Offline marketing is just as important as digital regardless of whether you’re an ecommerce store, a brick and mortar with one or two locations, or a service provider. Being successful offline can impact your online presence as customers will post about their purchases or experiences on social media, helping to bring their friends to your business.
As people leave reviews on your Google Business Profile page, this sends a signal to Google, and you may improve your search engine optimization (SEO) for local searches. When your customers leave a review or like your page on social media, other people who look up your page will see people they know in real life who also like your company, adding a layer of trust and credibility.
If you run a TV advertisement, it could bring people to search engines and your website, and although it looks like digital marketing brought the customer to you, it could have been your offline marketing strategy that drove the first touchpoint and brand exposure.
If you’re ready to start marketing offline to grow your small- or medium-sized business, here are more than 27 offline marketing strategies with tips and ideas for implementation, whether you sell products, offer a service, or operate multiple ways. This guide is in alphabetical order and organized by the type of offline marketing strategy.
- Advertising
- Partnerships
- PR and media
- Sponsorships
Advertising
Advertising is an art form for small business owners and one of the most effective advertising strategies, as people begin taking action as soon as the ads start running. You can capture the person’s attention and bring your brand front and center to a captive audience.
By knowing who your customers are, you can reach them when they’re researching, ready to spend, or looking for a distraction.
Here are some of the places you can run advertising to a targeted audience and help get feet in your door, contact forms filled out, and phone lines ringing.
- Bathroom advertisements in a stall or by the sink are the perfect way to get a captive audience looking for something to focus their eyes on. You can run them at hotels, in bars with specific types of clientele, or some entertainment venues. It is one of the few places where people do not want to avoid an ad, so your message gets a non-distracted viewer.
- Billboards can be effective when you want to bring leads in for a service business or foot traffic to your physical location, as you can position them in neighborhoods or along roads where people are likely considering their options. They work great for multiple types of small businesses including restaurants and tourist attractions on highways, and for real estate investors in cities. If you’re thinking about expanding your small business, try a billboard in the new location to test the waters before committing.
- Bus stops give people waiting to go to work, run errands, or who are on their way home something to look at and absorb. Unlike TV or radio where you have to be at the right time and right moment, it is there for the duration of the media buy. It isn’t just bus riders that see your business. It is cyclists and tourists walking by, people walking their dogs, and drivers heading to their destinations.
- Commuter papers in major cities have captive audiences and give the person something to do while they’re on their way to work. Advertising something fun to do like a nice happy hour, a concert coming up, fitness bootcamps, or festivals can give the person some excitement and may make them look you up as an escape from their everyday commute to and from work.
- Community boards are where you add a flyer which is normally free to do and you can find them at grocery stores, college campuses, and community centers. People browse them while waiting for family or friends, and when wandering around, giving you exposure for next to no cost.
- Coupon books and local guides are widely used by the subscriber base. They pay for the book or opt in to discover deals for services, products, or things to do on the weekend as a family or for date night. These books and guides spend their own money building an audience, and you can get in front of them for a small advertising fee and a potential first time or limited-time discount.
- Movie theater screens are a great way to reach a target audience as you can run on specific screens in certain zip codes, and on specific movies. Matching the movie’s audience to your own audience helps you get in front of potential customers that may not have shopped in a while, or a general audience that could be hungry after the movie and come to your restaurant. Run a QR code for a deal or discount, or to get them to sign up to your email list so you can send them a coupon they can use if they bring their movie ticket stub.
- Newspapers may seem outdated, but there are large demographics that still subscribe and have them delivered. There are also commuter papers with captive audiences traveling in major cities, not to mention the digital editions where you may be able to do a hybrid media buy. They may not be as effective as they were in the past, but they are an option to consider if your audience skews older or in areas where digital media is consumed less often.
- Shopping carts are a great way to drive demand for local service providers, doctors or dental practices, and other places. You can match the retail store, whether it is convenience or grocery, to your own audience, and reach people within the zip codes you want to attract. If you want a retailer to keep stocking your product, try advertising your product and the aisle it is in to increase demand from people already in the store.
- Trade publications from associations that professionals and workers join are also options. The trust of the publication passes on to the advertisers that support and sponsor them. See how you can sponsor their newsletter, mailers, and set up a booth or display at their annual events.
- TV is a great way for local businesses to drive foot traffic to their stores and increase online demand by displaying an online-only deal. You can target your audience based on network demographics and the times of day they may be watching.
Partnerships
One of the least expensive but most effective forms of offline marketing is partnering with complementary companies. There is no right or wrong way to do this, and you’re only limited by your creativity. There is a bonus in both brands getting the trust passed from the referring partner. That’s the beauty of partnerships as a marketing strategy for small businesses.
- Beverages or food items named after your business are a great way to build awareness for your brand. A happy hour bar could name a drink after a local medspa that does hydration drips and rejuvenation, and the medspa could call a facial mask or treatment the name of the restaurant.
