sales funnels that you can use for reference. This allows your business to target specific demographics and better identify the trends for each one.
Lastly, blended marketing also strengthens your branding. When audiences see you across different platforms, it will increase the credibility of your business. This method also increases brand loyalty because you become more accessible. Customers will be able to reach you both online and offline.
The Best Traditional Marketing Methods
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Flyers and Brochures
Surveys show that 57 percent of people open flyers within the same day. Despite what many think, there is still a place for flyers and brochures in modern marketing. The great thing about flyers and brochures is that they can be distributed in multiple places. If your business attends events and things like that, you can bring with you these print-outs.
Unlike organic content on social media, they are not affected by algorithms and such. Giving out ebooks and pdfs can easily be lost as well, and you have more chances of people reading a brochure in their hands.
One effective marketing strategy that people do is give away discounts and other perks in their flyers. A lot of food businesses actually use this method to increase customers. This method also takes advantage of areas with a lot of foot traffic.
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Billboards and Signage
When targeting a large and indiscriminate group, billboards and signs are a great way to do this. It can be strategically placed in high traffic areas to increase its visibility. This method increases brand recognition and is great for generating impressions from large groups.
The key to this method is to create a design that is unique and eye-catching. You will be competing with a lot of businesses, so it is best to stand out. Aside from that, billboards and signs should also clearly showcase your brand. A distinct design is useless if the audience doesn’t even know what brand is being promoted.
Simple Digital Marketing Strategies
As a local business, you may or may not have enough manpower to do complex digital marketing strategies. That won’t be a problem because you can just start with the basic marketing strategies.
Another option for local businesses is to outsource the job. Nowadays, there are numerous digital marketing specialists that you can hire to oversee your work. If you want more control over your marketing, you can hire people to do specific tasks. For instance, you can hire social media managers to look after your accounts for you, or you can get PPC management done by skilled professionals.
Some easy and low-cost digital marketing strategies you can do for your business can include the following:
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Content Marketing
This method includes creating online content such as blogs, videos, or creatives for promotional use. If you are skilled in creating any of these, you won’t have to spend much on them. This content can be posted to your website if you have it or on your social media.
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Search engine optimization (SEO)
SEO is extremely effective and doesn’t take much work. The goal of SEO is to insert keywords and optimize your website to make sure that it appears first on google searches. For any business with an online presence, SEO is essential because it helps potential customers discover your business.
The methods mentioned here are just a few strategies that you can use. There is a wide range of marketing strategies that you can try out. An important thing to remember in blended marketing is to keep your brand consistent across all platforms. The delivery may be different, but the messaging must remain the same or slightly adjusted for certain scenarios.
