The Concept of Integration

Facebook is relevant to the concept of integration because without the offline structure already sat in place and supplemented by events and discussion, the online company would not exist. For Facebook the website depends on the offline community, what Zuckerberg calls 'the social graph.' This is one of the central aspects of online and offline integration with regards to marketing: one cannot exist without the other and, to put it simply, the whole offer is more than the sum of its parts.

Unfortunately it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking of marketing in terms of online and offline, as if they are two separate entities. To do so in any business is akin to Facebook forgetting that their goal is to establish connections between people in the actual world, rather than making virtual connections only. Though Facebook is clearly a massive online success, without the offline social graph, the website is redundant.

The following hypothetical example of a company's plan to have a stand at the Motor Show in the NEC demonstrates the various ways to market and promote an event with online and offline integration for an SME:

First on the event organiser's to-do list is creating an event on Linkedin, inviting contacts and updating their status accordingly. Then contacts will be exported from Linkedin and an email sent to them along with other relevant contacts to encourage visits to the stand.

So far this all happens online.

But next the organiser sends out a press release to industry journalists, writes an entry for the exhibition's programme and takes out advertising space in specific and targeted publications. Also it is recommended for an organiser to call their key customers to let them know where they will be and at what time.

Then at the event, the combination of a strong and interesting stand, complete with sample products (if applicable), prize draw to attract interest, sponsorship of workshops and/or other material connected to the event and face-to-face meetings will encourage potential customers to give their contact details. Not to mention keeping existing customers interested and excited.

When the organiser is back in the office they make their follow up calls and add the contacts they made at the exhibition to their email address book, make more contacts on Linkedin and make sure new and old customers alike are being kept up-to-date online.

Source: articlesbase