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Online marketing is crucial to the success of any business nowadays. But having 100% of your marketing efforts be digital? That could spell disaster. Targeted digital marketing can be incredibly effective, especially for those who are already familiar with your brand. But neglect face-to-face marketing, and you might find that your company is virtually unknown in the real world. B2B marketers will especially benefit from incorporating this traditional marketing style into their overall strategy.

Personalize It

Yes, you could create great, personalized copy that draws in potential customers. Even better, you can create videos speaking directly to your target market. But there’s simply no better way to personalize a message than to say it directly to someone – face-to-face. Even things like Skype and Facetime don’t have quite the same effect.

Meeting up with people in person, especially when the encounter is one-on-one, shows a higher level of commitment. You’ve dedicated time and money to travel and meet someone, which is more meaningful than an effortless online chat or email.

Don’t Lose Things in Translation

Think of all the times you received a text or email with misspellings, grammatical errors, or false information. Face-to-face interaction allows you to clear up misunderstandings immediately, before further confusion ensues. People tend to elaborate more during in-person meetings, which gives you a much better opportunity to understand and foresee potential problems.

Understand Meaning and Tone

Yes, we know there are plenty of emoji icons for your phone and computer nowadays, but do you really want to go down that treacherous road? Emojis aside, it is tougher to decipher someone’s true feelings and intentions through technology. Face-to-face conversations give you more data than digital conversations – you’re not just getting the words, but also the tone.

Get to Know Folks in the Industry

According to a leading B2B magazine, face-to-face meetings can more accurately capture and spark positive emotions, making it easier to network and build relationships. In-person meetings are also more likely to generate conversations unrelated to business, which can quickly lead to deeper connections with those you meet.

Save Money

Face-to-face marketing has the potential to save you money. This is especially true if you’ve been utilizing pricier forms of marketing like radio, print, and internet ads. These kinds of marketing can be hit-or-miss, especially early on in your trial and error stage. Showing your face at a conference or networking event can generate several leads, either for free or for the small cost of the event. Coupled with digital marketing, face-to-face events can give you a better idea of who your target audience is and what would entice them. This beats starting from scratch with a chunk of money and little knowledge.

Don’t Get Ignored

Here is an obvious one: It’s harder to be ignored in person. Few people are so rude as to blatantly ignore what you’re saying to them. But in the digital marketing world? Ignoring is the name of the game. People simply don’t have time to read every promotion and every email. In the worst-case scenario, you may even annoy people with your ads and promotional posts.

At a networking event, you might be competing for someone’s attention with several other people, but on the internet, you’re likely competing with thousands more. So if you think your marketing efforts are being ignored, a little face-to-face effort could go a long way.

According toa recent Journalism.co article, “A study in Australia found that direct marketing represents over 50% of all media spending, and it is also growing in the UK. Face to face marketing is perhaps the most effective form of direct marketing of them all.” CEO and marketing expert, Christoph Grizzard also makes a case for face-to-face marketing in his most recent blog post.

Combining Digital & Face-to-Face Marketing

So now that you know the benefits of face-to-face marketing, you need a direct strategy to stay consistent. Try to develop a routine to follow before, after, and even during marketing events to get the most benefit from them.

For example, you might want to use Twitter to update your followers about what’s going on during an event. Maybe you want to send out a few friendly emails before a meetup, letting others know you’ll be there. After, recap the event and/or post a few photos on your blog/website.

By consistently performing these simple tasks, you are fusing your digital and in-person marketing strategies. This gives your audience a holistic view of who you are and what you’re all about.