Advertising Offline But Not Online?
On March 12, Advertising Age published an article titled "Looking to Expand Your Brand? Here are Some Dos and Don'ts". The following quote comes from the article: "Several major marketers who launched campaigns during this year's Super Bowl and Academy Awards lost out on major online connectivity by not taking out paid search ads related to their campaigns prior to the TV events." The article goes on to say: "Consumer search is a marketing channel, and consumers are pulling you to them. The opportunity cost is huge if money is spent offline and they're going online."

In summary:

1. Purchase pay-per-click ads to drive traffic to your site.
2. Make sure your online marketing matches your offline marketing.

I realize that most of us cannot afford the million dollar price tag that comes with running a Super Bowl commercial, but I think we can all learn something from the following example. Recently, a client of ours ran newspaper ads in their local market as a last minute knee-jerk reaction to a competitor's promotion. The ad encouraged those interested to call their office. The results were overwhelming and they received several hundred calls. Unfortunately, there was no mention of the special on their Web site, let alone the ability to register online. During the promotion, their Web stats recorded increases in Web traffic. Had their ads pointed people to register online, the number of incoming calls would have been greatly reduced. Needless to say, the client promised to keep us in the loop the next time they run a similar promotion.

In both cases, there were potential customers looking for something that they either saw on television or in print. Consider this, if someone is searching for the products and services that you offer, how hard would it be to sell to that person? My point is if they can't find your Web site, or can't find what they're looking for on your site, you may have potentially lost a sale.

To learn more about how we can help improve your company's online visibility, through Internet marketing, contact us today for a free consultation. Feel free to visit our office located in Lima, Ohio or contact us via phone or Web.