From the course: Small Business Marketing

Messaging offline

From the course: Small Business Marketing

Messaging offline

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- When we talk about marketing nowadays, we're usually really referring to digital marketing. And we use these two term interchangeably and it makes sense. Digital marketing has undoubtedly revolutionized the way businesses engage with their consumers. With digital marketing it's all about using the internet to promote your product or service. And with over 80% of the U.S. population on the internet it's evident why there's tremendous focus here. But it's still only one piece of the mix. Another important and often overlooked strategy is offline marketing. Offline marketing may also be referred to as traditional adverting, out-of-home advertising, or even outdoor advertising. Now there are a few nuances between each these terms but we don't need to get into it, they're roughly referencing the same thing. In a nutshell, offline marketing is using strategies such as direct mail, radio, print, cold calling, and networking to promote your business. All of these activities happen, as the name implies, offline. Offline marketing is well known thanks to it's long and established history. Despite how often we're on the internet everyday we still encounter some form of offline advertising. This can include an ad in the local paper, bench signage, a billboard on the side of the freeway, posters in store windows, or a print ad that arrives through snail mail. And sure, offline marketing channels have lost ground internet marketing. Truthfully, digital marketing spend is typically much higher than offline marketing spend. But that doesn't mean the spend is all dried up. Too often I see businesses interpret these statistics as meaning offline marketing is dead. And that's just wrong. There are still plenty of companies, large and small, using offline opportunities to drive sales with a positive return on investment. Small businesses might leverage ads in the local town paper, on the regional radio station, with flyers posted at the coffee shop, or even through direct mail. Larger companies might pursue billboards, television commercials, and magazine advertisements. And the largest of corporations typically represent a regular presence in offline channels. A huge number of billboards, sponsorships at theme parks, or even entire conferences dedicated to their brand. Offline marketing can be used as a stand alone tactic, but it's most often used in conjunction with online marketing efforts. Just know that regardless of the business size there are plenty of offline opportunities to help increase sales. Think outside the box. If there's offline channels that lend nicely to your objectives, chase after them.

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