We have heard about O2O (Online to Offline) marketing, what does that exactly refer to and how can business owners adapt these strategies to enhance sales? Nowadays, customers switch between physical and digital worlds freely while they move through the buyer’s journey. This makes O2O marketing essential for business success, and be an effective way to reach customers at all touchpoints to drive engagement and sales.
One of the best ways brands are looking at O2O retail is in getting rid of queues. Starbucks Mobile Order & Pay concept is a great example of this and promised us that we’ll never have to wait in line again. It works by letting customers place their order and pay from their phone before popping in to collect it when they pass by.
The internet world’s influence is astonishing. Does it mean that only online marketing is required and all physical channels can be omitted?
Amazon invested over $13 billion in the acquisition of grocery chain Whole Foods because they understood an undeniable reality about consumers: Despite all the fascination with devices and digital services, most sales still happen in physical stores. 76% of consumers who search for products or services in their local area end up visiting a store within a day, with many of these visits resulting in purchases. It is believed that the majority of retail sales will take place in physical stores and this trend will continue.
These stats make it clear that an effective marketing campaign can’t afford to overlook offline strategies. O2O marketing treats channels as complementary instead of competitive. Let’s explore how to optimize O2O marketing to improve customer experience, engagement and brand awareness.
- Create A Singular Focus For Both
To create a singular focus for both sources of media, and then maintain a unified point of contact for both, this means that any time a significant investment is made in offline marketing such as billboards, direct mail or even TV and radio, your digital advertising should be marketing the same product or service. Using a consistent design across both platforms is the best way to see better results.
- Devise A Cross-Promotion Strategy
Offline and online marketing can be used simultaneously to promote your business. For instance, on your offline channels, such as print ads and collateral, you can use creatives or visuals to encourage your audience to visit a specific landing page to capture their contact information for subsequent follow-ups. To increase your results, offer some value, such as a download of an e-book, white paper or guide. Digitizing your “real-life” leads so that you can manage them using your online tools, such as customer relationship management platforms, in the long run.
- Set Up Relevant Types Of Dedicated Tracking
Many business owners spend money on advertising, but do not pay attention to tracking customer data. Customer data can be used to review the effectiveness of online and offline marketing activities, and serve as a reference for the next marketing plan, letting the data speak for itself. To set up dedicated tracking in the form of either a phone number or dedicated URL. This means purchasing a phone number that forwards to your main phone number, or acquiring a specific domain that forwards to your main domain. Once this is set up, it will be easier to track and review online and offline marketing activities, assist in the next marketing planning, and help in providing personalised services to customers.
- Improve Personalization with Data Insights
As 80% of consumers are more likely to buy from companies that cater to their interests, it’s obvious that personalization counts for a lot. Companies must connect with their audience before a sale is possible. Companies that invest resources in data analytics stand to gain a lot in the form of a more personalized, tailored service that responds to the behaviors of their audience.
- Prioritise Mobile-First
Statistics show that we spend at least 4.5 hours on our smartphone every day, and 80% of millennials sleep with their phone nearby. This proves that smartphones are a sales channel that company bosses should prioritise.