by David Lim
As Internet marketers, we are always looking for new ways to expand our online presence, whether it is another promotional campaign or a new and innovative link building strategy. But we always tend focus on the online medium, totally ignoring or forgetting that offline promotional opportunities. Many of us might also intentionally avoid offline marketing as it typically is very much more costly than advertising online.
But there is no reason that offline strategies cannot work just as well or even better than online ones. In fact, given that the online space is already overrun by companies trying to gain a foothold, offline marketing might actually prove more effective than the online world. And, if you choose your promotions properly, offline marketing campaigns can be run at a very affordable cost.
Business Cards
Business cards are cheap to make, they are small and you can easily slip them into your pocket or wallet. Which makes them ideal for leaving behind in public places in the hopes that someone will pick them up.
I am no fan of litter or blatant advertising, and they definitely will not do your company or website any favors, so before indiscriminately leaving a trial of business cards behind you, I would suggest that you make sure that your business cards are well-designed, attractive, entertaining, inspiring and educational, so that anybody would feel that it would be a waste to leave it for the trash bin and put it in their pocket instead.
Once you have such attractive business cards, leave them in places that your customers might frequent. Some possible places might be:
Between the pages of library books that your customers might be interested in.
Post them on public bulletin boards.
Give them out to friends, neighbours and people that you meet.
I'm sure that you can think of many other possible places but, whatever you do, make sure that you do not create a nuisance or an eyesore.
Bookmarks
Getting attracive bookmarks printed is another good offline strategy. Look around for good places to leave them behind but, as always, don't litter and don't create a nuisance. Remember that bookmarks are not as portable as business cards, and is useful only when you read, so do keep that in mind when you are looking for good places to leave them.
Leaflets
Promotional leaflets that are slipped under the door, put in postboxes and handed out to the public are another cheap offline advertising strategy. However, most of these leaflets end up in the trash without your customer even taking a second look. So, if you want to try this, your leaflet has got to stand out. Try to deliver value and not make your leaflet too promotional, and this strategy should work for you.
Bulletin Boards
Bulletin boards are another great place to promote your business. Look around your neighbourhood and you might find bulletin boards that allow you to put up your promotions. Some might charge a small fee but it is usually very affordable and well worth a trial to guage its effectiveness.
Advertising in Print Media
Advertising in the national or international newspapers and magazines would probably be out of the budget of many companies and websites. But, if you were to look around, you might be able to find local newspapers and magazines that charge a very affordable rate and cater to your specific audience.
Direct Mail
Receiving a letter specifically addressed to you still has a charm that an email or a direct message just cannot duplicate. Personalize the letter as much as you can, so that it would seem that the letter is from a trusted friend and not a marketer. And try to inform and entertain, rather than simply promote.
Conclusion
Promotions for a website, or an online resource, does not have to be limited to the online medium. While it is true that offline promtion can be expensive, and budgets are usually tight, if you choose your offline promotions wisely, an offline promotional campaign can be very friendly to your budget and effective as well.
David Lim is the webmaster of http://QuittingYourJob.com, a business resource for the entrepreneur looking to start, or grow an online home-based business.
This article may be reprinted freely, provided no changes are made, and provided the resource box above follows the article.