Many offline marketing strategies have become impractical due to the pandemic. Marketing events such as launch parties and trade shows have been made impossible due to social distancing laws and group restrictions. Meanwhile, handing out flyers and business cards is also too risky.
Online marketing is clearly safer on the whole - people can still visit your website or see your online ads without leaving their home and without physically interacting with people. As a result, many businesses have been investing all their marketing budget into online strategies.
But should you really avoid all offline marketing? Are there still offline marketing strategies that may have potential?
Below are a few examples of offline marketing tactics that still hold some weight.
Offline Marketing with Radio Advertising
Radio advertising can be a way of communicating with customers remotely just like online advertising. Technically, a lot of radio nowadays is listened to online - however, it's different from screen-based marketing as it relies wholly on sound.
A benefit of radio ads is that they cannot be as skipped or ignored as easily as other ads. Most people will sit through these ads and take in the information.
Creating a good radio ad often requires hiring professionals and you'll need to then apply to get your radio ad on air - this guide of how to advertise on SiriusXM offers more information on this process.
You may get to choose when to play your ad. Certain times of the day may attract more listeners, but may also be more expensive to play your advert.
With the increase in popularity of podcasts, radio is becoming popular once again.
Signage and posters
Signage and posters can still be effective. With a sign or a poster, there is no social interaction necessary. This type of marketing does however rely on people leaving their home - which less of us are doing right now.
If you've had to shut up your store due to lockdown restrictions but are still doing deliveries, it could be worth putting a sign or poster up on your store door to tell people about your online service.
This could include a QR code that makes it easier for consumers to visit your site.
There are services that you can rely on to make signs. Posters may be possible to print off yourself.
Snail Mail/Door-to-Door Flyers
People are currently spending greater amounts of time at home. As a result of this, it could be a good time to consider traditional physical mail options such as promotional letters and door-to-door flyers - there could be a greater chance that this mail will get read.
For this type of marketing to be effective, you need to target the right homes.
This involves considering your target market and working out the most likely areas and buildings for them to live in. If you're promoting gardening services, for instance, it may make sense to avoid apartments.
There are companies that can produce professional flyers and newsletters for you, although you may be able to do this yourself.
You can hire a courier to deliver these or mail them yourself. However, you can learn more about this form of marketing here at Market Reach .
Billboards for Offline Marketing
Billboards are often placed in areas that get a lot of human traffic - with the pandemic limiting people going outdoors, billboards aren't likely to be seen as regularly. However, billboards are still a safe marketing option as they don't require social contact. Billboard space is also currently not as competitive and many billboard owners have reduced their fees, making it a good time to get involved.
You can search for billboards to rent online. You'll want to hire a professional to design and print your billboard.
Are you using any offline marketing methods today? I'd love to know more about them in the comments below!
