How to combine social media and traditional advertising

Key takeaways

To combine social media and traditional advertising, run one message through both in the same weeks and the same area, and give each a way to be counted. The two then reinforce each other: the physical advert makes the name familiar, and social media gives people somewhere to act.

• 1 message, 1 offer and 1 look across every channel.
• Run the channels in the same weeks, not one after the other.
• Point offline adverts to your social profile or a tracked page.
• Track each channel separately so you can still compare them.

What is an integrated campaign?

An integrated campaign is one in which every channel carries the same idea, offer and visual identity, timed to overlap. For a small business that might be a leaflet, a van, a local magazine advert and a month of social media posts, all saying the same thing to the same streets.

• Social media marketing vs traditional advertising: what works better for SMEs?
• Traditional vs digital marketing: where social media fits

Why do channels work better together?

Channels work better together because repetition in different settings builds familiarity faster than repetition in one. Someone who has handled your leaflet is more likely to stop for your post. Research for the IPA has long associated campaigns that use several channels with stronger business effects than single-channel ones.

• Advertising frequency: how many times must people see an ad?
• Brand building vs sales activation: the small business view

How do you plan one?

Plan from the message outwards, not from the channels inwards.

• 1. Decide the one thing you want people to do.
• 2. Write one line and choose one image.
• 3. Pick a lead channel and one or two supporting channels.
• 4. Set a start and end date for all of them.
• 5. Add a tracking method to each.
• 6. Brief everyone who answers the phone.

• The advertising channel scorecard: pick where to spend
• Consistent advertising across channels: one look everywhere

Which combinations work for a small business?

A few pairings come up again and again because the channels cover each other's weaknesses.

• Leaflets plus paid social in the same postcodes.
• Local radio plus social video using the same script.
• Trade press plus LinkedIn posts from named staff.
• An event stand plus posts before, during and after.
• Van livery plus job-site posts from the same streets.

• Leaflets vs social media ads: which wins local customers?
• Trade shows vs social media: where B2B leads come from
• Van signwriting and shop signs: the advertising you own

How do you send people from offline to online?

Give the offline advert one clear route: your business name to search, a short web address or a QR code where the reader has time to scan it. Make sure what they find matches the advert. A leaflet about boiler servicing should not lead to a home page about everything.

• QR codes to your website: what the landing page needs
• Landing page structure for enquiries

How do you track a combined campaign?

Track each channel with its own marker and track the whole with a before-and-after comparison. Expect overlap: people who saw two channels will be counted under one. That is acceptable. You are looking for the total lift and the rough share of each.

• How to track offline advertising: six methods that work
• 'How did you hear about us?' Asking the question properly

What does a combined campaign cost?

A modest local campaign might pair a leaflet drop of £300 to £750 with a month of paid social at £300–£500, plus design used for both. Most UK SMEs using an agency pay £950–£2,500 a month for managed social media. Reusing one set of photos and copy keeps the extra cost of the second channel low.

• How much does advertising cost a UK small business?
• How to split a marketing budget between traditional and digital

When is combining the wrong move?

Combining is wrong when the budget is too small to fund either channel properly. Two thin campaigns do worse than one adequate one. Get a single channel working and tracked first, then add a second.

• The minimum budget to test an advertising channel properly

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see with firms using several channels: each was booked separately, by different people, in different months, with different offers. Nothing was wrong with any one advert. Aligning the dates and the wording costs nothing and is often the cheapest improvement available.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Next step

Lay your current adverts side by side. If a stranger could not tell they are from the same business in the same month, start there.