Intergration of Traditional and Digital Marketing free essay sample

Introduction Integrated Marketing is where all forms of marketing channels and communications are carefully linked together to reinforce a single coherent message. Integrated marketing programs incorporate an appropriate and customised combination of on-line and traditional marketing elements that can include: †¢Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) The use of keywords that increases ranking in the google listings according to relevance of the words used in the search engine. †¢Search Engine Marketing (SEM) The maximizing of exposure through Pay Per Click impressions. Social Media Marketing The use of social network platforms †¢Email Marketing Campaigns Mainly used to inform existing customers of new products and services. †¢Radio Advertising Used in the traditional marketing strategies however a medium that can be a very powerful tool of integrating the two marketing traditions †¢Television Advertising Placing commercials during specific times of the day or durin g programs views aimed at a specific target audience can be very effective means of lead generation †¢Bill Board Advertising A effective medium for supplementing a well established online marketing program †¢Newspaper Advertising Effective medium for attracting a wide audience as Television . We will write a custom essay sample on Intergration of Traditional and Digital Marketing or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Traditional and digital methods are never as effective separately as they are when fully integrated with one and other. However developing sustainable integrated solutions and successfully executing them ar part of a comprehensive strategy requires foresight and planning. An example of traditional and online marketing strategies powerful interaction was from the Educational Building Society, (EBS) , campaigne â€Å"Mortgage Information Evening†. EBSâ€Å"Mortagage Information Evening† Traditional and Digital Integration. EBS developed a marketing strategy informing potential home owners of an open evening for mortgage advice. The major concept to this strategy is the use of an open evening giving expert advice in order to capture a existing customer base of those interested in buying their own home. The traditional strategies used to inform customers of this open evening were: newspaper, local radio and bill boards and the digital marketing strategies were SEO,Quick Response code, scan, (QR), Blogs, and Cookies. The apparent goal of this marketing strategy was to direct their audience from the traditional arena to the digital market and this was done through the process of the potential customer having to registering in order to attend the information evening. Looking at each medium used individually this can be clearly illustrated: Newspaper Media A newspaper advertisement is an extremely effective means of reaching and attracting a wide audience. The main drawback to this type of medium is competition of the news, other advertisements and location of the advert in the paper. To overcome this obstacle a newspaper advertisement should contain a high visual and headline with a call to action. The EBS advertisement was structured accordingly where they had four full page insertions at the front of the Metro Herald. The front page had a large visual and head line with sub head lines on the other three pages. The integration from traditional to digital took place at the call to action where the customer was directed to their web site via e-mail, or by scanning a Quick Response code, (QR), with a mobile phone which again, brought the viewer to the EBS web site. Local Radio The key aspect of radio media is that it is reliant on only one of the senses and that is hearing. It is on this basis radio has been classified as the â€Å"theatre of the mind† as it generates the imaginaton of the listener. EBS generated a raidio advertisment with a male voice over in a conversation with a female voice over about getting a mortagage. It gave the impression that the listener was listening in on the conversation. The intergration from traditional to digital occured through a third male voice over calling to action by giving the EBS website to attendi the open information evening. Bill Board Bill Boards can be an effective method of highlighting a companys visibility and Brand awarness. It is most effective to sustain a established online marketing program as in the case of the EBS. The intergration occured where the call to action was to direct the audience to the website. Information Evening. The information evening was it self a traditional strategy where EBS inviting those interested in taking out a mortgage to attend for expert advice. This was not only to capture a existing customer base but as the potential customer had to register on line, the intergration from traditional to digital took place as they had to give their Email address and asked if this could be used for further promotions. Thus it allowed EBS to update or create a data base for those promotions. It has been clearly illustrated how EBS used the traditional marketing programs to direct their audience online. However in order to expand their audience further EBS also used a number of digital strategies which were: Search Engine Optimisation. Although EBS used traditional marketing strategies to send their audience directly on to their web page, when â€Å"mortgage information evening† is placed in a search engine, EBS was ranked second as they use keywords that were highly relevant to that search. Use of Blogs on Social Media Platforms and Third Party Sites A Blog short for â€Å"Web Log† refers to a list of journal entrires posted on a web page. The main advantage of hosting these web logs are their interactive feature where a web visitor gets the chance of two way communication. In the EBS campaign, the interactive features not only illustrated feedback on the â€Å"Information Evening† its self, but it also gave details on the consumers attitudes and behaviours towards Mortgage products in areas such â€Å"property tax† and â€Å"negative equity†. The blog also gave feedback concerning the venue and location was taking place. The fact that the EBS hosted these blogs on third party sites such as myhome. ie and 4. pm. ie makes it possible for the hosted websites to improve ther page ranking that leads to maxium online exposure. Quick Response Code (QR Code) QR codes are similar to the standard bar codes that currently appear on all types of cunsumer products. QR codes contain much more informaton than traditional barcodes. A QR code works by scanning the code with a mobile device that is equipped with a camera and a QR reader application. Once the QR code is scanned, it is translated into actionable information which directs the users to a text message. EBS placed the QR code in a newspapers advertisement, once scanned it directed the user to the registration page of the information evening, where they filled in the registration form to attend. This intergation between print and web via QR Codes adds a new dimension of communication to an marketing strategy. Digital Signatures/Cookies. A cookie is a piece of information in the form of small text that is placed on an internets users hard drive. Cookies can have different functions; a) They make interaction between user and website faster and easier. b) Without cookies it would be difficult for a website to allow a vistor to fill up a shopping cart or remember the users registration details. In the context of using cookies for online marketing they have the ability to collect demographic information. They also enable websites to monitor their users web activities and profile them for marketing purposes (for example, to find out which products or services they are interested in and send them targetted advertisment). EBS does have a pop up menu for cookie compliance which asks ther vistor to accept their cookie. However, the purpose may be for online marketing strategies but the website does not inform the user the purpose of the cookie. Conclusion. What the EBS mortgage information evening campaign shows is that traditional marketing is more of an extension of online marketing strategies, rather than a strategy in itself. The goal of traditional marketing now is to engage the consumer offline and then connect and convert them online. However, what the EBS marketing strategy does demonstrate is that in order that traditional to be effective with online marketing it is necessary that a) a meaningful marketing message should be the first step in any campaign. This message should contain the purpose of the marketing strategy. How will it benefit the reader? What action do you want the reader to take? b) Who is the audience? Once you have determined what you are saying it is now necessary to know who you are speaking to. It is beneficial to be specific and being focused on those people who will get the most benefit from what you are offering. c) Where is your audience? Once you know who your audience is you need to determine the best way to get your message to them. Are they using Google search, are they reading newspapers online or off, Do they read newspapers or blogs. Do they listen to radio or iPods. Do they gossip with friends at the pub or on Facebook. The EBS campaign has shown that once the marketing message has a clear purpose the audience required can be reached with a good integration of traditional and online methods.