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Should You Advertise Online or Stick With Traditional Offline Advertising? (Part 2)

Engaging your audience

(Part 1)  What’s next?  You’ve got a customer interested and they want to find out more, depending on what options you’ve given them, they can call, email or visit your website.  I would always prefer to do my research on-line and so do 77% of internet users (ONS, August).

They’re forming an opinion not just about your product or service; they’re forming an opinion about you.  Are you reputable, do you look professional, does your website tell them everything they need to know or are there hidden costs, are you easy to contact if something goes wrong?

Selling products and services

Assuming your product or service is competitive and your website is clear and engaging your customer is probably ready to buy.  Depending on your product or service, the customer at this stage could just give you a call or pop to your store or if you give them the option; they could buy on-line.  In 2011, 32 million people (66% of all adults) purchased goods or services over the internet (ONS, August).

The future  of the information super highway

If you’re still trying to decide whether to put your advertising budget off-line or on-line here’s a final piece of food for thought; by 2015 there will be nearly 3 billion internet users and 15 billion global network connections (Cisco, June 2011).