Free / inexpensive offline marketing methods
- Mouth to mouth – references from friends, family, colleagues, etc.
- Brochures – brochures, newsletters, brochures, business cards, etc.
- Mark – put your website URL on clothes, household items, your car, etc.
- Telecommunication – talk to clients on the phone
- Direct mail – deliver brochures, thank you letters, important documents, etc.
Paid offline marketing methods
- Television advertising – sellers, infomercials, etc.
- Radio advertising – conducted primarily through talk shows (specified for local areas such as cities or towns)
- Billboards -increase the size of your ad on highways and high traffic areas
- Printed media – newspapers, newspapers and magazines.
- Joint ventures – partner with other offline businesses
- Press releases – newsworthy stories about your company that are sent to the media
A quick perspective
With the power of the Internet and the fact that various companies are now moving online, some people are probably wondering, “Why stick with traditional marketing?” Well that’s the question I’m about to answer as I show you the pros and cons of traditional marketing and tips on how to overcome the cons.
Advantages of traditional marketing
Faster results
Many forms of internet marketing, such as search engine optimization and banner ads, can take several weeks before real results begin to occur. You just won’t get the top 5 SEO website rankings overnight or even in the first month. Additionally, banner ads are reportedly becoming less effective today and may also take some time to produce sufficient results. However, traditional marketing can produce much faster and more effective results with well-placed ads that are suitable for a particular audience. You can expect a stronger impact in less time with traditional marketing.
Durability
The truth is that many websites get deleted, moved or abandoned all the time and search engine results change periodically as well. Offline advertising has no such uncertainties in any way. You can give someone your business card and that same reference can be valid 10 or 20 years later. The same is true for brochures and posters, although brochures have a slightly shorter life expectancy than business cards. The point is, a business is more durable offline than online.
Confidence
This could be the number one advantage of offline marketing. Trust is a fundamental factor in any business, regardless of how it is promoted. Many people are more comfortable buying ad products offline than they are on the Internet. The reason is that you can see the people or companies that you are interested in buying and get to know them a little before you buy. Most of the time, many advertisements and websites online do not provide the same look of trust. The persistence of countless scam sites on the Internet only makes the problem worse. Therefore, trust is more established in traditional marketing than it is on the Internet.
Disadvantages of traditional marketing
Cost and expenses
Marketing in print media or live broadcasts, such as television and radio advertising, is not cheap at all. The larger the geographic area you want to cover and the more popular the company you advertise with, the more money you’ll spend. What makes it even more terrible is that if you don’t place and promote your ad well enough, you can find yourself on the bad side of the cost / reward ratio and lose money.
Tip: It is always best to use the marketing methods that are within your budget and start using the most expensive ones once you start to get more sales for your business. So if you can’t afford the high costs of print media, as well as television and radio advertising, then stick to free and low-cost methods for now, like brochures and word of mouth.
Availability
The time limitation is probably the biggest traditional disadvantage of marketing. Online websites operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, while many offline businesses generally operate between 6 and 12 hours a day and only 5 days a week. If you were to do the math and calculate the time difference between the two, you would get an approximate answer of 2 full days and an additional 12-18 hours a day, which equates to about 4 1/2 days total to the lost week. online websites. That’s A LOT of time that could be used to win more leads and make more sales.
In addition to having less time to market a business offline, you also have the problem that customers can contact you whenever they want. Most offline businesses don’t provide email, which means customers have to wait until the next business day that you are open or they have to leave a voicemail on your phone and wait until you get back. contact them. For many people, this can be very annoying.
Tip: While there is nothing you can do to keep the internet running 24/7, you should do your best to be available as much as possible, even at night. That is why it is VERY important to have an email and phone number in your contact information so that you can reach your clients immediately or the next morning.
Personal
Most offline businesses require some kind of manpower to maintain them, while the internet provides enough tools and support for people to usually maintain their business on their own online. Not to mention the added stress and responsibility of having to monitor your workers’ attendance and overall performance. The broader the demographic you are trying to cover, the greater the need for staff. This means that more money goes out of your business income and into the pockets of your employees.
Tip: If you want more people to buy your product or service in a larger region, then you will need a much larger staff to help sustain your business. Better to focus more on recognition and sales before wider distribution comes into play.
Final thoughts
As you can see, there are many offline marketing methods that you can use to successfully promote your business offline. Along with the advantages and disadvantages of traditional marketing in general, it is clear why you should incorporate offline marketing in your business.
