Offline marketing is no doubt very much alive and kicking, despite the current popularity of online marketing. Social media marketing may be the trend now, but it has not shelved offline marketing strategies to oblivion. For the more traditional businessman, here are a number of offline marketing ideas to up his game in networking.
1. Gather more clients with direct mail marketing.
Advertising through the mail is one of the oldest known methods in offline marketing. It closes the communication gap between you, the entrepreneur, and the target clients.
Its better than email marketing because your promotional materials dont end up in the spam folder, the potential client sifts through the contents of his mailbox, and sees your material. Moreover, clients are more targeted with this method; they get the material they want, and they also have the option to stop the subscription whenever they want to. You also know that your target client is reached properly.
2. Send out unique flyers.
Flyers are easy to produce. Just print out relevant details and your contact number, and distribute the flyers to people who walk by. Its easy and not as costly as billboards. Make your flyers unique by adding coupons, freebies, or printing them out on other materials (i.e. cookie-shaped flyers for a baking business, or animal masks for pet services).
3. Add testimonials to your advertisements.
Testimonials are personal and are effective in encouraging people to try out a product or service. You can ask existing and loyal customers for their wonderful feedback. Pick the ones that are concise and interesting enough to read, and print them on your flyers and other advertising materials.
4. Put up those billboards.
While you have to shell out a lot of money for space on the billboard, you can be sure that youll reach your target market in no time. Billboards are seen everywhere, and even at a far distance. They catch the attention of pedestrians and commuters.
If you have an impressive and catchy billboard advertisement, your target clients wont forget the image they see on your billboard. You may also opt to have a mobile billboard those big advertisements seen in cabs and trains.
5. Create and distribute a press release.
A press release is like a news brief about your product or service. It reaches out to journalists and news agencies. You may prepare your press release kit and send it to newspapers and magazines.
6. Sponsor a community event.
Your presence is a great plus to create a strong network and build a following for your product. You can sponsor a community event and advertise your product there. For example, if you head the leading chain of bookstores and school supplies in the metro, you could host a school fair and sell your wares.
7. Hold contests for your target clients.
You can hold a best design contest for your business. This strategy encourages your target market to become proactive and to become part of your brand. You may ask them to send the best tagline for your upcoming product, and then the winner gets a freebie or a premium item.
These are only a few of the time-proven effective offline marketing ideas that you can try for your business.