Why must there be a rift between print and Web media? Especially in endeavors of marketing a business, won’t a unified approach be ideal? At first the differences between print and the Web may seem irreconcilable, but upon closer inspection, using one to compliment the other is as simple as keeping to a few key concepts, one of which is consistency.
Consistency builds trust as well as expectancy. Don’t worry, being consistent across all marketing media, be it offline or online, is easier than you think:
Consistency in Image
While the brand and the logo of your business are the most important points when it comes to consistency in image, sticking to an overall motif is also necessary. To illustrate this, consider one of the most influential brands of cola: what brand do you think of when you glimpse red and white? Coca-cola has done extremely well marketing their image and their colors across all media they employ in advertising. Just take a look at a Coke poster then visit their website and it will be plain to see. Their consistency in image and color scheme has come to make people expect to see their brand name wherever they glimpse a dash of a red-white combo.
Consistency in Information
The key bits of information that need to be unfailingly consistent are a tagline or slogan and pertinent contact information. Depending on the medium of marketing, some extra information may prove to be superfluous. But some lines and details always need to be there: in business cards, postcard printing pieces, posters, giveaways, websites, banner ads, and even flash animated ads. Details like pertinent contact information need to be consistently available in business cards, flyers, websites (or at least “About Us” or “Contact Us” webpages), and other media with a touch of professionalism.
Consistency in Message
The main message of an entire marketing campaign needs to be intact and consistent across all media it is conveyed from. As different marketing media have different restricting limits and formats, some information may vary from one medium to another, as would the sense of urgency, but the core message should be left intact. More than to preserve the actual idea, keeping the core message the same helps keep the impact and impression across all media the same too.
Consistency in Communication Frequency
Trust and expectancy usually go hand in hand. When your audience expects you to distribute a communiqué or marketing release and you meet their expectations, you satisfy their expectancy and build further on their trust. For print media such as newsletters and mailed brochures it may be a bit easier to keep consistent timelines of releases of content-rich print media. For Web media where speed and dynamic interaction essential, fewer bits of content in tighter schedules may be acceptable.
Offline and online marketing media need not be separate advertising endeavors. If you’re consistent enough in your image, information, message, and frequency, a unified front of both Web and print media would work to your business’s advantage.
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