7 Advantages of Offline Marketing
Just think about it, with online marketing you have a lot greater reach, you also have the tools to know exactly what kind of engagement and ROI each of these methods is generation. So, in this particular scenario, why would anyone in the right mind go for offline marketing? Well, there are more than several reasons.
First of all, this gives your business more legitimacy, seeing as how the concept of e-commerce and online business still sounds sketchy to a lot of people. Second, you get yet another channel to reach out to your audience, which is always a huge plus. Finally, you get a completely new field of marketing that is often neglected by many of your competitors. With that in mind and without further ado, here are the top seven advantages of offline marketing.
1. It boosts your digital marketing, as well
The first thing you need to understand about offline marketing is the fact that it can be used as a tool to promote your online efforts. How? Well, there are numerous methods. First of all, you can print out your social media handles and URLs on your promotional materials. We’re talking about listing this as contact info on your business cards, flyers, brochures and other merchandise. You can even do this on T-shirts, hats and umbrellas. Overall, this would make each of these items drive traffic to your website.
Other than this, there’s the possibility of using guerilla marketing in order to go viral. People share interesting real-world content on a daily basis. So, if you invest in an incredible piece of street art, chances are that people will take photos of them and post these photos online. Moreover, they’re also likely to tag you on this content or add your hashtag down in the description. Even a tag mention in the title/caption can serve its purpose. In other words, this is a way for a traditional piece of art to transfer its influence in the digital environment.
2. They’re reusable
Another major advantage of offline marketing is the fact that it can be reused. For instance, if you hire the services of a digital marketing agency, you’re getting their services only for as long as you keep paying them. On the other hand, with these promotional materials, you get a certain supply and all the items that you don’t use right away, you get to use on a later date. The best part of it all lies in the fact that these items, when stored properly, will last indefinitely. This means that it’s a great long-term investment for you to consider.
Apart from this, you need to bear in mind the fact that there are so many future occasions where you’ll have the opportunity to use these items. During the next trade show, next campaign or next meeting with potential clients, partners or investors, you’ll already have the supply of these items. With all of this in mind, the idea of ordering in bulk from agencies like All Star Graphics may sound even more appealing.
3. The rule of seven
The next thing you need to understand is the rule of seven. You see, there’s a popular theory about the customer life-cycle. What this means is that before they can become a paying customer, a person has to go through several stages. First, they just hear about your product. Next, they get to learn a thing or two about you. Then, they’re interested and want to find out more about your brand. In the majority of cases, all of this takes place before your audience finally decides to engage your brand.
The rule of seven is a more pragmatic approach to the concept of the customer life-cycle, which claims that in order for them to become a paying customer, a person has to interact with your brand on at least seven separate occasions. With the help of promotional products, your brand will always be somewhere out there. A mug with the logo of your company is a constant reminder of your brand and this is something that will subconsciously advocate for your brand at all times.
4. The variety of choice
Another amazing opportunity that you get from this amazing option is the fact that you get to experiment with design in any way you like. This means that you can play with your logo and try to see all the different shapes and sizes that you can reshape it in. Next, you get to explore different uses of your brand colors and fonts. For instance, while Coca-Cola changed their tag, in some campaigns, they still maintained their recognizable font and background. This way (even without labels in some campaigns) their customers were able to recognize their cans. This kind of innovation is usually welcomed by the audience.
Other than this, there’s the fact that you can print on so many different things. You can start with promotional t-shirts, hats and umbrellas and proceed to billboards, flyers, etc. Other than this, your product packages are also a major part of your offline marketing and it’s also a way for you to artistically express yourself.
5. Great for live events
One of the best ways to promote your business offline is via trade shows and seminars. There are several reasons why this is the case, ranging from the fact that you get an opportunity to mingle with your target audience in person, all the way to the fact that you get to “feel out” the industry in person. In other words, you get to measure up your own presence here to those of your closest competitors and, based on this, you get to see exactly how you’re doing. Still, in order to ace this event, you need to go there in style, which means going well-prepared.
First of all, you need a branded stand and promotional materials that you are going to distribute on the event. Second, what you need is a plan, as well as a skilled and trained team of professionals. Remember that all your most significant competitors will be here and you’re all vying for the same piece of attention. In order to make your presence at this event count, you need to outcompete them all. During this live event, you’ll have all the opportunity you need to show your prowess with these offline business promotion methods.
6. They generate value
In order to establish a stronger connection to your audience what you need to do is generate some value for them. The best thing about offline marketing is the fact that this can be done so effortlessly. You see a promotional umbrella has pragmatic value, same as the t-shirt, a mug or a branded flash drive. In other words, by giving the person the item that your logo is printed on, you’re already giving them something useful for free. Needless to say, your logo on the item will immediately create a positive link with your brand in their mind.
On the other hand, when speaking about traditional commercials, what they can do is help entertain and immerse your audience. You see, not everything of value has to be pragmatic and there are many different ways for you to appeal to your target audience. There’s one more advantage to this, which is something that we’ll discuss right away…
7. Not everyone is online
You need to remember that, even in this day and age, not everyone is online. There is a lot of older audience who might be interested in your products or services. For instance, if you’re in the landscaping or gutter cleaning business, you need to keep in mind that the homeownership rate amongst millennials is still relatively low, while it’s almost non-existent amongst the generation Z. This is true for many other industries, as well. For this audience, the analog approach is the only sensible solution.
You also need to keep in mind that even amongst those who do belong to the digital generation, nostalgia may have a strong appeal. Moreover, not everyone is online all the time, which means that there’s still a chance that someone amongst your target demographic will notice you add or a promotional product in the real world. Needless to say, reaching out to them in this way will just add more depth to your organization, create another channel and ensure that you’re taken more seriously.
In conclusion
As you can see, the list of benefits that come from offline marketing is quite lengthy. Therefore, even if you are doing business in the digital world exclusively, it might be worth your while to make a slight investment in old-school marketing, as well. This way, you get to boost your reputation, increase your traffic and even enhance your engagement rate. With so many benefits on your side, it seems quite reckless to ignore the concept of offline marketing altogether.
Stella Ryne is an art historian, traveler, conscious consumer and a proud mother. When she is not trying to improve the things around her (and herself, for that matter), she likes to lose herself in a good book. Stay in touch with Stella via Twitter and Facebook.
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