Traditional media – including magazines, newspapers, television, radio, and direct mail – are great ways to attract attention from buyers and send them to your website. People want to know where to go online to get more information, sign up for a newsletter, or download your special offer. A combination of the two media will help you achieve the best results.
Despite rumours, traditional media is not dead. People still read magazine and newspapers and when they read digital versions, your website is a quick click away with hyperlinks built into ads (at least in EMC’s digital and online publications).
When you’re looking for the best media to use, look at the one best suited to reach your target audience, which should be clearly defined in your marketing plan. You can pour money into search engine optimization (SEO) and get visitors from Australia that you can’t ship to, but if you’re targeting hotels in Alberta, there are more direct ways to reach that market.
One area where digital content is better than print is publishing catalogues. With high postage and printing rates, offering a searchable catalogue online just makes sense. If you’re promoting a particular product one month, be sure that the url in your ad takes buyers directly to that page on your site. Then make it easy for the prospect to continue towards a purchase decision and reach a salesperson who can close the sale.
A combined traditional/digital strategy that is highly targeted – using a well-crafted ad, and directing its audience online – will deliver the highest conversion rate and a logical process for the buyer to follow.