charles

As marketers, We already know that marketing online and offline are different. We think that this goes without saying. But there are some questions out there that have been hitting my inbox for quite sometime so I figured I would address this very topic with you guys! First let me start off by saying neither method is better than the other. They both take different avenues to get certain things done within their businesses. So this isn’t a “who is better than who” post. This post really just explains some of the differences between the two.

As the general economy presents another series of poor numbers and the terrifying face of deflation threatens, mainstream advertisers are forced to ask themselves some very difficult questions. Limited purchasing budgets must stretch further and attract a buying public wary of spending their own limited purchasing budgets. Coupled with the declining value of the US dollar, many companies cannot afford a failed advertising campaign but still need to attract new customers and reach out to past clients.

There are several forms of advertising media available both in the online and offline worlds, all of which have shown solid returns for advertisers and all of which carry their pros and cons. Search engine marketing is the least expensive method of getting the word out to millions of well educated and often well paid consumers. The most important fact about these consumers is that they have taken the time to pre-screen themselves. Every time a search engine users enters a set of keywords looking for information on products or services and finds your business website, you can be reasonably certain they are not simply browsing or window shopping. The search engine users actually took the time to type those specific keywords and are definitely looking for your specific product.

Take advantage of their curiosity and be certain you can be found where and when it counts. Compared with other forms of marketing, search engines have a far wider potential reach, are much cheaper, and allow for the revision of content quickly without producing cost overruns. Search engine marketing also allows for a greater number of listings spread over a wider array of keyword phrases, thus producing far more opportunities to be found by potential clients and customers. Compare the costs and coverage of search engine marketing with the following other forms of traditional marketing, Yellow Pages, Print and Broadcast.

To start I will talk about the key differences between marketing offline and online.

Offline

o Talk to people face to face

o Traveling a good bit

o Easier to get groups together

o Advertising avenue is widened (for your business)

o Access to limited people (this depends on where you live but you surely could build a business with those types of people.)

Online

o Access to loads of people across the country and the world

o Instant Internet Advertising

o No need to Travel

o Can be tougher to get into especially if you have little to no knowledge about the internet Isn’t completely about “your business opportunity”

o Most conversations will either be online or over the phone

As you can see above there are some key differences between both offline and online marketing. Personally I would use offline to find distributors and people who might be interested in your product or whatever your selling and I would use online for business builders. Ultimately if you are building your business then you want business builders. That’s a fact but there is nothing wrong with people who might be interested in your product either. But if you’re going to market online, you should use that to find your serious business builders so you can help and guide them to where they want to go. Offline is more personal and there is nothing wrong with that, but you have access to a much more limited number people for business building if you don’t do a bit of traveling. But remember, There is nothing wrong with using both methods and if you are comfortable with using one or both. Go for it!