In the world we live in now, online technology seems to dominate everything – social media, websites, SEO, you name it. It’s probably easy to think to yourself, “Awesome, I have a website now, who needs all these business cards in my drawer here?”
To that we say, hold your horses! Sure, using websites is the norm when it comes to marketing campaigns, but offline marketing strategies still hold their water. Don’t toss those business cards into the recycling bin just yet, and don’t hook yourself up to your computer entirely in order to reach out to your audience. These five strategies will continue to help you gain sales and earn new customers.
1: Networking in Person
While social media may be king online, that doesn’t mean it should be the end-all to meeting and greeting your customers. While networking online is just as effective, the fact of the matter is face-to-face networking remains the best way to connect with your clientele. Networking in person also allows you to provide a face or faces behind your company logo and brand, allowing customers to make a more personal connection rather than an online one alone.
2: Business Cards
One of the golden rules of any offline networking strategy is to own and distribute business cards. To this day, it remains one of the most effective means of offline marketing. They’re especially useful with those direct, one-on-one contact meetings. And it’s easy enough to add the link to your website on the cards!
3: Surveys & Referrals
To this day it’s crucial to back up your business’s good reputation with some positive feedback. As easy as it is to do so online with Google’s reviews and Yelp!, asking your clients to fill out a survey in your physical building can add a more personal touch to the word of mouth advertising you’re initiating. Getting your clients to fill out surveys in real life can also lead to future referrals, and thus more sales. You can distribute the best feedback in printed materials to back up your reputation too, as well as post them on your website!
4: Personable Photos or Videos, or Both
One of the best means of offline marketing is to represent the heart of your company – you and your team! Many people don’t seem to realize, or they forget entirely, that the best use of images online are boosted by offline efforts. Take photos of special events your company took part in and post them to your Facebook account, or share videos of your happy customers and the things they have to say about you on YouTube. By doing these offline activities first, you’re not only contributing to your community in person, but also backing up the facts that your company is well worth checking out online.
5: Special Discounts or Prizes
Who doesn’t love winning a prize? Discounts, coupons, and contest prizes never fail to garner interest when it comes to promoting your company offline, especially in your local newspaper or a magazine that fits your business’s niche. In fact, it’s estimated that 63% of Internet users in the US have used a coupon from a newspaper or magazine, according to one study. You can integrate online marketing with this offline strategy also, and really start improving both your offline and online traffic and sales.
Online marketing is only one way to reach out to your customer base, and it’s efficient to use for those who are capable of using today’s technology. However, some offline marketing strategies still result in good sales to this day. If you need help with either method of reaching out to your customers, then contact us at V3 Media. Not only do we help with online marketing strategies, but also we specialize in assisting with offline ones such as print design and brand development. You can’t go wrong either way!