- Cross promotions with similar types of businesses keep customers flowing to each company in the partnership. You can place brochures on each other’s countertops or do a bundle deal where customers get a discount if they use all vendors. Photographers can partner with florists and bakeries for bundling packages. Maternity clothing retailers can partner with baby furniture and carriage stores for discounts.
- Discounts with ticket stubs or receipts can work great if people bring in something from another business like a ticket stub after a concert, show, or movie to get a free appetizer or discounted meal, and the entertainment venue can do a drink discount if the person had dinner at the restaurant before by bringing their receipt.
- Offering a service to a local organization like a religious group or non-profits including fire departments or animal rescues for free gets you exposure to their members. Yes, you work for free, but their customers or members see your services, whether it is food samples or headshots. Make sure to collect email addresses and phone numbers so you can follow up and bring them to your business afterwards if they enjoyed the experience when you volunteered your services.
- Sign-in windows of coffee shops, cat cafes, or lounges are a great way to reach niche audiences. People like to see companies that are trusted by the establishments they enjoy spending their free time in, and the exposure typically only costs you placing one of their flyers in your window, an equal cross promotion, or the price of printing a piece of paper if they let you post for free.
PR and media
Being a local business gives you ideas and insights into trends that the media wants to cover.
Retailers see what is trending, color and style-wise, with clothing or which toys will be most popular and can share this with the media as a subject matter expert. Photographers, florists, bakeries, and caterers know what will be trending for weddings and how to save money when planning.
Service people can provide professional guidance on how to weather-proof your home for winter and summer seasons including running water, setting temperatures, and what to do before leaving for vacation to help deter burglars. Using your insights as a small business owner is how you can get coverage in the media to drive brand awareness and revenue.
- Bloggers that cover the community may be open to featuring your business if you offer kids-eat-free promotions, have exclusive events as new products launch and they get an invite, or when you’re doing charity work that benefits the people they write for.
- In-store events and fundraisers bring people to your business and have them market your company for you. You only need to provide the space for them to host the event or give them a portion of the revenue made that day, which can be put toward their fundraiser or cause.
- Pop-up shops are perfect for bringing new foot traffic into your location if you have the space available. It keeps your store always having something new and has other small business owners bringing their customers to your location, so you get the foot traffic and potential sales.
- Local TV stations are on the lookout for feel-good stories as well as people who have insights into market trends. If you’re a real estate title company, you likely cannot disclose client information, but you can disclose trends on how many properties are being sold and if it is at higher or lower values than expected. If you’re hosting an event for charity, let your local TV station know. They may show up to cover the event.
- Local newspapers need stories that are unique and original. Be a subject matter expert for them by sharing the things you know, like what will be popular for holiday gifts by age range or demographic and which toys will be in demand over summer break to keep kids active, learning, and occupied.
- Radio stations are ideal if your audience commutes to work, rides in ride shares to get across town, or just prefers informative news broadcasting. Think about which stations cover topics that you have information on and reach out to the producers of the shows to share that you’d like to be a resource for them.
Sponsorships
Sponsorships are more than paying money to see your logo on a flyer or stage. They are opportunities to engage with a community or get featured in the media. There is no shortage of ways to do this either. It all depends on how creative you can get.
- Community events happen in every city from the annual running of the chihuahuas in Washington DC to Gasparilla in Tampa, or pie festivals. If you don’t have the money to sponsor a table or the event itself, sponsor contestants. Have someone in a costume wear your URL on a sash or create a fun promotion for the costume that stands out, so people take photos and share them across social media.
- Festivals are a perfect way to reach niche demographics as they can be split by interest, like music events where you can attract fans of rock n’ roll, hip hop, or country and physical fitness challenges like a yoga gathering. Your brand is associated with something the fans and attendees are passionate about, making it a positive association and touchpoint.
- Exhibitions like an art gallery display or a fashion show are ideal ways to reach a target audience. It could be modern art or classic works. These exhibitions normally have a drink sponsor and gift bag, as well as other opportunities for your brand to be featured. Make sure to get a copy of the email addresses from the attendee list as part of the sponsorship package so you can market to them later and require a thank you in the pre-show and post-show marketing materials with a link to your website.
- Groups like book clubs or scouting groups may be small, but they can be loyal and repeat customers. A sponsorship can be in the form of a discount.
- Schools are always looking for local companies to assist with supplies, from food and beverages to donations of supplies, time, or funds. Your company normally gets a thank you at the event and possibly signage. The students and parents will then associate your company with helping with their education.
- Specialty events like shelter adopt-a-thons may already have sponsorship packages. This is your opportunity to reach a crowd and have your products be used, so that your brand is associated with a good cause.
Traditional offline marketing strategies are just as effective as digital marketing, and the two can work hand in hand.
National Funding does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only. You should consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors.
