Direct mail, networking groups – these marketing techniques can reach customers even in a post-digital age.

We’re used to discounting offline marketing strategy since digital is the new norm in all fields, but don’t get me wrong — offline strategies work in our digital age. Even the best digital marketing strategy can and should be matched with traditional marketing for optimum results.

What is offline marketing?

“Offline marketing — anything you do to promote your company outside the web. That means broadcast, banner advertising, radio and print advertising. While digital marketing is the new necessity for modern organizations — with the digital advertising industry projected to rise at $697 billion by 2030 — offline marketing is still growing, Prophecy Market Insights says. By 2023, Statista predicts that the total world spending on traditional advertising will reach close to $306 billion a year (vs. $304.9 billion in 2022), with worldwide average expenditure by 2023 ending at $304.9 billion.

For this media, you’re going to incur a CPM (cost per thousand impression) or $140-$1,300 for print ads and $2-$12 for digital ads.

While most marketers are now doing more digital advertising, offline media is a must. You company should invest in offline marketing to get in front of your consumers. The people you’re trying to contact aren’t online the same as others. Or perhaps the goods or services you’re promoting are not available online and, thus, better to be sold offline.

What offline marketing strategies do for online advertising?

Building brand awareness

So many voices competing online that your business can cultivate its brand awareness with some traditional forms of marketing. If you have an offline marketing campaign then the advertisers will be able to reach users that aren’t looking at their phone or computer and on social media all the time. It can also make certain brands unique from the others, if they have multimedia campaign.

Reaching your customers

Your organization’s audience might not all be in one place at all times. Others are on social media, others are not, maybe in the office or at the newspaper. Neither your company nor advertisers need to panic over who and how to reach. Advertising to multiple audiences helps advertisers capture the majority of their target audience instead of a smaller group.

Making your business look tangible

Even some clients can be suspicious if you only have a website for your company. Most of them want some form of proof that the company they’re working with is in fact there and will offer the product or services they’re buying. If you have an offline presence, then prospective customers can see that your company is a reputable one.

Top offline marketing strategies

Here are 9 offline marketing strategies to apply in digital age.

Direct mail and postcards

It’s not surprising that one of the steads fastest forms of advertising in a time when technologies shift hourly, a snail-mail letter. And hey, you know, snail mail. The greatest objection to physical letters is always the expense. But if you look at the numbers closely, the payoff is worth it: in the 2023 State of Direct Mail, 74 per cent of marketers say direct mail provides the best ROI of all their channels.

No spam filter to wade through, no one presses the Delete or Send to Spam buttons either. You can buy lists from a broker or you can mail geographically. Any potential deal that gets a response will end up on the fridge, corkboard or review shelf and probably seep out.

This puts your offer more exposure but is not intrusive, as email and text deals are very susceptible to becoming buried in the inboxes of recipients.

Off the sales letter, postcard marketing will help you send your ad straight into a specific demographic, and for a low price. The post office has Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM), where you can utilize a permit-free bulk rate, but select which ZIP codes you want to reach.

The supplement brand Predator Nutrition in the UK sent out holiday cards containing exclusive discount codes. It used its existing customer base and got three times the ROI.

Billboards

But billboards are still top space. And they are also one of the most abused media which is why you always see them changing. Use billboards to make a deal you cannot refuse. You can make similar offers relevant to your business, for example, one and get one oil change, two and get one free pizza or free teeth whitening. Even the most famous brand on the planet – McDonald’s – has billboards. Keep it simple.

Get a vanity URL and phone number so drivers don’t forget. For instance, rather than DrBraunsteinDDS.com, type BestDentistInCleveland.com.

Telemarketing

There are 34,013 telemarketing and call center companies in the United States as of 2023, which is 2.3 percent more than it was in 2022, according to IBISWorld. That’s not surprising as the number of telemarketing and call centre enterprises have grown at an average of 2.3 per cent per year since 2018. In addition, there are plenty of indicators for the industry to stay critical to the larger economy.

The most important thing to do in order for telemarketing to work is get trained in how to do it or outsource it to a call center that knows what they’re doing. And even if you decide to contract a telemarketer, insist on going over random calls the marketing team is taking so that they aren’t misrepresenting your business.

Swag

Swag (free stuff, or “stuff we all get”): This is the old-school way to get people to advertise for you. Giveaways such as personalized T-shirts, cups, pens aren’t just good to give away at conferences or events, but also to mail directly to influencers.

Research before you give swag to industry influencers, if at all possible. Figure out what they want and then construct it around that. It is how you will get them to put on your gear or advertise on their platforms.

TV (cable and broadcast)

TV is not in for the big online video coup anytime soon. Streaming services guarantee only consumer’s focus – sports included. Television is the priciest option on this list but can be a realistic option after you clear the production costs and start making money.

Radio

Radio, meanwhile, reaches 91 per cent of 18-and-olds, which is the largest share of any platform, Nielsen reports. With 90 per cent, only live and time-shifted television touches so much of the majority-age demographic. And the biggest reason for this is that radio outpaces all other audio outreach in the time spent per day by adults over 18. You don’t need to sell only on traditional FM radio, though. Podcasts, satellite radio and streaming services — Spotify included — are great for ads.

The gimmick here, says the late Fred Catona (aka “king of direct response radio”) is to stick to no more than 10 words for your radio campaign. He would tell me to use these 10 words over and over, it was the case with Priceline and FreeCreditReport.com.

Don’t forget to mention your company phone number and website multiple times on the radio advertisement. Just like the billboards, make your phone number and URL address easy to remember.

Coupon mailers

The group coupon mailers are not all bad like Valpak, Super Saver, Mega Savings, Money Mailer. This has the benefit that lots of people who would be interested know about the envelope and they see your offer. These are the coupons for group, which are usually cheap.

And the downside is, depending on your business, you may have several competitors in the same mailer. So don’t make it too much of a choice for your target customer when they are ready to buy.

Easy promotions are the secret to good coupon mailers. Include your business website and an app if you have it in so you are also getting digital ads.

Networking groups

No better way for customers to learn about what you offer than through an introduction. You are better off obtaining a new customer directly from someone who is a client or past customer of yours. You get the best referrals from people who like, respect and know you.

You’re so much more than just a webpage, video or LinkedIn profile once someone has seen you in person. Others, too, love to be of service — both to their friends and to a service company they trust.

In networking groups, you also get to create a contact database of the people you know that you can turn to with confidence and your customers value you even more.

If networking face to face, you’ll need to prepare your “elevator pitch.” The elevator pitch should be quick, simple, and to the point — 30-60 seconds maximum — that gets the listener interested and then asking for more. In an elevator pitch, you’ll want to start with a quick bio and company description, the issue your product/service solves, and why your solution is better than others.

Conferences

Conferences can be a great way to sell your small business offline. Meeting like-minded people, selling printed materials, meeting other companies and possibly even speaking at conferences are some of the benefits of a conference. Taking up speaking opportunities is the way to go for leads and conferences are such a popular place so there’s an excellent opportunity to market and network.

Even if you’re successful with internet marketing, it’ll only take your business to the next level by adding the offline marketing tools given above.