By Janette Leon-Speyer, Web Success Team

Objective: Getting the message to your audience

Online marketing is very inexpensive and has widespread reach. Due to the aforementioned reasons most companies and individuals have jumped on the Online Marketing platform to advertise and share their products and services. However it is fast becoming highly saturated. As it stands we have banner blindness when it comes to online ads. Many of the “old and new” tactics are not as effective. The culprits are sensory overload, skepticism, and exhaustion.

Hard to monetize, difficult to get noticed and tough to achieve visitor engagement.

The lack of market segmentation in the online space is making it very difficult to get your message across. You find yourself competing with similar companies all fighting for a “viral moment” For example, if you have a Facebook Fan Page, getting people to “like”  and to “engage” on your page is becoming a monumental task. This takes time and resources for very slim returns.

Big search firms and social media platforms like Facebook, Google and Yelp are trying to address this issue with Community Pages, Google Places and Yelp Business Pages. It still is not enough to get your message across to your audience. There are many businesses out there vying for visitor eyes.

Should you still resort to old school advertising?

YES! It seems that there has been a flight to the Internet and there is a void! I noticed that in the last 3 months when I only got a few direct mail pieces in the mail. One was a coupon from Bed, Bath and Beyond (which I will use) the other was a postcard from Time Warner Cable (which I watch). This along with printing prices hitting rock bottom made me wonder that perhaps offline marketing is still a very viable solution for small businesses.

Here are some suggestions to combine your resources and get noticed:

1. Do get a printed promotional piece (flyer, brochure, direct mail piece). Distribute it to your potential clients. If you are mailing it, buy a list with your zip code areas.
2. Do advertise in appropriate trade journals and local newspapers
3. Do add all your Social Media Profile addresses to your printed materials
4. Do encourage your viewers to visit your website and social media platforms
5. Do offer a coupon or a promotion in your offline piece
6. Do combine your offline efforts with your online promotions

Offline marketing can drive online marketing, the combination of these two platforms can help you wade through the “mess” and get your products and services noticed.

Grow Your Business Online: These tips are meant to be used as a guideline to improve traffic to your site, increase your conversion rates, help turn visitors into buyers, and keep you ahead of the competition. Turning to a web marketer can ultimately save you time and money and increase your success online. The Web Success Team has many proven marketing strategies and techniques. The Team would be happy to discuss your web marketing needs with a complimentary consultation and web marketing assessment of your current site. Simply mention this article when contacting bob@websuccessteam.com or call 818-222-5643 for an appointment. Please visit our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter for more information. To your web success!