does take discipline and persistence. First, let’s start online and go to where most people are for most of the time, especially consumers. That is Facebook. A Facebook fan page is easy to create and update. If you’re not already doing this, do it now. Start ‘liking’ your wholesalers, trusted business partners and your customer base. Hang out where they hang out and walk in their shoes. If you’re in fashion, like fashion trends pages or highlight upcoming trade events. Facebook is all about engagement so visuals and video work well here. As do polls, updates and strategic alliances with businesses that don’t compete, but complement each other. Blogs are ideal for sharing your expertise and can be linked to your facebook fan page, website, and then posted to Twitter. Ideally every retail business has these online essentials: A website you can update yourself. An email newsletter. Using www.mailchimp.com you can email up to 2000 subscribers for free and personalise their email. A blog which you connect to your website and your Facebook fan page. A blog which is linked to your website also enhances your SEO and can be as simple as a weekly photo or video of new products . Google’s www.blogger.com is free, as is www.wordpress.com A Facebook fan page. Once you have 25  ‘like’s you can create your own vanity url eg. www.facebook.com/YourStore. Now for how you can integrate these to promote your store, increase engagement and make more sales: Promote an in store event with special offers for people who attend and mention your Facebook fan page, blog and email newsletter. Post pictures of the event, prizes and Facebook, in your newsletter, your blog and on your website. Encourage every buyer who purchases to opt in to your monthly email newsletter. Always ask their permission as they’re much more likely to keep and read your email. Every person who subscribes receives a free eBook with tips to help them use your products, services or both. Twelve useful tips are ample. Remember it’s free, but make sure the quality of the tips is strong. The more potential customers know how to make the most of your offerings, the more likely they are to buy them. If you have online commerce and a store, give special offers for a limited time to the people who normally buy from you online and specials to people who normally buy from you in store. Give each offer a code so you can track its effectiveness. Form alliances with complementary (but not competing) businesses and showcase each other. Create your own collective VIP card between you and promote each other in your newsletters, and if appropriate on your Facebook fan pages and websites. This means you’re not just promoting your business, but adding value for your buyer. These are just some of the ways you can integrate your online and in store marketing. If you’re already doing these, great. If not, start with one tactic or tool a month and keep doing it. If you say you’re publishing a monthly newsletter stick to that, and keep building your database. If you’re blogging, start with one a week rather than every day and keep working on it. If you’re holding in store events make them monthly or quarterly to begin with and see how you can make the most of that event, before, during and after the event itself. *Michael Neaylon is a speaker, author, coach and consultant who helps small to medium businesses achieve greater brand presence, make their marketing stick and achieve their sales goals. Michael is also the author of the book, ‘True Brand Toolkit: How to Bring in Big Money for Your Small Business.’ You can buy True Brand Toolkit on Inside Retail’s online bookstore RetailBooks.com.au.  Order your copy here.