Digital marketing is great. But the fact is you can’t always rely on digital alone. People discover brands offline, too. I’m sure even you have discovered new brands on billboards, newspapers, and TV adverts before.
In this post, we’re going to talk about those offline marketing strategies that bring good results. Here are 7 offline marketing strategies that still work today:
1. Vehicle branding.
If you look back on the times you’ve been stuck in traffic; I’m sure you can remember moments when you found yourself staring at the designs on the back of the car in front of you.
Even though you probably weren’t paying attention to every single detail on the ad, you’re being exposed to it, and somewhere, in the back of your mind, the brand name has been stored.
The owner of that car has just won you over with a strategy known as vehicle branding.
A simple hack to make this strategy work better: Don’t brand regular vehicles. Instead, use novelty vehicles. Novelty vehicles are vehicles that are uncommon. Because they’re rare, people notice them faster. For example, Japanese mini trucks are popular in Asia but rare in Western countries. If someone were to brand, say, a Suzuki Carry mini truck in their company logo and then hit the streets of Canada, it’s more than likely they will register their brand name in the minds of thousands.
2. Business card distribution.
One of the best ways to keep your brand name circulating town is by handing out your business cards. Whether you hand them out yourself or have your employees do it, business cards remain an ageless marketing strategy.
You can share them at professional events, attach them to hospital or hotel bulletins, pass them on to neighbors and friends, or just offer them to anyone to come across.
3. Attend local events and gift prizes.
From time to time, it’s always a great idea to attend local events where there are opportunities to gift prizes. This could be high school dances or sports competitions, professional body conventions/conferences, town trade shows, etc.
The idea is to find a way to reward event participants with unique prizes like gift certificates, branded items, and other stuff that would ring your bells around town.
4. Create pamphlets and flyers.
I know the idea of handing out flyers and pamphlets might seem like an old, odd thing to do, but the truth is many brands have found success doing it.
Traditionally, business owners would go around town distributing flyers to every Tom, Dick, and Harry they come across. But that’s a wrong way of doing things.
The best places to deploy this marketing strategy are trade shows, charity events, industry-related events, etc. In other words, places where you know your ideal target audience might be present.
Quick flyer and pamphlet hack: Try to always present your flyer or pamphlet content in infographics format. This is because the human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text. Also, it is a good idea to add discount coupons at the bottom of your flyers.
5. Speak at events.
Another offline marketing strategy that brings instant eyes to your business is public speaking. When you attend industry-related events and speak there, it sends attendees that you’re an authority in the industry. As such, many will want to get to know you.
If you’re into networking, this could even present a rare opportunity to meet new people, build new networks, and get the word out about what you do.
6. Appear on printed publications.
As much as everyone is buzzing about social and digital media, printed publications are still a big thing. According to the International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circulations, “more than half the world’s adult population read a newspaper: more than 2.5 billion in print and more than 600 million in digital form.” Clearly, people are still into printed publications.
To leverage printed publications for your business marketing, you simply have to pitch a number of outlets targeting your audience. Using press releases, you can land a spot on their pages and get your message across to your target audience.
Lend a helping hand.
As an expert in your field, you most likely have knowledge about subjects that are confusing for people. Take up radio shows or land columns in local publications to speak about specific issues relating to the industry.
The idea is to use these opportunities to teach people things they don’t know, address lingering industry-related concerns, answer questions, and provide informative knowledge.
When you do this regularly, word will spread about you, and people will be dying to get to know your business.
