The fact that we’re well into the Digital Age doesn’t mean that offline marketing is dead.
Quite the opposite.
Now that everybody’s leveraging social media platforms, AI, email marketing and other strategies and tactics to attract the attention of their prospects, it’s a breath of fresh air to use some good, old-fashioned analog approaches in order to boost your brand.
The best way is to combine both digital and offline marketing and create a synergy that will help you stay on your target audience’s radar all the time.
1. Write Magazine Articles
This is an excellent tactic for establishing yourself as an authority in the field and drawing attention to your brand.
If you think that the days of such publications are behind us, you’re wrong. As a matter of fact, blog posts aren’t everybody’s cup of tea, which is why you can additionally expand your reach by being published in a more traditional format.
Contemporary magazines are targeted at a very specific audience, and they’re well-designed and visually appealing which is a big plus given that many people won’t even give a plain and aesthetically inferior read a second glance.
Make sure that you create relevant content which will address your readers’ interests and pain points and cover all your points in a compelling manner.
2. Give Away Freebies
People love merch, especially when it’s free.
So, it’s a good idea to print your logo on T-shirts, notebooks, pens, hats, flash drives, or anything that you know your audience will gladly use or wear, and host a social media contest or giveaway.
Showering your prospects with free stuff is great for several reasons:
- It’s a gift that keeps on giving – your customers will use it on a daily basis, which will boost your brand presence.
- Branded merch is somewhat like a walking advertisement, meaning that by wearing or using your freebies, your customers will improve your brand exposure and spread the word about your company.
- The Principle of Reciprocity is a powerful mechanism, and according to it, your prospects will feel almost obliged to make a purchase from you once you give them something for free.
3. Attend Trade Shows
Keeping pace with the latest industry trends, getting in touch with your potential customers and business partners, as well as being in the know regarding what your competitors are up to are all valuable benefits of participating in different trade shows.
Although there are numerous practical and effective channels of communication with your prospects, such as social media, IMs, as well as conference calls which are the next best thing to face-to-face communication, meeting other people personally and in real life is something that has no real substitute.
That’s why it’s essential to put your best foot forward, get an attractive, eye-catching display stand, and prepare to attract new sales leads. In other words, you’ll have to mingle a lot and collect as many business cards and email addresses as possible.
4. Use Direct Mail
Yes, email marketing is great and cost-effective, but you shouldn’t underestimate the effect that a nice, glossy catalogue can have over your prospects.
It’s true that pulling this off can be pretty costly, but it’s worthwhile because the catalogue we mentioned above, timely birthday cards, or a hand-written thank you note can do wonders for building loyalty with your audience.
People do keep these items around their houses and they like it when someone, even if it’s a brand, takes time to send them a best wishes card. It will undeniably humanize your approach and make your brand come off as thoughtful and caring.
5. Host Workshops
Sharing your knowledge and expertise with others is an act of kindness, and it can bring you a lot of positive PR.
By conducting relevant workshops, you’ll provide value to your target audience and teach them something new and help them learn new skills that they can later use in their professional or day-to-day lives. And here is a checklist for running that workshop.
Just make sure that your workshops are packed with good and actionable tips and pieces of advice – don’t organize them just for the sake of it and offer something that the attendees already know or something that won’t be of any use to them.
These 5 simple tips can point you in the right direction and show you how to make the most of offline marketing for boosting your online brand.