Redefining online and offline marketing?

[Kurt]

I always classified online marketing as things like SEO, social media, PPC, email, etc...and offline marketing as radio/tv ads, print, billboards, etc.

But I think I was wrong. It isn't about where your ads and promotions are, it's about where you want your customers to come from (the market).

For me now, online marketing means you want customers to order online and offline marketing is you want customers to walk into your shop, call you on the phone or you go to their home, etc. You can get offline customers using online marketing and vice versa, so my original definitions don't really describe things well.

Do you agree? When you say "online marketing" and "offline marketing" what are the differences to you?

[Claire Koch]

100% I agree.

In simple terms offline marketing is for brick and morter businesses and online businesses just depends if you want to do marketing that involves running around town and putting up signs, buying offline ads in magazines etc, or sit at your computer!

If you don't mind sitting at your computer online marketing is for both as well!

Both work well but offline marketing which is expensive can be eliminated if you can do only online marketing and succeed. 

Hope I said that correctly.

Online marketing can be done free where as offline marketing cannot, even if you run around with materials for putting on cars, or dropping off other places you still need supplies.

Well we all know nothing is free if you market online you have to buy electronics to do that.  Most of us do that anyway so its more "like" free to market online.

I prefer online I personally think it works well but takes practice and learning the ins and outs.

Having said all that I think offline marketing has sort of dual meaning so it does get confusing. We refer to the skill of servicing businesses as "offline marketing" as well.

[Jeffery]

To me Online Marketing is just another venue to simply market a product or service.

Offline Marketing is also is just another venue to simply market a product or service.

We all know the differences between the two and the two have one thing in common:

The Marketing Venue.

Me personally, in the real world, I combine both, Online & Offline Marketing.

An example (just one example)..

Brick & Mortar Restaurants. They have one thing in common and that is the need for more sales. Traditionally, they advertise on radio, newspapers, etc. all handled by Offline Marketers or even the savvy store owner.

Enter the Online Marketer. Create a restaurant website or add to an existing restaurant website the software to facilitate Online Ordering, reservations, etc.

In the above example, same venue, two different marketing methods.