Leveraging Offline Sources
If you have a business website, you already know that you want your customers and potential customers to see it and interact with it. You may already be trying online tactics to drive customers to your website, like social media activity, PPC ads, marketing emails and the like. But did you realize that what you do offline can have a big impact in gaining new customers too? Try these 5 techniques to prompt more customers to find you online:
1 – Promotional Products: Order and distribute promotional products! These can be things like pens, small toys, memory sticks, or t-shirts. I recommend buying the highest quality products that you can afford to give away. If an item is poor quality or useless, it won’t stay with the recipient for long. Just be sure the item includes your company name, brand logo, website address, and phone number. Bonus points given for a QR code. In North Carolina, we recommend MarkaBull for the very best promotional products and service.
2 – Print Advertising: Contrary to popular belief, print advertising is not dead. Print advertising can be an effective means to reaching a niche customer. Trade magazines are a perfect place to try print advertising if your business caters to a particular industry. Print ads should be attractive, clear, and concise. Avoid being too wordy or using small font. Be sure to include your business website URL and a call to action. Try offering an ad specific discount or other incentive to help you track which new customers found you through the ad.
3 – Interact with the Public: go to events in your local community, especially those that are associated with your industry or niche. Go stocked with your high end business cards and print flyers. Sponsoring an event, such as a charity carnival, can be an opportunity to get your name and brand recognized, and build goodwill. This is also a great time to distribute those promotional products you bought in step 1. Whatever you do, get out there and interact with people!
4 – Print Mailers: Before you skip this one thinking that mailed advertisements are a complete waste, realize that for many important customer groups, a mailer is perceived as more trustworthy than an email. The USPS has a service called “Every Door Direct Mail” which enables you to target specific zip codes, areas of town, or even specific neighborhoods with your mailer. Visit their website to get started with their online mapping tool.
5 – Do your Homework: This tip may seem a little vague, but hear me out. We all know the phrase “Knowledge is Power.” Know your niche. Know your target audience or customer. Read everything you can, including back issues of trade magazines or materials relevant to your customer’s generation. For example, if your target customers are Millennials and you are middle-aged, then it may be time to immerse yourself in “their” culture. See “their” movies and try their popular social media apps. You will gain insight into how they think and act, which in turn will help you reach them. Knowledge is power, and what you end up doing with your newly gained knowledge is up to you.
To conclude, smart marketing isn’t only web driven. There are so many offline avenues to reach your target audience and ultimately drive them to your business website. Morris Marketing in Raleigh offers a wide range of marketing services to help you engage your customers. Call us today at 919-424-8314 for a free evaluation of your marketing plan.
