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Balanced Marketing: Are You Too Online?
 I read an interesting article today by Rachel Whalley, exceptional psychotherapist and one of my Biznik.com networking pals. Introverts and Extroverts in Business: How to Avoid Energy Drain is a great primer on how to keep your battery charged, network successfully, and focus more of your efforts on your strengths- whether you are an intro or an extro.
-It was a moment of synchronicity, reading Rachel's well-written article, because my topic this week is balancing online and off-line marketing. And the mix you choose often has something to do with your personality and your comfort zone.
Introverts (that's me) are more energized by time alone. We like to focus on an idea to the exclusion of everything else. We love social media-twitter, biznik, various forums-because we can interact, yet in our own space. Extroverts get charged up by being around people. Sitting down to work on a business plan or write an article can be draining for them.
So let introverts do online marketing and let the extroverts go to all the events, you say? But wait. It's true that online marketing is huge right now: blogging, podcasting, social media networks. All good. But focus too much on online tools and you may lose some of your customers. The best marketing strategies include healthy doses of face-to-face (or voice-to-ear) promotion, too.
Find Your Balance
Try this. Take a look at your marketing activities, say in the last two weeks. Write down everything you did. Now put it into four different categories:
Print and Direct Mail (offline): postcards, sales letters, promotional coupons, etc.
Phone (offline): calls to colleagues, clients, or someone you'd like to know better
Personal Networking (offline): business events, coffee dates, lunches, meet-and-greets
Social Media and E-Marketing (online): blogs, forums, writing e-letters and articles
Now attach percentages to each category. What does it look like? Do you see a need for more balance? Are you going to too many lunches and happy hours? Are you spending too much time alone, just you and your computer?
In next week's e-tip, I'll show you how to develop a marketing calendar with a healthy mix of offline and online activities, one that perfectly fits you and your business goals.
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