Online or Offline Marketing: which is the best strategy?

Learn what to consider when choosing between Online and Offline Marketing for your company’s campaigns.

You may have already heard that, between Online and Offline Marketing, the first option is dominating the market. That traditional media are becoming outdated and offline marketing campaigns are losing relevance. This could not be more wrong.

Even Internet giants like Netflix and Spotify are investing heavily in offline actions. From ads in OOH (Out of Home) media to guerrilla marketing strategies, these companies know that it is also possible to impact the public and achieve results in offline media.

And when it comes to choosing between Online and Offline Marketing, which is the best way for your company? In this text, we will explain about both options for you to understand the benefits that each one can bring to your business. But let’s give you a spoiler: one option does not exclude the other. Read on to learn more!

Online Marketing: the power of digital media

Basically, the concept of Online (or Digital) Marketing involves all marketing actions on the internet. Advertising on websites and videos, blog, email marketing, Inbound Marketing, social networks, SEO, programmatic media… These are just some of the tools and strategies linked to Online Marketing.

The evolution of Digital Marketing is as fast as the expansion of internet access. In Brazil alone, the percentage of Brazilians connected jumped from 34% to 70% between 2008 and 2018 (TIC Domiciles 2018).

And if companies need to adapt their communication to the habits and trends of their audience, it is natural that they are increasingly present in online media. 94% of the companies that participated in the Digital Marketing and Sales Maturity survey in Brazil said they use Digital Marketing as a growth strategy.

But why has Online Marketing become the apple of so many companies’ eyes? We will comment on some of the reasons below.

Cost-effectiveness

In general, between Online and Offline Marketing, the costs of the former are much lower. Of course a professional strategy involves costs, especially if there is a need to hire professionals or a communication agency to conduct the work. But the Internet enables opportunities for everyone – even for those who don’t have the money to invest.

A micro-company that advertises on its profiles on social networks already has a Digital Marketing action, totally free. Whoever is interested in making ads on social networks or Google also finds another advantage. You choose the amount you want to invest, either $ 50 or $ 5 thousand. Very different from the high values set by traditional media.

The best of all is that, even with a low initial investment, it is possible to generate results with a job well done.

Segmentation

Contrary to what many people think, it is possible to segment the public in Online and Offline Marketing. But in digital media, this is done in a much more assertive way.

Social networks, forums, and other interaction channels have simplified the creation and location of groups with the same profiles and tastes. Even if each person is in a different corner of the country, they can get together in the virtual world, which facilitates actions directed to different niches.

In addition, many online advertising tools have resources to display the ad only to profiles of your interest. You can segment by location, age, interests, job positions, among other criteria.

Engagement

If word-of-mouth is powerful in Offline Marketing, it is enhanced in Online Marketing. The Internet has given people a space to amplify the reach of their ideas and opinions. A post about a brand can generate an unexpected repercussion for the company – for better or for worse.

For this reason, many companies are taking advantage of this feature to get closer to their public. Creating opportunities for interaction, listening to what people have to say about their products and services, encouraging the sharing of posts, among others.

Engagement in digital channels stimulates the conversion of customers and admirers into true fans, who will be more likely to defend your brand, share your content, and become loyal customers.

Ease of adjustment

Imagine running a prime time TV ad and not getting the desired results. What could have gone wrong? What can be improved? Even if you have the answer to these questions and the chance to think of a new commercial to replace it, a lot of money has already been spent in the process.

Digital media allow quick tests and quick adjustments, without the need for a large investment. What’s more, it makes it possible to track performance metrics in real time. If your ad is performing below expectations, make changes to the text, images, segmentation, and then go live.

You can also do A/B tests, showing two versions of an ad within one segmentation. This way, you can evaluate which had better results to improve the next materials.

Accurate measurement of results

In every Digital Marketing action, you have access to indicators that allow you to evaluate the performance of your strategy. At a minimum, the number of accesses to a blog post or interactions on a social network post.

Depending on the action, you can even know exactly who accessed your materials.

This data is valuable for companies to have a clear vision of the results of their campaigns and understand precisely what is working and what needs to be improved.

Offline Marketing: impact on “real life

After so many advantages of Online Marketing, why consider Offline? Because offline media also have many benefits that are worth the investment.

When we talk about Offline Marketing, we are covering all kinds of actions that take place outside the virtual world. And the variety is immense! Ads in print media, radio and TV, billboards and buses, promotional leaflets, event marketing, guerrilla actions, and much more.

When we compare the costs of Online and Offline Marketing, the former seems more attractive. However, depending on your goal, the results of Offline Marketing can be surprising. Find out why.

