Brands struggle to merge their online and offline presences to work in tandem when generating website conversions or in-store purchases. While a lot of time and money have been allocated to building campaigns that reach prospects across touchpoints, many companies still fail to spark offline transactions with their web marketing programs.
According to a new Econsultancy report, produced in conjunction with IBM Tealeaf, approximately two-thirds of surveyed respondents include information about offline locations, contact details and hours of operation on their websites. These seemingly simple snippets of context could push web visitors to engage with brands offline, and when applied to Google+ marketing, these points also drive SERP real estate domination higher.
When asked how brands integrate their digital and physical experiences, 38 percent said they use social media marketing to fuel offline interactions. Thirty-one percent indicated they use local SEO best practices to drive foot traffic to their brick-and-mortar stores. With marketers focusing on building stronger location-based SEO strategies, content writers must adapt their processes to also take advantage of geographically charged happenings. The more businesses can produce online content that speaks to local trends, the higher the odds of them capturing clicks from shoppers who are ready to convert.
In a recent Content & Coffee video, Brafton’s Stefanie D’Aulizio spoke about the importance of using Google+ to inspire local marketing strategies. While SEO is often associated with time-consuming maintenance and practices, managing a Google+ Page helps a brand build upon its established SEO value and engage prospects in a social manner. Brands that normally look at social as a way to monitor consumer sentiment and share unique experiences will be interested to see how an active and well-optimized Google+ presence can provide ROI across many verticals, including offline sales.
