If you have an online business of any kind, then when it comes to marketing, you probably are looking at which online marketing strategies are going to best fit your business, but just because you have an online business, doesn’t mean that you can’t and shouldn’t benefit from offline marketing strategies.
In fact, using these strategies could actually prove more beneficial for you since they’re less likely to be thought of by those you consider to be your competition, so that means that whilst they’re all competing on places like social media and using the lates funnel hacks that you’ll be standing out by using the marketing strategies that are considered somewhat old school, but really it just shows that you’re not afraid to try something different and that you can think outside the box.
Of course, just because you want to use offline marketing strategies for your business, doesn’t mean you can’t use online ones as well – you can definitely use both as long as they align with your goals and business vision, but offline marketing definitely shouldn’t be written off.
So, in this post, we’re going to share with you some of our top tips for offline marketing strategies that you can use in your online business.
Direct mail:
In this day and age where everyone is used to getting emails every minute of the day – most of which go unread because of the sheer volume of them that they’re getting, sending an actual letter to someone is going to make you stand out incredibly well, and although it definitely takes a good bit more work than just sending an email, the results of a well thought out direct mail campaign have been shown to be much higher than email simply because people really appreciate the effort and the fact that it shows you’ve taken a bit more initiave in a world where sending an email to hundreds of people at once is so much easier and quicker than sending individual letters that you have to physically post.
Cold outreach:
Cold outreach is basically what’s known as telesales or telemarketing, and whilst this method of marketing has been traditionally given a very bad name because of how people approached it, it’s still one of the most effective marketing strategies for service-based business owners even today. Picking up the phone and actually having a conversation with someone is also one of those things that’s becoming quite rare in this digitally driven world, so if you approach cold outreach in the right way and don’t be a sleazy marketer then it can be one of the best things you ever do for your business and can definitely see some very fast results – especially if you’re just starting out and don’t have a big marketing budget or anything like that.
Print and banner ads:
Print and banner ads are still very much in production today, and whilst everyone else is looking for ways to increase their presence online, there’s a whole world of people being forgotten about who you could be targetting, so it’s really a good idea to look at how you can use things like print and banner ads to grow your business to an offline audience. You can hire companies who will be able to help you with this and get your ads seen in the right places, and you can have a look online at places like https://ultimatebanners.co/ to see what kinds of banners could work for you. You can also go for the direct approach and reach out to places like magazines and newspapers directly to ask about their advertising guidelines and costs. As long as you’re approaching this strategically and looking at places where your ideal clients are likely to be looking, then you could really have a lot of success with this approach to online marketing and advertising and possibly also spend less than you would with online methods.
Radio:
Radio stations are still part of every day life, and this isn’t looking like it’s going to change anytime – in fact, radio is one of the industries that’s actually adapated itself pretty well in this online world of streaming services, so they definitely still have their place, and this means that there’s a lot of untapped market potential out there that you may not be reaching. Depending on your business, you should definitely consider reaching out to radio stations and finding out about their advertising costs and how you could buy some space there. It’s definitely something that’s considered an old-school approach and if you’re an online business, then it’s really going to get you noticed.
Networking:
Networking, whether offline or online should really be a big part of your overall marketing strategy since people want to do business with other people and networking is what creates a good level of trust. However, offline networking when you get to see people face to face really makes such a big difference since people get to see you and get to know you in a different way than they do online. Networking is something that many people will tell you is a waste of time, but it really isn’t if you’re doing it right, so taking the time to go to even one event per month could have you meeting new potential clients and even people who you could collaborate with on joint ventures.
Speaking:
If you love to speak on stage or even just at smaller events, this can be an extremely good way to get in front of a new audience and tell them about your business. It’s also a great way to position yourself as an authority and really show that you’re skilled and have expertise in a specific area. If people are already paying to go to an event and you’re one of the speakers at this event, then the chances are they’re going to be interested in what you have to say and will want to know more about your business and even ask more about working with you.