• by Michael McLaren , Op-Ed Contributor, February 5, 2021

Last week we looked at how external factors can sway the marketing agenda. This week, we’ll discuss inbound and outbound marketing strategies, examine how marketers and agencies are at odds over “direct marketing” and how brands can avoid missing out on the opportunities of an “offline” world. 

“Internet Marketing” and “online lead generation” were both popular search terms among marketers in early February. Small and large businesses alike are upping their game to engage and retain current customers and generate more traffic, leads, and revenue. In an “always on” world where the internet is only getting louder and competition is only getting fiercer, timely communication becomes paramount.

To complicate matters further, online advertising is experiencing a fundamental change with the demise of third-party cookies. This represents a radical change to the customer identity and data landscape and is likely to affect nearly every stage of the business cycle. This means that companies should start thinking about their post-cookie marketing plans now. Start by investing in an identity solution to make the most of your first-party data.  

“Direct marketing” was up again for the twelfth straight week. At a time when the demand for personalized experiences at an all-time high, why not go after your target audience directly? 

With data and reporting capabilities at our fingertips, this age-old marketing tactic can be an efficient way to get your point across. Just as companies go “all in” on digital transformation, enabling the right information to flow freely and to the right people, time-tested tactics like direct mail campaigns can feel novel again. 

Interestingly, despite marketers’ interest in this topic, “direct marketing” has been on the decline amongst agency-side marketers since early October, as measured by Bombora.     

With such a heavy focus on digital marketing, we sometimes fail to look beyond our laptop screens. The truth of the matter is that offline marketing can still be incredibly strong if you know which strategies to use. The world will open up soon so keep an eye on the future for when the time comes to bring your online and offline brand experiences together again.