|
Marketing Offline Like The Pros
Marketing offline is a
great way to compliment your online campaigns. It helps
target people who otherwise might not spot your online
presence. Plus it helps you target people who have Internet
access and email when you include your URL or web site
address in all of your ads. To help you make the most
of your offline marketing, here are a few tips from
the pros:
1. INSERTS – Ask for media kits
from print publications that target your industry readers.
Find out their rates for inserts. And have their advertising
department help you create a marketing insert for your
products and services that targets Internet users and
includes your URL and email address. Do include a phone
number (toll-free, if possible) for those who have technical
difficulties or prefer to call.
2. TEACH - Hold affordable (or free)
offline classes at a local community center or other
educational facility. Share your knowledge in your area
of expertise with attendees. And make sure to distribute
handouts with complete contact information, including
your website and email address.
Be pro-active and post-active by announcing your classes
in a press release to the local media; radio, television,
print publications. And follow up by inviting students
to enter feedback and referrals in your website form
after the class if over. Capture their contact information,
enter it into your database, and follow up regularly
– sending them your ezine and product / service
announcements, both via email and regular postal mail.
3. ORGANIZATIONS - Target your offline
marketing to groups of people who will actually be interested
in your product or service; i.e. local associations
and organizations. Check your Yellow Pages for groups
near you and find out when their meetings are. Call
ahead to make sure guests are welcome. Then go and network
at an easy pace, not fast. Slowly work your way into
the group and make sure it would be a good fit for you;
you’ll want to give at first, then you’ll
receive later on (maybe after your first year, even).
Gradually distribute your business cards
– with your website and email address on them.
Volunteer to teach about your area of expertise if the
chance arises, of course distributing your marketing
materials with our website and email address on them,
too.
Use caution, before rushing to join
during or after the first meeting. Take your time to
make sure the group would be a good fit for you and
your business operations. Sometimes group operations
are lacking or suffer due to board member turnover,
the economy, new industry laws, etc. So you might benefit
from waiting to join for several months down the road,
or trying a different group all together.
So reach out and advertise offline to
compliment your online strategy. And remember to include
your website and email address on all of your marketing
tools.
1howto.com
--------------------------------------------------
Please
Share Your Tips with Us
|
