This document provides 25 tips for using offline marketing to build a business. The tips include using billboards, branded products, brochures, business cards, canvassing neighborhoods, charitable involvement, collaborations, community involvement, holiday cards, hosting community events, mobile billboards, networking events, newsletters, pole banners, press releases, primary product packaging, print advertising, promotional items, radio advertising, samples, secondary packaging, speaking engagements, sponsorships, trade shows, and TV advertising. All of these offline marketing tactics are presented as effective ways to supplement or replace online marketing efforts.
2. ... is a relic of the 20th century, it’s time to reconsider. With everyone obsessed with online
marketing, offline marketing stands out more than ever! Whether your goal is branding,
bringing in more foot traffic, generating prospects or closing sales, offline marketing activities
can effectively supplement or even replace online efforts. Here are 25 ways to make offline
marketing pay.
IF YOU THINK OFFLINE MARKETING...
3. Advertising on billboards increases brand awareness and may have a direct impact on revenue
— especially for local service companies. Billboard advertising is affordable and measurable,
and will be effective as long as people travel on wheels.
TIP NO. 1:
BILLBOARDS
4. Have you considered marketing your own private-label brand?
Private labeling enhances your image, reduces competition and encourages repeat sales by
turning a commodity into a unique item.
TIP NO. 2:
BRANDED PRODUCTS
5. Eye-catching, creative brochures make a powerful branding statement and convey the value
proposition of your products and services more memorably than website content. An impressive
brochure also makes small organizations look very big.
TIP NO. 3:
BROCHURES
6. A creative business card on high-quality paper stock makes a terrific first impression, gets your
name out there, builds the authority of your brand, and perhaps most important — makes it
easy for people to reach you when they need you.
TIP NO. 4:
BUSINESS CARDS
7. Going door to door with fliers or samples may not be glamorous, but hard work and a personal
touch pay off in dollars and cents. It is a tried-and-true option for local businesses such as
restaurants, landscaping, contracting and many more.
TIP NO. 5:
CANVASS THE NEIGHBORHOOD
8. Today’s consumers look for good corporate citizens as well as great products and services.
Besides doing good, getting involved in community fundraisers and participating in other
charitable causes create favorable impressions on prospects, and make the difference
between a sale won and a sale lost.
TIP NO. 6:
CHARITABLE ACTION —
FUNDRAISERS, EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION
9. Partnering with another firm extends your reach in the marketplace, makes your marketing
budget go further, and positions your business in a unique way. Also, collaboration with a larger
organization builds your credibility, improving the odds of making the sale.
TIP NO. 7:
COLLABORATION
10. TIP NO. 8:
COMMUNITY ACTION
Take an active role in the local chamber of commerce, clubs and associations — and watch your
reputation, referrals and new business opportunities soar. People go out of their way to do
business with people they know and like, especially when those people support the community
and local business.
11. In today’s email-obsessed, text message-obsessed world, you will really stand out from the
crowd by sending holiday greeting cards. Christmas, New Year’s, July Fourth — any special
occasion is an opportunity to touch customers and express real appreciation for their business.
TIP NO. 9:
HOLIDAY CARDS
12. Take community involvement to a higher level by hosting a fundraiser or other local function.
This type of extra effort puts distance between your company and the competition — and
generates excellent publicity in print and online media.
TIP NO. 10:
IN-HOUSE COMMUNITY EVENTS
13. Turn your car, delivery truck or service van into a rolling advertisement for your business! It
generates inquiries and orders, and makes your brand a known quantity wherever you travel. Be
sure your company name, phone number and service offering are easy to read.
TIP NO. 11:
MOBILE BILLBOARDS
14. It’s easy to find small, medium and large networking events in almost any area of the country.
They work, which is why they are usually so well attended. Networking events are a great way to
put your brochures, business cards and other offline marketing tools to good use.
TIP NO. 12:
NETWORKING EVENTS
15. Printed newsletters with relevant, informative articles, coupons, contests and company news
increase brand awareness, drive foot traffic, and are effective tools for getting new business
and solidifying relationships.
TIP NO. 13:
NEWSLETTERS
16. Pole banners on light poles and other street banners promote your brand, advertise sales and
bring in foot traffic. They get the attention of everyone, whether on foot or in a vehicle, making
banners one of the most versatile forms of marketing and advertising available to a local
business or organization.
TIP NO. 14:
POLE BANNERS
17. Getting “ink” in local, regional and national print media gives your business an air of credibility
that cannot easily be attained via online media. Smart, successful businesses are actively
engaged in public relations and nurture relationships with reporters covering their community
and industry.
TIP NO. 15:
PRESS RELEASES
18. If your shelf item is packaged in an unprinted or unimaginatively printed container, you have a
golden opportunity to dress it up and make your item pop off the shelf instead of sitting there
gathering dust. Manufacturers of high-end products such as jewelry and perfume know the
value of a first-class primary package, and it works for products of all kinds.
TIP NO. 16:
PRIMARY PRODUCT PACKAGING
19. Running a print ad in local papers, community magazines and trade publications enables you
to zero in on your target market. Ads are highly effective for brand awareness, highlighting key
product and service benefits, and generating inquiries and orders. In addition, print ads are quite
economical, with so much of the market ignoring them in favor of online ads.
TIP NO. 17:
PRINT ADVERTISING
20. Whether it’s a pen, refrigerator magnet or something more unusual, branded promotional items
work wonders as in-store giveaways, sales leave-behinds and trade show giveaways. The best
items are well made and useful to your target audience.
TIP NO. 18:
PROMOTIONAL ITEMS
21. Radio advertising is surprisingly affordable and effective for consumer and business-to-business
products and services. Radio ads build your credibility — after all, you’re advertising on the radio!
TIP NO. 19:
RADIO ADVERTISING
22. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, a sample is worth 1,000 pictures. If you have a sales team,
its members should be refilling their trunks with samples every night. In-store samples are a
natural for food industry businesses, and a mailing campaign with samples works for just about
any business.
TIP NO. 20:
SAMPLES OR SAMPLE KITS
23. If your product is transported in a brown shipping box, you can add your company name,
a sales message and contact information at a very affordable price, either by having the boxes
printed or adding a label. Don’t overlook this simple way to promote your brand and encourage
repeat orders.
TIP NO. 21:
SECONDARY PACKAGING
24. If you have a flair for public speaking, leverage it by booking speaking engagements
at trade shows, industry conferences, local business gatherings, etc. A great advantage
of public speaking: Your advertising is not only free, you may even get paid for it.
TIP NO. 22:
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
25. People fall in love with your brand when you sponsor local sports teams, community events and
educational scholarships. Sponsorships demonstrate your long-term commitment and desire to
do more than ring up sales. It’s this kind of activity that wins over customers for generations.
TIP NO. 23:
SPONSORSHIPS
26. Exhibiting or just attending trade shows is a superb opportunity for networking, entertaining
customers and prospects, forging new vendor and collaborative relationships, introducing new
products and services, and getting favorable news coverage.
TIP NO. 24:
TRADE SHOWS
27. Car dealers advertise on TV because it works, and it can work for your business, too.
TV advertising establishes your credibility, broadens brand recognition, and gives you an
opportunity to give prospects a high-impact visual sense of your company culture, products
and services.
TIP NO. 25:
TV ADVERTISING
28. This presentation is brought to you
by
Downtown Decorations
the one-stop shop for commercial decorations
www.downtowndecorations.com
6724 Joy Road East Syracuse, NY 13057
