It would be easy to assume, given how digitized our world has become, that the vast majority of your branding and marketing will happen online and in virtual spaces. And, while it is true that our world is growing more dependent on virtual space every day, we haven’t yet left the physical world behind. In fact, our physical world is still pretty important! You can categorize that statement under D, for “duh.”
The reason we bring it up, though, is that when you start learning about branding and marketing a business, most of the information you are going to find will focus on internet and mobile efforts that you can take. You’ll learn about Google Adwords and online-banner advertising and how to use mobile marketing to drive sales. You won’t find nearly as much current information about how to properly use offline branding methods for your business, so we thought we’d break down a few of them for you now.
1. Promotional Giveaways
Use your brand’s logo on physical promotional items and gear. Branding on items such as notebooks or shopping bags can have a significant impact on consumers. The best way to get these products into the hands of consumers while you are still building your business is to offer them up as giveaways. When you do this, try to focus on products that are functional, such as flash drives or laptop chargers, so shoppers actually find them useful while they do the marketing for your business.
2. Wearable Merchandise
Wearable promotional gear such as t-shits and caps are effective and long lasting branding tools. Such items will create walking marketing materials for your company as customers don your brand’s apparel. However, keep the quality high as there is nothing worse for customers than to get a paper-thin tee from the brand they love. Fans won’t wear cheap-quality, so you may lose your marketing bump. It is better to spend the money on a shirt they’ll wear forever than to save a few bucks on a shirt they’ll wear once and throw away.
3. Brochures and Fliers
Even in the era of everything digital, brochures are an important marketing tool. While retailers need an excellent online store to attract customers, brochures are important to present your information quickly and remind shoppers about your product offering. They can also be displayed at the front in expo or trade show booths. Heck, you can hand them out to people as you walk down the street!
4. Banners
Retailers also have the option to strategically use eSigns vinyl banner printing to get attention by announcing a promotion or a special offer. A lot of brick and mortar shops will set them up outside to draw attention from pedestrians. Physical vinyl signage is often put off because of design complexity and long turnaround times at local shops but, as you can see, online retailers have made the process extremely simple and fast.
5. Business Cards
These little pieces of stationery can really pack a promotional punch. Customers can be given out a few to share with their social circles; you can hand them out to customers coming in your outlet or even at industry events. By handing over your card, you’re creating a mental and visual link with customers. Even if they’ve liked your Facebook page, they will likely keep your card. Months later, they may not be able to recall your company name or search for it on Facebook, but when they take out the cards they’ve kept, the visual connection will remind them about your brand.
These are just a few of the easiest offline marketing methods you can use to get started. Once you’ve mastered these, you should also consider things like traditional advertising (radio, television, newspaper, magazine), local networking events, event sponsorship…there are lots of things you can do!
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