Don’t Be Turned Off by Offline Marketing

No matter how much you invest in your online efforts, or digital marketing, you’d be remiss to ignore offline efforts entirely. As a small business owner, you are your best brand ambassador and you represent your business, practice, product, or service. So wherever you are and whatever you do, you have an opportunity to promote your business.

In a very broad and school-yardy kinda way, it’s all a popularity contest. The goal is to increase the popularity of your business via marketing efforts. So why not double your efforts by taking advantage of on and offline opportunities. It’s all about getting your name out there any way you can, and marketing yourself offline only amplifies your online presence.

The Offline Difference

Put simply, marketing is spreading awareness of your product using a slew of techniques, all with the same purpose: to draw people in. The difference between online and offline marketing is just in the title.

Online marketing entails any means of digital marketing–your website, reviews page (like Yelp), social media, blogs, email, paid advertising, etc.

Along with optimizing your website, online marketing can be done in several ways:

• Yelp: I mentioned it above because it’s an important marketing tool. Yelp offers you the unique opportunity to interact with your customers and get their feedback in the form of reviews. Responding to reviews shows that you care about customer satisfaction. People notice that, and may be more apt to seek your services or product, rather than your competitors.

• Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn…..you name it. Grab users’ attention on social media sites and draw them to your website, then to your business. Social media does wonders for marketing purposes (by endorsing your business on yet another outlet) and SEO purposes (by building backlinks and driving users to your site).

• Ads: Appearing in the form of banners within websites or atop search engine pages, ads can be located almost anywhere online and can keep your business on the mind of users, even if they were initially drawn to a competitor.

These are just a few of the many ways you can grow exposure online. On the other hand, offline marketing applies to more traditional, or old school approaches. These can range from television appearances to hosting charity events.

Here’s a few offline marketing techniques to take advantage of:

• Galas: Get gussied up and interact with others in your industry. Take the opportunity to share and gain insight, while spreading the word of your business. This is also a great opportunity to utilize another tried-and-true offline marketing tool…

• Business Cards: Your business succinctly summed up on a  3.5 x 2 inch canvas. In a way, business cards are the predecessors of websites for businesses–they encapsulate what you’re all about, tell where to find you and how to reach you, and are meant to draw people in.

• Public Relations Efforts: Interact with the media, schedule newsworthy press events, and have them share your story. Build mutually-beneficial relationships with journalists; they get news to write and you get exposure. Everybody wins.

• Television Appearances: People still watch TV, and appearing on a daily talk show or news special is a great way to introduce your business to people that otherwise wouldn’t have been exposed to it. If a television appearance or commercial is out of your budget, consider radio or print advertising.

Like the Circle of Life (Or Marketing), Everything’s Connected

Everything you do offline brings attention to your online presence, and everything you do online brings attention to your offline presence. For instance, have you ever been to a baseball game and seen the outfield wall decorated with a certain doctor’s image? Well, guess what…that image almost always contains a URL directing people back to his website. In this case, offline efforts enhance online efforts. Get it? It’s all connected.

Marketing is a two-way street. Maybe you’ve partnered with a digital marketing company to tirelessly promote your business on the World Wide Web. Good job! But to maximize your marketing efforts, the ball’s in your court to work tirelessly to promote your business offline as well. Maybe that means coming up with special in-store promotions, passing out flyers, creating a referral program, or holding contests and giveaways. Regardless of the method, make sure that whatever online or offline marketing channels you choose are the most effective to bring you the results you want.

To enlist the aid of our savvy digital marketing specialists to help with your online marketing, look no further. Contact us and start on the path to growing your business.