How To Promote Your Business Offline?

Whenever you try looking up tips on how to promote your business in the 21st century, chances are that you’ll encounter articles talking about email marketing, social media marketing, or SEO. Sure, these are some of the most effective marketing tools in existence today but does this mean that offline business promotion is outdated? Of course not! You see, there’s so much you can do in the analog world in order to strengthen the position of your business. This plays strongly on the sense of nostalgia of your target audience and puts you in an advantageous spot. With all of this in mind and without further ado, here’s how you can promote your business offline.

Print a Business Card

One of the most important things you need to do in order to promote your business offline is to learn how to design, print, and distribute business cards. No, this is not like distributing flyers or brochures. In some Asian cultures, there’s a whole etiquette (ritual) regarding how you should present a business card to a potential contact (with both hands instead of one, etc.). If you’re running an international business, you might want to print them in different languages on both sides. Overall, considering your business card strategy is far more important than you might have initially thought it to be.

Banners and Stickers

Since the dawn of time, banners and insignia were there to mark one’s territory (their domain). A similar thing happens in today’s business world. Banners, stickers, and corflute signs are always on the territory that your primary target audience inhabits – the territory that you operate on. Now, keep in mind that the content of these banners and signs doesn’t have to be limited to just your logo or company name. After all, you might use these offline means to promote your online presence. There’s nothing preventing you from adding your URL or your social media handles here, as well.

Branded Merchandise

The key to successful marketing lies in being able to provide value to your audience or promise them that you can actually provide value. With branded merchandise, this happens virtually on its own. A branded cup, umbrella, or t-shirt has the value of the original item. An umbrella is still an umbrella and the fact that it has a company logo on it won’t change this. What it might change is the fact that it serves as a constant reminder of your brand. It helps raise brand recognition and even reach brand awareness. Overall, while it does involve steeper initial costs, it more than makes it up with great ROI.

Build up your Curb Appeal

You would be surprised at how many people never intended to walk into your store until they encountered it while passing by. The problem is that this type of engagement is difficult to track, seeing as how you can’t really tell which of your buyers are there on purpose and which were just walking by. The difference here comes from your curb appeal. One of the ways you can start working on this is with the above-discussed banners and stickers. Keeping your store transparent and well-organized (or private, depending on your industry) could also make a difference in your bottom line.

Word of Mouth Campaign

Word of mouth promotions is similar to online reviews with three big differences. First of all, they have a lot smaller reach. Second, they’re harder to earn. Lastly, because of the two previously-listed cons, they’re far more credible and influential. The best way to actually earn word-of-mouth promotion is to be kind, professional, and efficient. Doing a good job and treating your customers right will earn you the reputation you’re looking for. Doing something unique or finding a way to make emotional provocation might make people talk about you, as well.

Sponsor Local Events

Sponsoring local events, local sports teams, and contributing to local charities is one of the best ways to establish yourself in the local community. This demonstrates your corporate values and allows your audience to see a more humanized version of your business. Second, it gives you a chance to show that you deeply care about the local community and that, as a business entity, you’re not strictly profit-driven. Most importantly, it gives you a chance for networking. These events are a great opportunity for you and your staff members to mingle with prominent figures in the local community.

Attend Relevant Industry Events

Attending tradeshows, seminars, and other industry-relevant events will put you out there on the map. Remember that you’re not just targeting the local community but also want to get to know your closest competitors and potential partners. The majority of people attending these events will fall under this category. Moreover, this will feel more natural than the traditional outreach, seeing as how networking is one of the primary reasons why people attend these events, to begin with. Just make sure that you go there prepared (tradeshow stand, business cards, printed materials, etc.)

Use Old-School Advertising

Radio and TV commercials are not outdated, neither are newspaper ads. In order to get more value out of this, you might want to adopt a more serious approach to promoting your business through these mediums. While the production and design of these methods might be a bit costly, the ROI is more than decent. Keep in mind that a surprisingly large audience older than millennials and Gen Z, still predominantly use these mediums. In other words, including this into your overall campaign helps you branch out.

In conclusion

The appeal of online business promotion is not so hard to understand. Its two strongest selling points are analytics and convenience. However, just because you don’t get the same level of analysis/understanding of your offline marketing methods, this doesn’t mean that they don’t provide value. A newspaper ad that provides a 10% conversion rate will do so regardless of whether you’re aware of this or not. Moreover, offline promotion methods are quite effective in boosting your online presence, as well.

Harrison Buckley is a business consultant. He has a deep passion for technology and on days when he is not busy at the office, he writes to share his knowledge with the world.