6 Ways to Blend Your Marketing and Boost Sales

Every business owner is looking for the latest and greatest marketing channel to generate more leads and boost sales. Unfortunately this can be a search that leads us to focus on just one or two methods, at the expense of established ways to reach your customer. Though it's important to stay on top of the shiny new marketing tools at your disposal, throwing out the tried and trusted ones does more damage than good. Managing your budget so that it adopts a variety of channels with a blended marketing approach is far more effective (and less disappointing when you realize that hot new platform won't generate leads all by itself!)  

Your marketing sweet spot is where many channels meet | Image Credit: Paul Gaborit

Blended Marketing Can Boost Sales

Each method in your marketing toolkit has its strengths and shortcomings. The skill of a savvy business marketer lies in mixing those tools so that the end result plays to the strengths of each. Here are six ideas to blend your business marketing in a way that builds new leads and boosts your sales:

1. Offer relevant content to help your customer:  Content marketing is popular for good reason, it's win-win for you and your customer. People are searching online to find answers to product queries and research services. When they do so, a well-written article on your website should be waiting to answer their questions. The focus should always be on providing useful advice, after which there's no reason you shouldn't recommend further reading on how your product or service solves the problem in question.

2. Include memorable contact points on print materials:  Print is still very much alive, whether through opt-in direct mail marketing or your company sales literature and business cards. The difference now is that most people want an easy to remember contact point to dig a little deeper into your company when they have more time. To that end, your print marketing should always include short, sharp ways to follow up with you. A memorable URL, shortlink, telephone number and Twitter handle are all good reminders for potential customers to reconnect with your business.

A neat mix of vanity number and online display ad from Mrs. Field's Gifts & 1-800-COOKIES

3. Add a vanity number to online display ads: Although the focus is always on click through rates when it comes to online ads, don't forget that the impressions number is far larger. Website visitors may be too busy to click on your ad, but a memorable number will remind them to call at a later, calmer moment (note the tasty 1-800-COOKIES example to the right).

4. Connect paid search to drive query calls:  Similar to three, but even more targeted as you can zero in on exactly what the person is searching for. Appearing at the top of their search results and offering an immediate number to call to have their question answered is a tempting proposition.

5. Include 'click to call' links on your mobile site or app: The gap between a click and a call is completely bridged by smartphones, where the always-on connection allows potential customers to switch from web browsing to business inquiry in a matter of seconds. Make sure that your mobile marketing is in shape to take advantage of this, including calls to action that focus heavily on calling your company.

6. Use broadcast media to drive online engagement: TV and radio spots are still popular with marketers with good reason, they still reach mass audiences. Blended marketing can take that value a step further, however, by encouraging viewers and listeners to call, visit your website, or connect with you on a chosen social network. Once you have an online presence that captures customer information effectively, using a broadcast ad to connect with that system to a larger audience is a smart marketing move.  

A vanity phone number plays an important role in any blended marketing campaign. Read more about vanity numbers in the RingBoost Knowledge Center.