Offline Advertising Isn’t a Thing of The Past
Although most business people consider offline advertising a thing of the past, it’s not something that should be ignored. This form of advertising can help support your web presence, just as online marketing can promote offline businesses. If you refuse to complement your online advertising strategy with specific offline marketing techniques, you may be missing out on a significant amount of traffic and revenue. The key, as with any marketing strategy, is to measure and analyze what’s working to reap the rewards.
Use Analytics To Verify Success or Failure
One of the reasons businesses have moved away from traditional offline marketing techniques is because these methods can get quite expensive. However, analytics and conversion testing can fix that problem.
Call tracking is just one of the many analytics tools you can use to enhance the quality of your traditional marketing methods. Using a unique phone number for each advertising channel to analyze where the calls originate from using call tracking services can help businesses track the success of their campaigns, which can then be tweaked and optimized for better results.
The same method can be used to track unique URLs in print media. You can set up vanity URLs to direct users to a specific page and then analyze the traffic to the specific URL to see how well the print media piece is performing in terms of driving traffic to the website. Using analytics data like this can help you see which campaigns work and which ones don’t for your business.
A Modern Take on Outbound Marketing Strategies
Traditional outbound marketing tactics can be made more effective with unique, novel approaches. Since people tend to remember things that are innovative, you’ll want to make sure your approach to outbound marketing is one your audience has never before seen.
Try putting a modern spin on these eight offline advertising techniques to bring in new business, then make sure to track your performance with call tracking and other analytics tools.
- Direct-Mail Catalogs: Direct-mail catalogs are part of a balanced – and recommended – marketing diet. You can use these catalogs not only to introduce your products and services to customers and prospects, but also to point out promotional offers and allow clients to order the things they need via mail or telephone. In addition, you should include a web address where online catalogs can be found. This will help attract people who love to browse the internet and help them place orders online. So, why do direct-mail catalogs still exist — and why do they work? Because printed, tactile materials can be browsed, marked up and reviewed anywhere and at any timeThey can also be handed off to friends and family who may be interested in your product or service, expanding their longevity and reach. This tangibility can be used to your advantage. Use careful attention to design and detail to offer valuable and clever content that your customers can hold onto and treasure while telling the story of your brand.
- Flyers, Brochures and Business Cards: Using flyers and brochures is one of the smartest ways to promote your business, products, services and even your company’s website. Since ultra-glossy, high-quality flyers and brochures attract people’s attention immediately, they’re great for obtaining interest from existing customers and prospects. Flyers and brochures should provide an overview of the products and services you’re offering. Don’t forget to include your business address, contact numbers and details that may attract customers, like free home delivery and special discount offers. You can even include a special offer for patrons who share the flyer with a friend, like a discount for both the current and new customer. Place a call tracking number on your flyers to track and measure the success of your efforts.If any of these pieces are mailed, be sure to use A/B testing on your direct mail flyers or brochures and place a different call tracking number on each different card. Measure the success based on the amount of calls to each number.
- Cold Calling: It’s true that cold calling seems hopelessly outmoded. But if you execute it properly, cold calling can help you get a better response from potential customers than many other “modern” marketing techniques. A “cold call” is actually the beginning of a sales process that’s typically referred to as telemarketing. To ensure the success of your cold calling strategy, it’s critical to address important issues, such as the current economic climate, and explain how your products and services can help people solve those issues. If you’re interested in cold calling, it’s wise to hire a professional telemarketing service, which is capable of completing specific tasks such as call tracking and analytics. This will help you stay on top of your cold calling efforts to determine whether or not they’re delivering positive results.
- Radio Spot: A radio spot comes with numerous advantages, but being able to accurately target your audience is probably the biggest one. Since specific lifestyle and age groups are defined by the station’s format, it’s essential to choose a radio station that’s appropriate for your business. If there is a particular geographic area you want to target, work with local stations to reach your core customer. Keep your target demographic top of mind when finding a radio station to work with — otherwise, you could end up wasting valuable time and resources.
- TV Commercials: Contrary to popular belief, almost any small- or medium-size business can buy airtime from local television stations or cable companies. Besides the fact that you’ll get much lower rates compared to the broadcast television ad rates, you’ll enjoy the benefit of reaching a local audience that’s interested in your business. And despite many people choosing Netflix or other streaming services over cable, commercials have the highest effectiveness at attaining KPIs
- Billboards: Similarly, it’s relatively easy to get billboard space. Although billboards and TV commercials may seem dull on the surface, they work. The Arbitron National In-Car Study found that 71 percent of drivers “often look at the messages on roadside billboards,” and that billboard viewers “make shopping decisions while in the car.” Make sure yours stands out to make it memorable.
- Freebies: Most people love getting free stuff. Cheap gadgets, pens and key chains bearing your company’s logo not only invite others to visit your local business, but they also turn people into indirect brand ambassadors.As with any offline marketing deliverable, you’ll want to make sure whatever freebies you give out appeal to your customer. Keep design and audience in mind when handing out free T-shirts, magnets, coffee mugs, stickers or whatever else you decide to produce. The more attractive they are, the more likely they’ll to appeal to your target audience.
- Writing for Local Business Journals: Print advertisements still work and give you the freedom to play with creativity to reach your core customer. What could be better than sharing your expertise with like minded businesses. Contributing to local business publications is a great way to build credibility and establish yourself as an expert in your field. Getting your name out in your industry can help you build a community with your colleagues, allowing you to create a network that opens doors to growth opportunities.
Summary
Advanced technology forces business to adapt to new advertising techniques. However, traditional marketing methods, although often overlooked, can still help you propel your business forward on the money-making stream of the future. They key is to use smart outbound marketing tactics and tools to track the performance of your campaigns … and call tracking can help you do exactly that.