From the course: Offline Marketing Foundations

What is offline marketing?

From the course: Offline Marketing Foundations

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What is offline marketing?

- 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 88% of the US 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. And this is referring to promoting your business without using the internet. Offline marketing may also be referred to as traditional advertising, out of home advertising or outdoor advertising. Now, there are a few nuances between each of these terms but we don't really 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 its long and established history. Despite how often we're on the internet everyday we 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 to internet marketing and truthfully digital marketing spend is forecasted to overtake offline marketing spend but overtake 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 ROI. Small businesses might leverage ads in the local town paper, on the regional radio station or with flyers posted at the coffee shop or even through direct mail pieces. Larger companies might pursue billboards, local television commercials and magazine advertisements. And the largest of corporations represent a regular presence in offline channels. Mass numbers of billboards, sponsorships at theme parks or even entire conferences dedicated to their brand. Offline marketing can be used as a standalone tactic but it's most often used in conjunction with online marketing efforts, more on that later. But know that regardless of business size there are plenty of offline opportunities to help increase sales.

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