Posted On Oct 29, 2022

Danny Star, CEO and Founder of Website Depot Digital Marketing Agency, has helped hundreds of small businesses grow and expand.

Have you been doing seemingly everything you can with your company’s digital marketing but you aren’t getting the results that you want? Are you researching the best keywords, utilizing them properly in a content marketing strategy, all run through an optimized website yet you still aren’t seeing all of the success it seems like you should? That may happen to more businesses than you might think. Obviously, digital marketing is important. But, when I’m approached by a business owner saying some version of the above, I ask: “How’s your offline marketing?”

Offline Marketing Defined

As you might imagine, that question can stump them. After all, I’m a digital marketer, so the question can take them aback. But, I firmly believe in using traditional, offline marketing to buttress and support your digital marketing efforts.

When I say “offline marketing,” I mean it simply: any form of marketing that isn’t digital. Billboards, bus stop ads, pamphlets, brochures, radio ads, TV commercials—those are all forms of offline marketing. Moreover, those are forms of offline marketing that continue to be successfully utilized by clients of mine every day.

Remember: Offline marketing doesn’t just have to be “marketing that you pay for.” Some of the most effective forms of offline marketing are the kind that give you real agency: personal interactions. I can’t tell you how effective it’s been over the years for me and my team to go to conventions, meetups, mixers, expos and the like. Really, anywhere you’re able to meet folks that could potentially be interested in what you’re doing can be a marketing opportunity.

That said, while they can be successful, they aren’t the primary form of marketing. Not anymore. While all of those can be effective, they don’t have the reach that digital marketing does. Moreover, they can’t be nearly as precisely targeted. By that same token, you also can’t measure their analytics a fraction as well as you can with digital marketing. Yet, all of that being said, offline marketing can still be an effective part of your strategy (even if it isn’t the main part).

The Main Reason To Keep Up With Offline Marketing

Simply: Because it can reach people digital marketing can’t. Sure, organic SEO and paid ads can target people precisely online, but, there are still some people out there who aren’t all that online. Yes, there are fewer and fewer every year, but offline marketing still has its uses.

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Here’s an analogy I’ve used often with clients: Offline marketing, like a billboard, can reach someone when they’re walking home from the store with a bag in each hand. Even as obsessed with our phones as so many can be, it’s hard to check your phone if you don’t have a free hand. Offline marketing can reach those potential customers that digital marketing cannot (and really may never be able to).

Even though it’s offline marketing, you should still think “outside the box.” A billboard can be very effective, yes. But, modern versions of that exist now. Case in point: LED billboard trucks. These can be rented and directed to drive around a given area of your choice. Moreover, you can even get trucks that play your video on the truck as it goes by.

Now, as you might imagine, as effective and eye-catching as a billboard can be, this can be more eye-catching than any billboard. This is the frontier of offline advertising. Technological advancements aren’t limited to digital marketing.

To get the most out of utilizing one of these trucks, make a great video but make it short. Remember, people probably aren’t going to be able to see it for very long. To keep the cost down further, you can rent a truck with another company, their video plays after yours and so forth. For the most ROI, have a QR code on the truck, too. That way, anyone who’s intrigued by your video can hold up their phone and go to a landing page of your choice. Full disclosure: My company offers this service.

You Can Improve Your Offline Marketing And Yourself At The Same Time

Another great way to boost your business and your marketing (as well as your self-esteem) is to give a talk. You read that right: Give a speech about your company, what it is that you do, and so forth. I’ve done these for years, and they’ve helped to grow my business (while being great for networking) tremendously.

When you give a talk, you can show off your expertise. You can connect on a real, human level, in a way that practically no other form of marketing can. Plus (and this can’t be stressed enough) it’s fun. You’re in front of interested people talking about something that matters to you. That is never, ever going to go out of style.

One word of advice: If reading this section made you at all nervous, start small. Give talks in front of small groups, and then, as you gain confidence and poise, work your way up to larger, more prestigious ones.

The Right Combination

Digital marketing will never replace offline marketing, not entirely. Yes, digital marketing is the best, most effective form of marketing ever. But, it’s not the only form of effective marketing. Indeed, having a consistent brand across offline marketing can only help your digital marketing. When you have your digital marketing working hand in hand with your offline marketing, you can truly take your business to another level.

Original Post: The Benefits Of Offline Marketing From An Online, Digital Marketing Expert