Today, it seems that everything has gone online and now mobile. Business is so concerned about connecting with people on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and a few other social media sites that they have totally forgotten about marketing their business offline. Offline marketing is still very important and needs to be done for a business to grow even more
We need to reexamine the old-school ways of marketing and take a look at what you can do offline that is still effective and works.
Effective Old-School Marketing Strategies That Still Work:
Business Cards: Believe it or not, business cards are still effective today, it is necessary to continue to print out and distribute your business cards whenever possible. This is one of the cheapest ways and it is still one of the most effective ways to advertise your business offline. You can still pin your business cards to bulletin boards in markets, hand them out on the street, or even slip them in a book or magazine at a doctor's office.
Donate: One great way to advertise is by donating a gift certificate or products for prizes in a contest. You can offer this to high schools who are doing fundraisers, a charity event, for other fundraisers. This raises public awareness and gets your name out there.
Public Speaking: If you can find an event that is related to your industry, it is possible to prepare a speech that educates people. This will also get you a lot of free, press publicity for your business and it makes people aware of your ideas and what you represent.
Pitch an Article: Look at your local magazine publishers or even newspapers. Pitch them an article for them to print. Believe it or not, people still read the printed word and this is very important to you to get your brand out there and make people aware of your brand. This is also known as brand awareness.
Snail Mail: You can create an ad campaign and sent it out by your local postal service. People do read the advertisements that arrive in the mail. If you do this at key times of the year and add some promotional coupons or items this will attract a lot of people to your business. Many times emails are deleted and not read.
Cold Calling: I know this one is hard, but it still works. It is possible that you can make some cold calls to reach out to your customers. Make sure you tailor your pitch around the event and be aware of a person's time. Make them short and try to not keep a person online for hours on end.
Trade Shows: If you participate in a trade show and give away a few items with your company's name on it this is excellent publicity. You can take some of your latest, hottest selling items to the show and this will reach a lot of people.
Revamp Your Packaging: Give your old products a brand new look with a brand new package. This is a great way to get people to notice your product again. A new, bright, colorful package is a great way to get people to see your product again.
Celebrate Success: Host an event that celebrates your success as a company. You can invite the public or other business to this event. Make sure you reach out to the local press and see that they attend.
Sponsor An Event: Sponsor an event in your community to show your support. You can help with fundraisers, sponsor a football, baseball, or even basketball team for children. Have your name on the shirts the kids' way to the games. You can even hand out branded good like shirts, pens, coffee cups or whatever you want at this event.
These are only a few ideas of what you can do for offline advertising. I am sure you have some great ideas on how a business can advertise offline and gain public awareness. I'd love to hear your ideas and how you'd make people aware of your business.
What Are Your Ideas?
