How can SMBs connect their Ecommerce and ‘Bricks and Mortar’ business?

They say when opposites attract, they create intense chemistry. Remember when Romeo met Juliet, when Harry met Sally, Beauty fell for a Beast, and how Tom and Jerry always went after each other? They are good apart but when they are together, they create magic.

When online stores and services began revolutionizing the way people do business, it is but expected from traditional businesses to sound the alarm. Come to think of it, why would anyone bother to brave traffic just to get a new pair of pants when it can be ordered online and delivered in the comfort of their homes? But as it turned out, tradition and technology should not be on different sides of the spectrum. They are opposites that when meshed together will create new trends and opportunities.

It seems more and more traditional business owners and marketers are seeing the need to join the digital marketing bandwagon. After all, their customers are probably all active on the web and any business strategy would tell you that you should be where your customers are.

A survey by Webs, a subsidiary of Vistaprint, revealed that 63% of small and traditional businesses are now going digital to market their products, while the rest plan to do the same. Most of them have launched their own websites with 80% of business owners turning themselves into webmasters and crafting a D-I-Y digital strategy.

However, there is still much work to be done. According to a study by Adobe, 40% of traditional marketers want to go digital but only 14% know how to do it. Indeed, how does one go around integrating offline with online marketing initiatives? How do you convert digital marketing efforts to actual in-store traffic and sales? Read on and prepare for a revolution (of benefits, that is).

Traditional vs. Digital: A Case of Push vs. Pull

TV spots, radio commercials, print ads, billboards, and direct mails are forms of traditional marketing. They cost a lot and they reach a lot of people. Whether these people are the target market or potential customers is another thing. The strategy is to “push” your product or service on people to create brand awareness. The relationship is mostly one-way. The success of traditional marketing is also hard to measure: like knowing how many saw your ad and how many of those who saw it actually bought your product. Traditional marketers can only go as far as estimations and use offline measurement techniques relying on the internal member of staff to track via perhaps the phone.

In digital marketing, you 'pull' people to your online platform by publishing content. In this strategy, it is the customers who look for the brand, not the other way around. The relationship is two-way as communication and engagement are encouraged. Measuring shares, likes, comments, and overall engagement is also easier using several online tools. We have great social media tools and attribution modelling techniqiues.

Traditional marketing is good for brand recognition or increasing demographics. However, it mainly stops there. There is no brand engagement because the platform doesn’t allow it.

Making the upgrade: How to get started

Technology is no longer just playing a supporting role in business growth and marketing. It is the lead innovator. Gartner, Inc. forecasts that a lack of digital business competence will cause 25% of businesses to lose competitive ranking by 2017 so it is time to ride the waves of integrated digital marketing.

For starters, do not think of 'digital' or 'technology' as a tool but a source of innovation and opportunities. This understanding must be shared with marketers and strategists. When building a team, do not think about titles in a traditional mindset. Think about roles, not ranks. This team should assess a business’ strengths, weaknesses, and potential digital opportunities through a digital marketing healthcheck.

Now, you are ready to map your digital strategy and create your own business model. This includes information on brands and products, choosing the online platform, going mobile, and creating content. Assess your target market and find out where they are: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. There is no need to be present in all platforms because it is impractical and poses a greater risk of mismanagement. Understand your customers’ preference (persona building) when choosing a channel and understand their needs and wants when publishing content. Multi-channel attribution is not about the number of platforms you are in but how you use each channel.

In every channel, make sure to publish great content and the Content Marketing Matrix is a good framework. In content marketing, you don’t go after promotion but engagement. It is possible to create content without mentioning the brand once but only what it stands for. Dynamic storytelling is key because it’s only through stories people love that they are able to relate and engage. Let the story evolve by allowing your followers to share theirs.

Marrying tradition and technology: How to get customers to walk into your store

The common (unfounded) fear: If I make my products and services available online, wouldn’t that be suicide for my actual store?

Well, no - we all know the power of the internet and reach it can give us. Let’s take Instagram marketing for example. Since customers are visual, this photo-sharing platform is a good place to start. Starbucks was able to connect offline and online marketing by “regramming” posts with Starbucks hashtags. To engage the customers more, especially at the return of their famous red cups, Starbucks encouraged coffee-lovers to post a photo of their red cup and tag it with #redcupcontest. In short, they announced the promo online and invited customers to buy coffee at their store, post it, and win.

McDonald’s did the same with integrating offline with online experience. They launched Foursquare Day: asked customers to check in their stores, post it on Foursquare, and the first 100 gets a gift card. The in-store foot traffic was increased by 33%. The only cost for both McDonald’s and Starbucks are the gift cards, which of course are still related to their brand. This is an example of how to successfully connect your marketing efforts online and your offline store.

Aside from 'post and win' promos, you may also regularly post in-store experiences of your customers on your online platform. This gives the idea that going into an actual store offers a different experience. When you have a promo, sale, or event, make sure to post it and invite. Asking customers to print a coupon to get discounts on the actual event is also a good strategy. Always have a 'comments' section in your platform and with every reply, ask customers to 'drop by'. Regularly publishing great content --- blogs, articles, and videos are a sure-fire way to get noticed, inspire curiosity and build loyalty. Companies are successful integrated on and offline by improving the digital experience in-store.

A small pizza parlor or a two-decade old coffee shop should not be contented with running a small operation and banking on length of time of doing business. Major brands haven’t stopped being major, so why should you? Running a digital strategy is content-driven and anchored on online tools, making it cost-effective and dynamic. Going digital is not something to be scared of. It is a wonderful opportunity to reach a wider demographics with nothing but information and creativity.

Image/Copyright: Flickr