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Drive down a digital path for an online destination.

Marketing is done by first understanding your audience and second by understanding the end result you want to achieve.  The creative ways you analyze your resources to maximize results is where you can really make the most bang for your buck.  There is everything from cost, time, labor and potential return factor into your decisions.  In marketing it is often the traditional avenues that are used based on the resources that are common or comfortable and time to implement is why. 

Each of these traditional resources is often repetitive for the marketing team.  Consistency is important in marketing so your customers know exactly where to look but, sticking to old ways in a new world can put a stop sign on your returns.  It is more important to know that the traditional options for getting the information to the consumers and getting the consumer to act on that information do not work the same way for marketing physical locations versus locations in the e-commerce world.    

A good example is Billboard advertising, which for a physical location will mostly likely produce a fair return on the investment, but for a virtual destination such as your ecommerce site it will provide zero return for very logical reasons.  A person who drives by a billboard is not going to slam on their breaks to write down a website address, nor are they going to lean over to the laptop in the passenger seat to get onto your ecommerce site.  There is no harm in any positive marketing efforts only less or more return for effort.  That is the gage.

The marketing path needs to bring the potential customer from the physical location into the online world.  The best path is one that leads your online world to your consumer.  If the URL is going to be brought to the consumer it needs to travel to the computer with the consumer or meet them there in the virtual world.  (e.g. a take away card, brochure or materials with a good spin to compel or capture interest and an email address).  The ideal situation is to simply get digital contact information from your consumer so all communications can be online.  In usuing this path you bring the URL to your consumer in a much more effective way and you can do it over and over again.  An email marketing address is not a "one hit" wonder.  Just like traveling on the road there are rules and requirements to keep the tank full and keep going.  If you market via email strategically and each time compel and provide incentives for the consumer to comply you can continue the journey with them to your destination.   

There are solid tools in e-commerce that consistently work.  The tried and true like newsletters & loyalty card programs each should require an email to receive.  This is how you capture that digital contact information. 

The important thing to do when considering any marketing plan is to think through the process from a consumer's point of view.  What happens when I see the ad?  What will it do to make sure I can get to the website?  What is the incentive to comply?  What is the real bottom line message to me?  Is the process easy for me?  Is the message compelling to a wide enough audience?  Take the time to consider the process, the message and carefully drive your consumers exactly where you want them to go.  Be sure they will not have roadblocks in getting to your intended destination that you in haste put in place.  Make the road clear for your travelers to get to your online destination.