Do you run a small business and looking for some offline marketing ideas that can boost your sales as well as multiply the effect of your online marketing efforts?
As a fact of the matter, not all the businesses in today’s world can rely entirely on social media. In some cases, social media alone may produce awesome results, but it cannot be a long term solution and in order to get your business on a sustainable and scaleable growth track, you must use a combination of online and effective offline marketing activities.
This article will discuss five most important and highly result oriented as well as low-cost offline strategies that can significantly increase your online and offline sales in long term.
1- Targeted Networking; no matter, how technologically advanced we may become, the face-to-face and in person connection will always be the most valuable form of networking. And, in case of business networking, the more targeted people you meet, the more direct and referral traffic you can drive towards your website. Let it be a local community function or a trade show, your attendance can make a huge difference and if you happen to get a chance to be a speaker in such events, that can create a ten times bigger impact.
Attending trade shows and industry related events will bring bigger opportunities as you can network with other industry leaders and prospective buyers. However, to make most out of your networking efforts, you must have the relevant marketing materials ready. Do check this quick guide askaaronlee.com/business-marketing-materials/ to make sure that you have everything you need!
2- Cross Promotions; this can be a great way to give your small business a big boost, especially if you can find businesses with similar target market for a different type of product. For instance, you may develop a strategic partnership with a coffee maker to sell your coffee, or contact a local hair salon to sell your home made hair products and so on. Of course, there should be some benefit for the strategic partner, either in terms of value addition to their brand or a commission on the sales.
3- Hosting Coffee Mornings & Meetups; you may host an event once a month in your office or in a local coffee shop (hosting in a coffee shop is a good idea as you can get a great or may be free deal from them by taking them onboard ac co-host). Invite influencers from your target audience, bloggers, motivational speakers and your small event can bring you big success.
4- Printed Coupons/Flyers; luckily, you can create professional coupons, flyers and handouts for very little cost now a day, and using them intelligently, you can take your business to the next level with minimum effort. Distribute these coupons for XX% discount in the places where most of your target audience can find them conveniently and you will certainly see a big push to your sales. You may also print deals on your company cars and spread the word to a broader audience.
5- Media Giveaways; everyone loves to win a prize and radio and TV shows are already using this opportunity to get their audience actively engaged, and they are always looking for free products they can give away to their listeners and viewers. Offer your products/services as a prize in these shows in exchange for advertisements and publicity about your business and you should get a great response.
The Bottom Line:
There can be tons of other offline marketing options that can attract a massive audience to your business, but it requires parallel efforts to do necessary research and plan campaigns accordingly. From free products and low cost newspaper ads to hosting and attending tradeshows and consumer education events, there are hundreds of things you can do, but make sure your offer is something highly valuable. And yes, media sources are always looking for interesting stories, so work on becoming an interesting story and your business will find a rapid growth track at its own.
