In the constantly connected digital world, retail advertising is growing. To endure this growth, we must realize that digital marketing strategies and tactics are king. Without digital marketing, retailers wouldn’t be able to get the results they need for successful advertising, right?
Not necessarily.
Approaching marketing with a strict digital focus is a misdirection that many retailers and marketing professionals fall victim to. This approach can damage campaigns and will eat up a retail advertising budget quickly.
Digital marketing is an essential component of retail advertising, but to drive reach in the retail industry, there needs to be a strategic combination of a variety of tactics. This combination includes methods that some may think are dead or ineffective and the newer options and vendors that are popping up every day.
The reasons retailers should consider integrated media plans include:
A social media ad is not likely to spark a sale if a customer has never heard of your brand or if they are unfamiliar with who your company is and what you represent. Customers are flooded with ads and information every day and with so much for them to sort through, reaching a new customer is much more difficult through social media.
Initial contact with the customer can be better established by using TV, Radio, and Print. These methods help to better form the top of the conversion funnel for many retail brands. Although these may be deemed outdated by some, these methods are crucial to successful retail marketing campaigns.
To connect with your target audience, it is essential to elicit an emotional response. With TV, Radio, and Print, you can do this much more effectively than with other methods.
From a shiny red sports car whipping around a slick racetrack to a decadent dessert dripping in chocolate, a 30-second visual paired with the right music and voiceover can make customers experience physical hunger or other strong emotional desires that can compel them to buy your product.
Digital video advertising doesn’t pack nearly the same punch as TV and radio when trying to create desire in an audience. These methods do have built-in limitations of reach, cost, competition, and targeting that can make them a more complicated approach than digital marketing options.
The same radio, TV, or print ad can run unchanged on thousands of channels across the nation while every digital channel has its own range of formats. With digital platforms, a variety of information must be collected to determine the success of the campaign, including:
Unique metrics must also be obtained, making a large-scale, long-term growth marketing campaign a highly labor-intensive feat in the digital world.
Digital-only campaigns require a deep understanding of your target audience as well as their mobile and online habits. These habits are always evolving due to the continually changing platforms and devices of the digital world. Digital ads that work on Facebook may not make an impact on other social media channels.
With unchanged formats and consistent options, TV, radio, and print are familiar and comfortable options for audiences and are easier to track and predict for a marketer.
Like any advertising, digital marketing has its limitations, but it is still a viable way to reach your target audience. Digital elements are essential to the success of your campaign, so it is important to find a strategic balance, where you allow the media strategy to lead the way, rather than the tactics.
Don’t be distracted by the next new thing in the digital world. It is important to focus on the digital platforms or channels that make sense for your brand and your marketing goals rather than wasting your time on a new channel, app, or platform just because it’s new.
A more profitable approach to marketing begins with understanding your marketing goals, brand identity, and your current assets. This will help you determine which digital channels will offer your business the best fit and the most budget-friendly path to a successful campaign.
At Nartak Media Group, we can expertly assist you in developing an integrated retail advertising plan. With extensive experience in media planning, we can provide you with expert insight into the best media sources and programming for your unique brand. We will work with you to help you determine your advertising goals, your target audience, and the best medium for communicating with your customers.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you effectively plan and purchase to ensure your advertising needs are exceeded!