High impact

Those who lived through the 1990s remember the frenzy created by Parmalat’s mammal campaign. The combination of commercials starring children dressed as animals and the sale of stuffed animals was a huge success all over the country. This caused the company’s turnover to increase by 4900% in one year.

And we don’t even have to go back in time to think of other examples. The anxiety for the last season of “Game of Thrones” became even greater with an action of HBO. The channel made the famous Iron Throne available in three locations in São Paulo so that fans could take pictures and feel like the characters from the series themselves.

These are just a few examples of the huge impact that a well-planned offline strategy can have. This is due to a combination of several factors, but mainly to the proximity of these actions to “real life”. A digital banner, for example, depends on the person being online to be seen – and even on the fact that he or she does not use AdBlock. Now imagine positioning a college billboard in front of a school during college entrance exams? Students will see the ad every day, and the message is sure to be retained longer.

Mass Reach

Online media depends on a few factors to be displayed. The sites people enter, the keywords they type, the weight of the competitors, among others. The offline media will be displayed anyway, because the dynamics of this type of ad is different.

Consequently, there will be a higher volume of people impacted by the campaign. Of course, it all depends on the strategy and the investment amount. After all, we cannot forget that there are also actions that go viral in the virtual world. But these are usually the tip of the iceberg.

Let’s take as an example the soap opera “The Mistress of the Piece”, from Rede Globo, which had a peak audience of 44.3 points (on August 19, 2019) so far. Considering 2019 figures from Kantar Ibope Media, this represents 30.7 million viewers. And every company that signs an ad contract will have its space guaranteed, rather than being dependent on other factors to be shown. A reach like this can be worth every penny of the investment.

Local results

Offline marketing also has a good impact when it comes to local campaigns. Especially those carried out in the streets, providing a direct contact with the population.

We cannot forget that there is still 30% of the population that does not access the Internet. It is also necessary to think of ways to reach this significant portion of the population.

If you were advertising the promotions of a neighborhood market, what do you think would bring more results: an online banner or an on-site promotional activity?

Credibility of offline media

Compared to digital media, offline media still inspire more credibility in the public. And that can be reflected in your campaign.

The Radio Book 2018 report by Kantar Ibope Media points out that 75% of respondents consider that established media (newspapers, magazines, TV and radio stations) offer trustworthy news. This percentage drops to 69% when we talk about websites and apps related to the established media and to 40% for online-only websites and apps.

At a time when the discussion about credibility and trustworthiness of the media is boiling over, it is worth evaluating which medium you want your company to be related to.

Direct brand interaction

Digital media may be in increasing use, but interpersonal relationships remain extremely important in people’s lives.

Therefore, campaigns that can promote a direct contact between the brand and its consumers usually bring great results in terms of reputation and proximity with the public. It is an opportunity for people to dialogue in real time with representatives of the brand and even test its products.

The world of startups has good examples of this. Even though they are technology companies, many of them usually organize or participate in congresses, meetups, workshops, among other events. This interaction with the market in real life makes all the difference.

Online and Offline Marketing: the best of both worlds

And when it comes to choosing between Online and Offline Marketing, which is the best decision? As we said in our initial spoiler, you don’t have to choose only one.

It all depends on the goals of your campaign. What do you hope to achieve in the end? Visits to your site? Visits to your physical store? Increase visibility in a specific region? All at the same time?

Before making any decision, outline these goals and think about all the online and offline alternatives that can help you get there. Consider also the behavior of your audience, which counts a lot in the campaign’s performance. Which media are part of your consumers’ daily lives?

If you come to the conclusion that both online and offline actions make sense for your strategy, don’t worry: embrace this idea!

The integration between Online and Offline Marketing is very welcome and is increasingly being used in the market. Remember the example we gave of the “Game of Thrones” action? The result was only enhanced because the fans were invited to post the photos on their social networks, amplifying the word-of-mouth effect.

Take care to integrate Online and Offline Marketing

One of the main tips for those who want to integrate Online and Offline Marketing is to maintain the same standard in all actions.

When we say standard, we mean both in relation to visual identity, language, and message of the campaign, and in relation to the quality of the experience offered to customers.

There is no point in running a great TV ad and bombarding your audience excessively with online ads. In this case, the positive offline perception can be undermined by the negative online one.

By the way, be careful not to be too invasive in your approach, so as not to tire the public and wear out the campaign.

Finally, have professionals specialized in both media to elaborate a sure strategy. If you do not have such professionals in your company, you can look for agencies with expertise in 360° communication, such as Vision Comunicação. This way, you can guarantee that your campaign will be well planned for any media you choose.