What Is Hybrid Digital Marketing and How It Works?

When discussing different marketing strategies, most people tend to focus on digital marketing or traditional marketing. But it is often better to take the best of both worlds instead. That is what hybrid marketing attempts to achieve – the perfect combination of different marketing tactics working in sync to achieve the best possible results.

So what exactly is hybrid digital marketing? How does it work? And perhaps most importantly, why should you employ it? Make sure to keep reading to find out.

What Is Hybrid Digital Marketing?

In the field of marketing, it’s sometimes hard to pin down a single definition for any given term. It is undoubtedly true of hybrid digital marketing (or just hybrid marketing). Different marketers use the expression to mean slightly varying things. Most commonly, however, hybrid digital marketing refers to a marketing strategy that combines digital and traditional marketing techniques. It means that a business will use both tactics like search engine optimization or pay-per-click advertising and flyers or billboards for promotion.

Due to budget restrictions, most small businesses have to choose between traditional and digital marketing, so they don’t have to run two separate campaigns. But hybrid marketing is not just about using different types of marketing; it’s about combining digital and traditional tactics into one strategy. The digital aspect should enhance the traditional and vice versa. It is this interplay between different techniques which makes hybrid marketing so effective.

Hybrid marketing can, however, also refer to marketing across different channels. In such use, hybrid marketing can be entirely digital or traditional; as long as it uses various media to reach potential customers, it is considered a form of hybrid marketing. Finally, some marketers use hybrid marketing to denote marketing done by different teams together – an in-house department and an outside company or expert. These definitions are not as common as the understanding that hybrid marketing combines digital and traditional techniques.

Why Should You Consider Hybrid Digital Marketing?

Hybrid marketing can be a great way to stay ahead of the competition – it enhances your traditional and digital marketing efforts, making you stand out from the crowd. Its many benefits make it worth considering as a strategy for any business looking to grow.

Traditional Marketing Is Not Going Away.

Despite the increased popularity of internet marketing, traditional tactics such as billboards, flyers, TV ads, and radio spots have not lost their importance. People do not just pay attention to these types of promotion; in some cases, they spend even more attention on traditional marketing. Because digital marketing is so omnipresent, many consumers have become sceptical about it. They’re afraid that they’ll be scammed or defrauded because almost anyone can set up a website and use the internet to promote it. A business that invests in traditional marketing, however, often comes off as more legitimate and trustworthy. It is, therefore, unlikely that conventional marketing will disappear altogether any time soon.

You’ll Increase Your Reach with a Hybrid Strategy.

Even though most people have access to the internet, certain demographics are not as present as others. You may, for example, attract millennials with online marketing. But you’re far less likely to target older generations with the same level of success. To cover all your bases and reach different customers, you should use multiple channels to promote yourself online and offline. That way, you’ll maximize your reach while also having more opportunities to convert the same customer. They might see your online ad, your TV ad, and your billboard all in one day; after that, they are sure to remember you.

Different Channels Are Suitable for Different Things.

There’s a reason why we have so many different types of marketing – different things work for different businesses and help achieve different goals. You can, for example, personalize your approach on social media better than you can when sending promotional materials by post. On the other hand, handing out flyers can be more effective than search engine optimization if you have a physical location. The best way to get it all is to combine the different approaches.

However, this requires that you have some knowledge about all the different types of marketing. Suppose you’re used to digital marketing only. In that case, you may know how to improve your outreach methods by employing better email marketing tools, write a captivating blog post optimized for search engines, or run a PPC campaign. All of this will help you make the digital part of your new hybrid strategy as good as it can be. But you may not be the best at designing billboards. If that is the case, you’ll have to learn more about traditional marketing. Don’t worry – the effort pays off.

It Pays off to Have Different Options.

It may seem counterintuitive to do both digital and traditional marketing if you’re on a budget. After all, both types of marketing will cost you money. However, hybrid marketing can pay off in multiple ways – it’ll attract more customers and improve your conversion rates. But that’s not all. Hybrid marketing gives you the possibility to find out what works best for your business. Is it SEO? Or email marketing? Or maybe local newspaper ads? Then, if you find yourself no longer able to afford your current strategy, you can focus on whatever your business needs. You will also have the option to adjust your strategy based on your industry’s changing demands – for example, you may need to be more online during certain times of the year and more in-person at other points. A hybrid strategy allows you to change things up as needed.

How to Implement Hybrid Digital Marketing

Most businesses already use a combination of different tactics in their marketing strategies. But to get the most out of a hybrid strategy, you need to plan it properly. Here are some tips:

Develop a Consistent Brand

Your traditional and digital marketing should have the same basic message – they should accurately represent your business. It requires having a consistent brand that you’re confident in. If you want to come across as an eco-friendly, activist brand, then do so across all channels. If you wish to be professional and focus on your experience, your online and offline promotions should show that. Otherwise, your hybrid marketing will not work; you’ll confuse customers with disparate messaging, and the campaign will fail. So before you try a hybrid strategy, take the time to define and establish your brand. It will help you with marketing in the future as well.

Adjust to the Platform

One of the most challenging things to do when running a hybrid strategy is knowing how to get the most out of every channel you use. Since you’ll be using different online and offline platforms, you’ll need to adapt your content to each channel individually. A brochure that you send out by mail will, for example, need to focus on all the different products or services you’re offering. On the other hand, when using social media for marketing, it’s better to focus on short yet effective messages to establish your brand and improve your relationships with customers. Ultimately, the messaging needs to be consistent. How you present it, however, should be unique to the platform.

Collect Relevant Data

One common mistake business owners make with hybrid marketing is not incorporating the different strategies well enough. It is undeniable when it comes to collecting customer data, which most businesses only do online. But you can gather relevant information using traditional marketing as well! Ask your customers for their email addresses, phone numbers, or even social media handles. It will allow you to follow up on other channels later. If you, for example, send out a coupon book via post, you can include a return envelope where customers can write down their email addresses to become a part of your mailing list. Then, you can add their emails to your CRM software and retarget them later digitally.

Think Strategically but Be Flexible

Hybrid digital marketing is a very diverse field that gives you a lot of freedom. You can combine all sorts of different tactics and strategies in any way that works for you. The only limit is your creativity. That, however, doesn’t mean you can throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. Like any other marketing strategy, hybrid marketing requires a plan to work. So test out different options, but always have a way to measure your success. It is how you’ll know what’s working and what’s not, what you need to keep doing, and what you need to improve upon.

About the Author

Tania Stewart is a digital marketing strategist at WP Full Care. She puts her degree in branding to good use by helping small businesses grow their online influence in affordable ways. In her free time, she likes to cook and read murder mystery novels.

Disclaimer: The author’s views are entirely their own and may not always reflect Mauco Enterprises’ views.

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