Difference Between Online And Offline Marketing

Marketing

In this computer age a business has to opt for online marketing or offline line marketing or make and stick to a blend of the two. The most beneficial among these three options is the last one which is a hybridization of online marketing as well as offline marketing. First of all we should know the difference between the online marketing and offline marketing; no doubt the ultimate aim is to woe the customer or the client.



Base: When we think of offline marketing we think of conventional way of marketing and things needed for it just like the infrastructure and the marketing personal and tools. On the contrary when we think of marketing through online the first thing that comes to our mind is a website.

Market penetration: When we think of reaching the customers both online and offline marketing have got their own advantages and disadvantages. In case of offline marketing large staffs have to be maintained to penetrate the market and the initial expenses could be quite high. On the other hand in case of online marketing, marketing is totally dependent on the extent of accesses to the internet. Nowadays on can have accesses to the internet in any part of the world and so the market penetration is quite easy but still dependent on the speed of the internet, working of the server and the supply of electricity. If the internet is not working or the electricity supply runs short then the website is not accessible.

Approach to the Customer: Usually the online marketing is very helpful at approaching the clients or customers into their homes just through a click thus making it easier for the companies to contact them later. On the contrary if the company representative was asked to approach the customer it would take a lot of time and effort because he would have to first contact the person on phone, seek his her appointment and then present the product or services to the prospective client or customer. In some cases it would become necessary for the marketing representative to carry the product to the office or residence of the prospective customer.

Product promotion: If we think of product promotion, the online marketing turns out to be better than the offline marketing. The online marketing is not only economical than the offline marketing but also faster than that. Product promotion to the magnitude of what can be achieved through the online marketing can be very expensive and time consuming if tried to be achieved through offline marketing.

Manpower: With the online internet tools at your disposal the need of personnel is limited and always less than that required for offline marketing. If your offline marketing is spread in a very wide demographic area then you need a staff to maintain them. Thus you have to remunerate the work force as well as the HR department that maintains the workforce. The online marketing reduces the need of manpower.



Time: The online marketing has changed the marketing scenario drastically especially with reference to time. The online marketing has shrunk the world into 24 hours. It is because of the online marketing that a business can remain operational for 24 hours. It is because of the online marketing that the Asian countries can market the American products to the Americans during night and cater to the local market during day time. The online marketing can go on 24×7, round the year. This can never be thought of and quite impossible in offline marketing.

Expenses: Usually a company cannot conduct all the exercises of marketing in house. Some of the services that it needs are outsourced to companies and professionals who are expert at it. When we take into consideration this factor online marketing is found to be far cheaper than the offline marketing.

Return on Investment: The return on investment in case of online marketing is much higher than in comparison to that of offline marketing. A website can be seen by many people at the same time. On the contrary one person cannot individually cater to all the clients. One click one email box can sent letters to all those mentioned in ‘address to’ box. Moreover the receiver receives the message within seconds. On the contrary in offline marketing it would take at least a day or two for the courier to reach the recipient. Thus online marketing is far quicker than the offline marketing.



Customer Care and Relationship: The market has lot of options for the customer. Not only the products but also the after sales services are also of equal importance. This is where both online and offline marketing have their own pros and cons. If the customers problem can be solve with the help of the instruction mentioned on the website it is very good, but if this problem persists then the after sales service has to be carried out by sending a company personnel who can attend to the customer grievances. The better the customer care more is the business of the company.

MIS: MIS stands for management information system. In the case of online marketing the MIS and the reporting can be streamlined. The Management can come to know about the productivity of the online marketing strategies instantaneously. On the contrary in case of offline marketing the flow of information is not as regular and accurate as in online marketing.

Information about the Products: In case of online marketing the website can have some pages exclusively for its products and product details. The images of the products can be programmed to give a 3 dimensional view also. This facilitates the customer. There is no need for the customer to go to the shop and see the products physically. The customer needs to only select the product and add it to the buying list. This facility cannot be offered in offline marketing because in offline marketing the buyer would have to go to the shop and buy the things physically. Online marketing saves unnecessary transport expenses and saves time too.

Measurement: The effectiveness of the online management can be measured accurately and quickly. This is not possible with offline marketing.

After thorough study of the pros and cons of both online marketing and offline marketing one should come out with the marketing strategy that suits the business, the product or services and last but not the least the customer or client because he /she is the final decision taking authority.

(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

votes, average:out of 5) Loading ... Loading ...

Leave a Reply