5 Creative Ways To Integrate Traditional Tactics Into Your Social Media Strategy
By
Gavin Sekler

The power of social media is so ubiquitous that it can be easy for businesses to forget that a huge chunk of their marketing exists outside of this sphere. To sustain a successful brand, you need to combine digital and offline tactics. Otherwise, you’ll be trying to get social media users to interact with a brand that they don’t recognize. You’ve got to grab their attention offline and reinforce the value of your brand on social media.

This is no easy feat and it can be tricky to know how the two worlds should relate. According to a 2015 study, only 22% of businesses believe they are integrating online and offline marketing strategies in the right way. Yet, the main culprit is often overthinking. Ultimately, the most important qualities are consistency and coherence. Users should be able to identify your brand within seconds of seeing it on a billboard or a Facebook page.

These tips will give you some ideas on how to integrate traditional offline tactics and social media strategies.

1. Run Regular Competitions

If there is one idea that’s guaranteed to get online followers excited, it’s free gifts. Choosing the right promotional products is imperative however. Promotional items and freebies need to offer value, but also be cheap to produce. That way, you’re earning more in potential sales than you’re giving up. Plus, you’re reminding followers that you have a physical product range that can be bought and enjoyed.

2. Use ‘Scannable’ Packaging

One of the quickest and easiest ways to link your products to your online brand is to add a physical bridge. You can do this with simple QR codes. These are scannable barcodes that are read by mobile phone apps. Anybody can download a QR scanning app, so all of your followers can start connecting to your social media pages without pressing any buttons or even opening a tab.

3. Get Down With Hashtags

Hashtags are similar to QR codes, in the way that they integrate the offline and online worlds. You can now connect any concise idea, phrase, name, or command with the users who are searching for it. For example, if you sell promotional mugs, creating a hashtag with the word ‘mug,’ ‘tea,’ or ‘thirsty’ (for example) is going to bring users directly to your brand when they enter it into a search engine or social media page.

4. Create Video Content

It also helps to add video content to your social media pages. This is one way to add traditional marketing tactics to digital resources. Fewer people are now watching advertisements on television, but they’re more likely to tune into content from a brand that they have liked or shared before. Just remember to keep it brief, bold, and informative. The best videos have ‘viral’ potential. They last less than two minutes and are funny, moving, or surprising.

5. Talk To Customers

The value of one to one interaction is often overlooked. Social media is treated as a very broad tool and in many ways it is. It allows businesses to reach many more people at one time than they would be able to offline. Yet, you shouldn’t neglect the opportunity to chat, discuss, and get creative with followers. If you spot a customer with a problem or gripe, don’t hide the evidence; engage with it and let your followers see that you’re listening to their opinions.

Why Offline and Online Strategies Are Peas In The Same Pod

You can’t rely solely on social media to sell your products because brand awareness is reinforced offline. It is really important for businesses to be constantly reminding followers that they are more than online content. There are real world benefits to be had from buying their products. Make sure that you use the same style guide for both spheres; the terminology, colors, design, and approach need to match.

Gavin Sekler is the Managing Director of Promotional Product Experts. Through the use of local and overseas suppliers, he has assembled one of Australia’s largest online range of corporate products. Gavin works closely with clients to develop proven marketing strategies that incorporate promotional merchandise, enabling his clients to achieve strategic business growth.