Businesses and marketers know the important of having a company presence online. With 80% of consumers doing online research before making a purchase, having a branded website in place is essential. However, small businesses, locally-based businesses and even large corporations are still seeing a positive ROI from offline marketing efforts. Website design strategies for offline efforts can boost your marketing team’s success. Here’s how to do it.
Know Where to Spend
Just as with web design, whether your keep things in-house or outsource, it’s important to know where your money is going. Whether you choose a direct mail flier, guerilla marketing stunt or TV commercial, pay attention to where your cash flow is going. If you’ve hired a web designer, you probably asked for status updates, budget and other reports. Make sure you pay the same attention to detail across your online and offline marketing. You may spend more time on the copy of your website than the background. If this is case, you can budget your offline material production is a similar way.
Know Your Target
Websites are designed with both the brand and audience in mind. Your offline efforts should do the same. If your web design is colorful, youthful and full of slang such as “OMG” and “LOL,” a serious billboard might not be the best idea. Not only are you causing disconnect with current customers, your business brand has just been altered. Your online and offline audiences are often the same and your web design and offline efforts need to be cohesive. Knowing who you want to reach and when will make your offline efforts much easier.
Know the Balance
Successful web design balances creative and copy on the homepage and throughout the website. Your offline marketing efforts can use this same strategy for the better. Websites have CTAs, contact information, interesting images, etc. And so should the rest of your marketing materials. Balance your copy and design to create engaging offline, branded materials.
Know Your Message
Online marketers frequently hear the need to put the call to action (CTA) above the fold. This means the customer doesn’t have to scroll to perform the action that company’s marketing team wants them to take. Your offline marketing messages need to take this same approach. Have a clear to call action on all your marketing materials. Be concise to avoid any miscommunication. If you’re printing something out, include a short CTA that directs consumers down the path of converting. Sure, you promote your website with social media and vice versa. Have social media icons on all your offline marketing materials so customers know where they can find you.
Apply the strategies you use in website design to your offline marketing messages and materials. Keep a balance between the right and left brain for marketing products that appeal to your audience. Direct mail and other offline marketing channels are becoming less of a priority for many businesses, but applying web design strategies to your efforts can yield a greater ROI.
Author Bio: Erica Bell is a small business writer who focuses on topics such as web design and direct mail marketing. She is a web content writer for Business.com Media, Inc.
