Modern marketing methods: Strategies to connect digital with traditional techniques

1. Omnichannel marketing

The future is about reconnecting digital with traditional methods of marketing and integrating analytic behaviour and data—now collected online—with traditional customer experience-based sales and marketing strategies.

Omnichannel refers to a multi-channel sales approach that provides the customer with an integrated buying experience. Research indicates customers will interact with a business at least 10 times on average before they make a purchase. These interactions mean marketers need to be more creative and offer points of communication on a variety of levels, in different forms, and with a message tailored to the needs of the customer or else they may lose interest and move on to the competition “that understands them.”

2. Contextual targeting

This is a form of targeted advertising. It focuses on users’ online sessions and the content customers engage with. It is important to place ads for products/services where a potential buyer will see them and not necessarily in the most obvious places. One may want to think outside the box and look at their buyer/ideal customer personas. For example, if one sells pools or hot tubs, they should advertise on a landscaping or backyard-focused website. If the product complements a backyard, one can assume people who are interested in a yard make-over could be planning on incorporating a pool or hot tub in their design either right away or in the future.

3. Content marketing

This is not a new trend; the method has flourished in the past and is definitely here to stay. It is proven customers would rather learn about new products or about a company through content rather than traditional ‘force-fed’ advertising. Content marketing is simply creating and sharing information relevant to the target audience in a way that benefits them and showcases the company’s products or knowledge of the industry. Blogs are a great way to not only share information, but to also increase a business’s search engine optimization (SEO). One can share their blogs/reshare the content on a variety of platforms and be in full control of the reader experience. Other avenues are (but not limited to) vlogging, podcasts, ebooks, social shares, infographics, and newsletters. Exhibiting knowledge of one’s industry is a powerful way to gain the trust of the target audience. Old-school professionals think it is best to keep what they know internal, but they do not understand modern-day consumers are researching products online and want to feel confident about their choices when buying from someone who has complete knowledge of the product. Businesses do not have to share their recipe for success, but they can certainly demonstrate why they are successful with information that is beneficial to their audience. For example, experts can discuss topics such as: How to test pool water? When to buy a hot tub cover? What are some safety tips and tricks for the backyard? Based on these subjects, businesses can recommend products or features for customers.

4. Video marketing

Another method that has grown exponentially over the years is video marketing. Customers’ attention spans have faded into second-by-second fragments, and marketers have even less time to gain and retain a potential buyer’s consideration. Videos are proven to hold more weight than traditional print content because it is easier to watch something than to read it. (Sad, but true!) One of the latest trends is showcased within Instagram TV (IGTV) and the vertical scroll viewing of short clip videos that get the message across. ‘Low budget’ videos are also very popular due to their authenticity as the viewer does not witness an over-production. This means, videos shot with smartphones are good enough for the average business to share on their social media page.

5. Influencers and micro-influencers

There was a time when businesses had to pay big celebrity dollars to push their products. Now, with social media marketing being as persuasive as it is, one can access both ‘influencers’ (more than a million followers) and micro-influencers (100,000 to one million followers). These influencers are vloggers and bloggers who speak to their target audience and are available for a fraction of the cost versus celebrity endorsements.