Online vs. Offline Marketing: Pros and Cons

As a small business, you have to decide where your money is going to have the most impact in terms of marketing. There are a number of options to include in your marketing campaign, and they typically fall into two categories: online and offline. There are pros and cons of each category that are important to take into account when budgeting and planning your marketing campaign. Offline marketing can encompass print ads, direct mailing, business cards, brochures, television, and radio ads. Online marketing includes SEO, Pay Per Click (SEM strategy), email marketing, social media, and website design. With so many options, it’s hard to know where to focus your attention. Here are some pros and cons of each type of marketing.

Online Marketing

Pros:

  • Results are easily trackable and you can gain a better understanding of the demographic you are attracting with your ads and online interactions.
  • You can respond quickly to any customer comments, questions, or criticisms online. If a customer complains on our Facebook page or your Yelp account, this is something that you can quickly resolve, creating better customer relations.
  • There are so many options! You can blog, post a video on YouTube, post on Facebook or Twitter, network on LinkedIn, sell items on an eCommerce site, and the list goes on. There are a number of ways make online marketing work for you, and they are typically very affordable.

Cons:

  • Online marketing can isolate certain demographics in the market, especially if your product or service is targeted to older generations making this marketing strategy not as effective as it could be.
  • Because of the sheer amount of internet marketing that takes place, people often ignore ads online. There is simply an overload of advertising making your ad fail to grab attention.

Offline Marketing:

Pros:

  • Print advertising and direct mailing can target specific groups of people to ensure you’re getting the most exposure to your target market as possible.
  • Traditional networking and sales appeal to many people – the personal connection and intimacy of the interaction can be the selling point for many.
  • Business stationery like business cards, brochures, letterhead, flyers, etc. lay the foundation of your brand identity. This is your first impression and it gives your business a more personal feel.

Cons:

  • Offline marketing can get expensive with print ads, commercial printing, direct mailing and any other print collateral.
  • Nearly 80% of spending decisions made by consumers are influenced by internet marketing, namely social media. This is hard to compete with – online marketing gets more exposure.

There are pros and cons to both online and offline marketing, and depending on your business and your market you may choose to go one route rather than the other. However, because both types have weaknesses it may be beneficial to select strategies from both categories. The important thing to keep in mind is to create a realistic budget and choose strategies that are best suited for you. If you’re not sure how to go about creating an effective marketing campaign, Fusion Group USA can help. We work in both Grand Junction, Colorado and Phoenix, Arizona and have marketing knowledge of smaller and larger markets. We can analyze your marketing needs and suggest the best strategies to make the most of your budget.

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