25 Tips To Build Your BusinessThrough Offline Marketing

... 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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you have a flair for public speaking, leverage it by booking speaking engagementsat 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

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

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

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

This presentation is brought to youby

Downtown Decorations the one-stop shop for commercial decorations

www.downtowndecorations.com6724 Joy Road East Syracuse, NY 13057