In the digital age, you may think online marketing is the only way to scale your business successfully, but is that true?
We all know we live in a fast-paced, digital world. This computerized environment impacts how we communicate, how our customers’ shop and how we promote our businesses. It is indeed a different time from when our parents and grandparents were employing their marketing strategies! Because of this, we know that we must utilize digital efforts when it comes to our businesses’ marketing and sales efforts.
Still, there must be a place for offline marketing strategies, right? Yes! Offline promotional marketing allows your business to connect with your target audience on a broader scale and helps you to create a memorable experience — rather than relying solely on digital efforts to make connections.
Maybe you are just getting your business off the ground and still putting your marketing pieces together. To help you, we will explore the types of promotional marketing, what offline marketing strategies are and how these play a role in your overall growth efforts.
What are the types of promotional marketing?
Before we get into the brass tacks of offline marketing, we need to fully understand all the types of promotional marketing to see the broader picture. Indeed.com states in its article, Examples of Seven Types of Promotions, “Promotional strategies are an excellent way for companies and organizations to communicate with a variety of audiences.” Each promotional element must be thought out and discussed as you develop your overall strategy.
Personal selling
This is what most people think of when they think of “sales” or a “sales team.” This strategy involves person-to-person conversation, and products or services are sold through a more personal connection, whether in person or over the phone. This type of promotional marketing is crucial because it builds relationships of trust with clients.
Sales promotions
Sales promotions are short-term sales initiatives such as discounts, coupons or giveaways. This strategy helps drive sales on specific products and introduce new customers to your business.
Digital marketing
Most of us are familiar with online or web advertising efforts at this point. Digital marketing utilizes content, search engine optimization, social media, email, and affiliate marketing to boost your brand, helping you reach a global audience.
Public Relations
When you envision public relations for your organization, try to think of it as the face of your brand. Public relations efforts involve campaigns around social media, press releases, publicity stunts and influencer endorsements. This can help not only enhance your brand but also protect it.
Sponsorships
For this type of marketing, you are bringing awareness to your business by paying to help fund a specific event or individual. Sponsorships are a great way to support your local communities and strengthen your credibility as an organization.
Direct Marketing
With direct marketing, your business reaches out directly to potential companies or individuals through direct mail, emails, or even telemarketing to advertise products, services and related deals.
General advertising
The area of general advertising allows you to reach a mass audience through areas such as newspaper ads, magazines, TV commercials and billboards. While these aren’t as targeted as the other types, it helps bring awareness to your brand.
According to Forbes, taking a balanced approach to your marketing strategy will involve all types of promotional marketing. It is up to you how you develop and implement your plan. Just be sure you understand that each plays a vital role!
What is offline marketing?
Now that we know a bit more about the types of promotional marketing, you may be wondering what offline marketing is and how it plays a role in the overall picture of your strategy.
To put it simply, offline marketing is any marketing efforts that take place offline. When you send out direct mailers, place ads in the newspaper or give away free branded swag, you are supporting your business. Offline marketing should be a part of the spectrum of your promotional marketing strategy.
While there are many different types of offline marketing, we have chosen a few to help you get started!
Pinnacle Promotions Top 6 Offline Marketing Strategies
#1 Newspaper & magazine ads
Newspapers and magazines are great, low-cost ways to get your brand out to a broad audience. While the number of views may be lower initially, it’s a great starting point for small businesses just launching their brand or products. The one downside is it can be difficult to track metrics.
#2 Direct mail
Another cost-effective solution to offline marketing is direct mailing. It’s especially useful for engaging older audiences. It can help your organization create a brand presence and promote discounts on products and services for new customer engagement.
#3 Billboards
We’ve all seen them on our daily commutes — billboards are great ways to reach a large audience quickly and effectively. The one downside is that you have to rely on the customer to complete the final step by reaching out via phone or on your website. That means you must ensure that your message and logo are clear, concise and compelling!
#4 Word-Of-Mouth
The tried and true marketing method, word-of-mouth will be a critical factor in building your brand loyalty. When a previous customer refers your company to their family, friends or neighbors, and you deliver consistent service, you can guarantee that word-of-mouth referrals will continue to spread.
#5 Radio ads & TV commercials
Both radio and television can give you some wiggle room to be creative and show off your brand using both audio and visual elements. Radio ads are a more cost-effective way to reach your target audience over commercials, but without the visual aspect, you will have to create a detailed message that conveys your brand and your products and services.
On the other hand, TV commercials are more expensive and don’t allow for last-minute changes. However, you can visually appeal to your customers.
#6 Promotional products
Last but not least (especially to us) are promotional products. Known as promo, swag and merch, promotional products are a great way to showcase your brand. Branded giveaways can provide your customers and business partners with a long-lasting way to showcase your logo.
The better the gift or giveaway, the more memorable the experience is for your customers.
Is offline marketing still worth the effort in 2022?
When it comes to promotional marketing and how offline marketing fits into your strategy, you must look at how each piece plays its role within your entire business plan. Offline marketing strategies aren’t the bad guy here. In fact, offline marketing should be evaluated and implemented to develop a comprehensive marketing plan that compliments your online marketing efforts.
For example, let’s say you are promoting a contest on your company’s social media pages for a free corporate kit with eco-friendly promotional products supporting Earth Day. You can get several kits full of branded items that you can easily send to your top clients, with one saved just for the winner of your social media campaign. It helps get the word out about your sustainability efforts, supports your digital strategy, engages your customer base and helps bolster your relationship with your top clients.
Offline marketing strategies do not play against your online marketing efforts but are just one piece of the whole marketing puzzle. It is up to you how you want to piece it together!
Let Pinnacle Promotions Help Piece It All Together
No matter what your offline marketing strategy may be, Pinnacle Promotions has a solution for you. We understand that offline marketing strategies require quality products, branded just the way you want them and delivered when you need them.
Our team of dedicated promotional marketing professionals can assist with sourcing products, build kits and even help you scale your business with MyPromo Solutions online stores. Think of us as an extension of your offline marketing strategy! To learn more about how we can help, call us today at 800.300.2007.