We’re in the digital age where so much is being done on the internet, from shopping and banking to webinars and classes. Marketing is also not left behind.
Business owners are now able to market their products and services online effectively using social media, paid ads, content marketing, and so on.
With so much focus being put on digital marketing, some marketers have stopped using traditional offline marketing strategies to market their products and services.
However, these traditional marketing methods are still very effective, and you need to incorporate them into your overall marketing strategy in order to expose your product/service to as many potential customers as possible.
Here are 10 different marketing strategies you can use to grow your business offline.:
- Turning Your Current Employees into Brand Ambassadors
- Forming Industry Partnerships
- Hosting/Attending Local Events and Contests
- Participating in Networking/Industry Events
- Creating a Customer Referral Program
- Showcasing Your Brand on Product Packaging, Merchandise, Vehicles, and More
- Promoting a Free Consultation
- Using Local Media to Market Your Product/Service
- Joining Business Groups in Your Local Area
- Advertising Your Business Through Print Media
1. Turning Your Current Employees into Brand Ambassadors
Word-of-mouth marketing remains one of the most powerful offline marketing strategies for bringing in new customers and boosting sales.
This is mainly because consumers trust positive reviews of products or services they want to buy, especially when the reviews come from someone they know and trust.
As a business person, you can use this to your advantage by encouraging your current employees to be your number one brand ambassadors. Since they understand your product (or service) well, they’re best suited to promote your business to their families, acquaintances, and friends.
Make sure you’re treating your staff well so they’ll feel good about working for you. Also, consider offering them incentives to encourage them to refer new customers to your business.
Some of the incentives you can give include:
- Vouchers for restaurants, massages and movie nights.
- Memberships to their preferred publications.
- Sleep-in days
It’s equally important to train them on how to market your business effectively to prospects and give them the right tools for the job.
The right tools here can be anything from special discounts for the referred clients to printed coupons and anything in between.
2. Forming Industry Partnerships
Another offline marketing strategy that can help grow your business is partnering with complementary businesses within your industry.
This strategy gives your business twice as much exposure and visibility and allows you to access new customer bases that you may not have access to if you are on your own.
Here are two examples of industry partnerships that offer mutual benefits to both parties:
- A marketing firm partnering with an accounting firm and the two recommending each other’s services to their clients.
- A beauty therapist partnering with a hairstylist and offering manicures and pedicures to the hair stylist’s customers while the hair stylist offers hair styling services to the beauty therapist’s customers.
3. Hosting or Attending Local Events and Contests
Local events such as weekly farmers markets and contests provide the perfect opportunity to know your local community better and expose your product or service to a wider audience.
Therefore, if you have enough resources to host an event in your local community, go ahead and do so. Alternatively, you can partner with local complementary businesses to host an event and share the costs.
However, if hosting isn’t an option for you, you can always attend local events and find some way to offer value. For example, you can donate your product/service to be used as a contest prize.
Just make sure that the product/service you’re donating is branded to help increase your brand awareness and visibility.
4. Participating in Networking/Industry Events
Networking events such as trade shows also provide a great opportunity to meet and network with different business minds within your industry and get to know where the market is headed.
You also get to showcase your product or service in front of numerous prospective customers, which helps greatly to generate leads and sales for your business.
So, make it a priority to attend and participate in networking events, and don’t forget to carry well-designed business cards with you to hand out to anyone who shows interest in your business and products. You can use Eventbrite to find upcoming business events in your area. Additionally, whenever you are attending a networking event, make sure you polish your elevator pitch.
5. Creating a Customer Referral Program
Another way to grow your business offline at a low cost is by setting up a referral program for your existing customers.
The words of your existing customers are very powerful when it comes to convincing new clients to buy from you. Therefore, encourage them to say something positive about your business and refer their friends, acquaintances, and family members to buy from you.
In exchange, offer them a free product, discount, or any other reward each time they bring in a new client. Whatever reward you give them for referring new clients to your business will pay for itself over and over again, so don’t see it as a loss.
6. Showcasing Your Brand on Product Packaging, Merchandise, Vehicles, and More
You can also market your business offline by putting your branding image, color, and words on things like company vehicles, clothing, merchandise, product packaging, equipment, stationery, and so on.
Doing this increases your brand awareness and visibility, which is the first step in getting potential customers to buy from you.
7. Promoting a Free Consultation
Also, if you’ve established yourself as an expert in your niche, you should consider offering a free consultation (for 30 to 60 minutes maximum), and promote it via word-of-mouth, newspapers, signs, pamphlets, etc.
Some business people may not like the idea of offering their expert services for free because they fear revealing too much information to potential clients who will just run away after gaining from them.
While this may be partly true, there are many potential clients who will see the value in the free information you provide and will be convinced to use your services afterward.
So, go ahead and offer a free consultation if it’s ideal for your business. It’s one of the most effective ways to generate leads and sales for your business.
8. Using Local Media to Market Your Product/Service
You also need to establish a good relationship with local TV stations, radio stations, and newspapers and promote your business through them.
Here are a couple of ways to increase your brand visibility and exposure through local media:
a) Write a Column – Consider writing a column for your local newspaper. This may not be a paid position, but it offers you a great opportunity to build trust with your target audience and gain exposure for your business. So, make sure that every article you contribute is adding value to the lives of your readers.
b) Get interviewed on your local radio or TV station.
c) Run ads in your local newspaper to promote your business.
d) Contact your local newspaper to see if they can write a good story about your business. For example, they can write about the local charity you support, the local sports team you sponsor, and so on. The more meaningful your story is to your local community, the better.
9. Joining Business Groups in Your Local Area
You might also want to find out if there are business groups in your local area and join. If you can find a niche-specific business group, even better.
Such groups are made up of business owners just like you, so it’s a great opportunity to exchange ideas, identify new business opportunities, share referrals, expand your network, and more.
10. Advertising Your Business Through Print Media
Lastly, printed promotional materials such as posters, flyers, and brochures are still highly effective in catching the attention of potential customers offline and making them aware of your business.
Distributing them in popular places such as shopping malls and parks can help make your business more visible to your target audience.
Just ensure that the printed materials you distribute are of high quality and have your essential business information such as the name of your business, physical address, phone number, and website email address.
This is important because it enables potential customers to call you or locate your business easily.
Other than posters and flyers, you can also advertise your business on billboards, especially in high-traffic areas, to help spread the word about your brand, product, and services.
Summary
As you can see above, there are many effective offline marketing strategies for marketing your products and services, such as partnering with complementary businesses, attending networking events, and creating a customer referral program.
Combining these offline marketing practices with digital strategies will go a long way in exposing your products/services to a wider audience and generating more leads and sales. To sum up, you might also want to know why you should never buy email lists.